Mooncakes
月饼
Cantonese mooncakes: a thin, glossy golden-syrup crust pressed around lotus seed paste, with an optional salted duck egg yolk at the centre for the moon.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 月饼.
- Prep
- 1 hr
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 50 hr
- Total
- 51 hr 30 min
- Difficulty
- A bit of work
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Cantonese mooncakes are mostly filling. The crust is a thin, tender dough of flour, golden syrup, oil and a little alkaline water, wrapped around a ball of sweet lotus seed paste, sometimes with a salted duck egg yolk hidden in the middle to stand for the moon. Each is pressed in a patterned mould, baked, glazed and baked again. Fresh from the oven the crust is dry and pale; after two or three days in a tin, oil from the filling soaks back into it and it turns soft and shiny. This version uses bought lotus paste, which is what most Hong Kong home bakers do too.
What you'll need
8 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Dough
- Filling
- Glaze
Ingredients
Dough
- Wheat flour, plain100 g
- Golden syrup, or Chinese invert syrup70 g
- Neutral oil, peanut oil is traditional; any neutral oil works25 ml
- Baking soda, dissolved in 1 tsp water, in place of 1/2 tsp lye water (kansui)1.2 ml
Filling
- Lotus seed paste, store-bought; 450 g is enough if you use the yolks600 g
- Salted duck egg, yolks only (optional)10
- Shaoxing wine, or any strong spirit, to brush the yolks (optional)15 ml
Glaze
- Egg, yolk only, beaten with 1 tbsp water1
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Stir the golden syrup, oil and dissolved bicarbonate together until smooth and slightly thick. Sift in the flour and fold to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Wrap it and rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
120 min
Step 2
If using yolks, rinse off any white, brush them with the wine and bake on a tray at 180°C for 5 to 6 minutes, until the surface just sets and looks matt. Leave to cool.
10 min180°C
Step 3
For a 75 g mould, weigh 15 g of dough and 60 g of filling per cake; this makes 10, with a little dough to spare. With a yolk, wrap each one in 45 g of lotus paste; without, roll 60 g balls of paste. Flatten a piece of dough in your palm, set a filling ball on it and ease the dough up and around with the heel of your hand until it is evenly covered. Pinch closed and roll smooth.
30 min
Tip: The dough is soft. Oil your hands lightly and push the dough upwards around the ball rather than stretching it from above.
Step 4
Dust the mould and the ball lightly with flour and tap off the excess. Put the ball in, set the mould on a lined tray, press down firmly and release. Without a mould, flatten the ball gently into a 2.5 cm-thick puck and press a pattern with a floured cookie stamp or the cut base of a glass, or score a lattice with the back of a knife.
15 min
Step 5
Heat the oven to 180°C. Mist the cakes lightly with water and bake for 5 minutes to set the pattern, then take them out and let them cool for 10 minutes.
15 min180°C
Step 6
Brush the tops with a very thin coat of the yolk glaze, wiping off any that pools in the pattern. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes more, until deep golden.
12 min180°C
Watch: A thick glaze blurs the pattern. Use a soft brush with almost nothing on it.
Step 7
Cool completely, then keep the mooncakes in an airtight tin at room temperature for 2 to 3 days before eating, until the crust turns soft and glossy. Eat within a week; in a warm kitchen, move them to the fridge once the crust has softened.
5 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 295 kcal
- Protein
- 7.4 g
- Carbs
- 47.9 g
- Fat
- 8.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.8 g
- Fibre
- 2.1 g
- Sugar
- 31 g
- Sodium
- 348 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Lotus seed paste → Red bean or mung bean paste
Both are common Cantonese fillings and use the same weights. Mung bean paste is softer, so chill it first.
Golden syrup → Homemade invert syrup
Simmer 250 g sugar with 120 ml water and a few drops of lemon juice until pale amber, then let it age for a few weeks. It is the bakery way; golden syrup is nearly as good.
Tips
- Weigh everything. The thin crust only works if dough and filling stay at about one to four.
- Plastic plunger moulds with changeable stamps are cheap online and easier than the old wooden ones. For 50 g moulds, use 10 g dough and 40 g filling.
- Bought lotus paste varies. Chill it for an hour if it is too soft to roll, or knead in a teaspoon of oil if it is too stiff.
History & culture
Mooncakes belong to the Mid-Autumn Festival, on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, when families gather to look at the full moon, light lanterns and share cakes cut into wedges with tea. Boxes of them go to relatives, clients and colleagues, and bakeries start selling them weeks ahead.
Round festival cakes are recorded from the Song dynasty, and the Mid-Autumn link was firm by the Ming. The story goes that rebels against the Yuan hid messages inside mooncakes to time their uprising. The thin-crusted Cantonese style with lotus paste was shaped by Guangzhou bakeries in the late Qing and early Republican years.
Modern adaptation — Hong Kong bakeries make their own lotus paste, age an invert syrup for weeks and use lye water (kansui). Store-bought paste, golden syrup and a pinch of bicarbonate are honest home shortcuts and give a close result. A mooncake mould is needed for the classic look and is not in our equipment list; a floured cookie stamp, the cut base of a glass, or a plain knife-scored puck all work.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Mooncakes take?
51 hr 30 min all in — 1 hr prep, 30 min cook, 50 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 10 mooncakes. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
A bit of work.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Kitchen scale, Oven, Baking tray.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list a salt amount. We will not invent one.
What can I use instead?
Lotus seed paste → Red bean or mung bean paste. Both are common Cantonese fillings and use the same weights. Mung bean paste is softer, so chill it first. Golden syrup → Homemade invert syrup. Simmer 250 g sugar with 120 ml water and a few drops of lemon juice until pale amber, then let it age for a few weeks. It is the bakery way; golden syrup is nearly as good.
What should I watch for?
A thick glaze blurs the pattern. Use a soft brush with almost nothing on it.
Any tips from this recipe?
Weigh everything. The thin crust only works if dough and filling stay at about one to four. Plastic plunger moulds with changeable stamps are cheap online and easier than the old wooden ones. For 50 g moulds, use 10 g dough and 40 g filling. Bought lotus paste varies. Chill it for an hour if it is too soft to roll, or knead in a teaspoon of oil if it is too stiff.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Stir the golden syrup, oil and dissolved bicarbonate together until smooth and slightly thick. Sift in the flour and fold to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Wrap it and rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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