Hydrangea Mooncake

Two days away and we will be celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival;  and here I am trying out another new type of Mooncake this time.  What intrigue me when I saw Sonia posted her Hydrandea Mooncake as it look so pretty and gorgeous looking.  I'm sure you will totally awe too looking at this unique flower mooncake!

Hydrangea Mooncake 

Recipe adapted from Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

makes 6

Water dough

63g plain flour

25g unsalted butter

8g caster sugar

25g water

Oil dough

62g cake flour

35g unsalted butter

Filling

150g red bean paste  (or any of your favourite filling paste)

Egg wash- 1 egg yolk + ½ tbsp milk

Method

For water dough :  In a mixing bowl, place the plain flour, butter and sugar in and rub till resembles crumbs, add in water then combine well, do not over mix. Wrap the dough with cling film and rest for 20 mins. Divide into 6 equal portions and shape it round.

For Oil Dough : Rub cake flour with butter, slowly combine till soft dough. Wrap the dough with cling film and rest for 20 mins. Divide into 6 equal portions and shape it round.

For the filling :  Divide the red bean paste into 6 portions (25g each).

Flatten water dough and wrap oil dough inside. Roll out into long oval shape and roll it up like swiss roll. Repeat the same for the rest, keep aside to rest for 10 mins.

Place the swiss roll with seam side up, roll it into long oval shape and roll up like swiss roll. Repeat the same for the rest, keep aside to rest for 10mins.

Take a swiss roll dough, place your thumb at the middle, then bring both ends to the centre, lightly shape into ball. Repeat the same for the rest.

Place a piece of cling film or plastic sheet on the chopping board or worktop, roll dough ball into a round disc (around 11-12cm diameter, this diameter is important as it should be able to cover the whole red bean ball ), make 4 cuts but remain about 3cm at the centre, then continue to cut, each ¼ segment should have 16 cuts, total 64 cuts.

Slowly hold the cling film together with cut round disc, place a red bean ball at the centre, then wrap and seal the red bean ball, remain some strips to let it look like hydrangea flower. Important : Please make sure secure it tightly to avoid it break while baking. Place on lined baking tray.

Apply egg wash at the top, bake in pre-heated oven at 170C for 30mins.

Let the mooncakes cool well before cutting and storing.

For full tutorial pictures.... please hob over to Sonia's blog;  as I just manage to took these few pictures only...
 

 

Happy Mooncake Festival to you all!!

Piggy Mooncakes

Ha....it is my turn to make Piggy Mooncakes this time.  Well, I am sure you have come across many bloggers have made this Piggy Mooncakes, right?  They are so cute and adorable and it is suitable to give this to children.

My piggies were not in good shape as I fold and shape, my hands got all sticky; and losing my patience in shaping it at the end.  So trying to finish this up in a haste as I am late in cooking my dinner......duh!

This Piggy Mooncakes was first introduced to all us and should give full credit and thanks to Ann of Anncoo Journal when she posted her Piggy Mooncakes back in 2011.  

And lately, Jessie of CookingMoments made it, and many thanks to Sonia of NasiLemakLover of her tutorial pictures on how to make this piggy mooncakes.

Piggy Mooncakes

(Original Recipe from: Ann@AnncooJournal)
Makes 5 

Dough Ingredients:

150g Plain Flour

90g Golden Syrup

3g Alkaline Water

38g Vegetable Oil or Peanut Oil 

Fillings: 
5 x 60g Red Bean Paste, store bought – Roll into balls 

Other Items Requirement :

1 x Round 1/4tsp

1 Skewer

1 Toothpick

A Small Plastic Sheet

10 Black Beans, rinsed & pat dry

Egg Wash:

1 Egg Yolk + 2 tbsp Water

Mix all, then, pass through a fine strainer 

Method:

Please click here or  here for more detailed to view on how to make this piggy mooncakes.

To bake, place the piggy mooncakes on a lined baking tray. Bake in the 160C preheated oven(at lower middle level) for 8 minutes.

Remove & let to cool down for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 150C.

After the break, continue to bake for 5 minutes. Remove again to cool down for 8-10 minutes.

Brush with egg wash & bake for 3 minutes. Remove immediately.

Cool down completely before storing in an air-tight container. Wait for at least 24 hours before consume to allow the mooncakes to become “soft.” They look better after 24 hours.

NOTES:

* Every oven will react differently. I notice that my mooncakes are best baked for not more than 3 minutes after brushing with eggwash or the “skin” will become uneven colour. 

After brushing the egg wash, I overbaked it and resulted some uneven skin colour and one piggy with cracked skin... but after cooling down, the cracked skin formed back.

 

Too cute to slaughter.......... 

Two more days we will be celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival, and here I wish all of you 

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

Traditional Mooncakes

I am sure you have noticed the past few weeks or days many food bloggers have been marathon baking mooncakes as our mid Autumn Festival falls on 19th September this year.

I have never bake traditional mooncakes before nor have I made the snow skin types too.  I am not a fan of mooncakes as they are usually very sweet if buy from the shops.  So I seldom buy it unless someone gave this for me.  I can't remember when was the last time I had mooncakes.  Well, seeing so many bloggers made so beautiful mooncakes on the blog it has inspired and motivated me to do so this year.

I have been going through from one blog to another and another, reading the steps again and again trying to make this mooncakes.  Until I really can't decide which one to follow.....and still so indecisive so I used Jessie of CookingMoments  on her Taro Mooncakes recipe as well as using Anncoo Journal recipe on her Traditional Mooncake as reference.

TRADITIONAL MOONCAKES

Recipe reference source from Jessie-CookingMoments & Anncoo Journal

(made 10pcs)

(Plunger mould 6cm diameter /80gm)

Skin Ingredients

200g Hong Kong Flour

130g Golden Syrup

50g Vegetable Oil

6g Alkaline Water, available in Chinese Grocery Shop

Yolk Ingredients

5 Salted Egg Yolks

Filling Ingredients

45g x 10 White Lotus paste, store-bought

Egg Wash Ingredients

1 Small Egg yolk + 1tbsp Water

Whisk until well-combined. Pass through a fine sieve, set aside.

Method:

1.  Remove salted egg yolk whites and rinse under gentle running water.  Place yolks on

     steaaming plate, add 1 tbsp cooking wine and a drop of sesame oil, mix well with

     yolks.  Steam for 5 minutes at high heat.  Leave to cool and cut to half.

2.  Weight white lotus paste to 45g and wrapped half of yolk inside.  Roll into ball again.

      Repeat the rest.

3  . To make the “skin,” mix golden syrup, oil & alkaline water with a whisk until well-

      combined.  Rest for 1 hour.

4.   Place flour in a big bowl, make a well in the center. Pour syrup mixture into the flour.

      Mix with a spatula until a soft dough is formed. Cover with cling wrap and & rest for

      40 minutes to an hour.

5.   Divide dough into 10 equal portions, roll into balls.

6.  Grab one dough, flatten into a disc, then wrap a filling inside.  Roll into a ball again.

7.  Dust mooncake mold with some flour. Pour out the excess flour.

8.  Place the dough ball in the center of the mold. Gently press from the center until the

     dough fill up the mold completely. Release the ring & unmold carefully, place the

 mooncake on a lined tray.

9.  Repeat for the rest of the ingredients.

10.  Lightly spray the mooncakes with some water and bake in a 160C-preheated oven at

       lower middle level for 10 minutes.

11. Remove to cool down for 10-15 minutes. (Important to let mooncakes to cool down) .

12. Brush egg wash on all sides of the mooncakes. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the

      egg wash are dried & the mooncakes look golden.

13. Remove to cool down on a wire rack completely. Wait for 2-3 days for the

      mooncakes to become soft again (to release oil) before consuming.

 

 

 

Remember to let the mooncakes to rest for 2-3 days before consuming.... this is to let the skin to turn soft.

My first attempt of baking mooncakes and much cheaper than store bought!