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    Home » Recipes » Chinese desserts

    Mooncake (Mon Cake) - Yue Bing Recipe

    Last Modified: March 21, 2023 by Elaine| 100 Comments

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    Mooncake (Mon cake) is a Chinese dessert that has been enjoyed for centuries. It's traditionally eaten during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, and it's definitely worth a try! Mooncakes come in many flavors, colors, shapes, and sizes. They are usually round or rectangular and filled with different kinds of sweet fillings such as lotus seed paste.

    Learn how to make traditional Chinese mooncakes with egg yolk, and collect all the important tips for the perfect Mooncake for the Chinese Mid Autumn Day.

    mooncakes|China Sichuan Food
    mooncake with black sesame filling
    mooncakes|China Sichuan Food
    Mooncake with yolk and lotus seed paste
    Table of Contents
    • Mooncakes- overpriced Chinese gifts
    • Types of mooncakes
    • Shapes of Mooncakes- with the mold
    • Mooncake Fillings
    • Lye water (枧水)
    • Golden syrup
    • 💭Tips for homemade Mooncakes
    • How to Make Mooncake (Mon Cake) at home
    • How to keep Mooncakes
    • Other mooncake recipes
    • 🧾Recipe
    • How to serve mooncakes
    • FAQs about Mooncakes
    • Why it is called mooncake

    Mooncakes- overpriced Chinese gifts

    Elaine was born on a Mid Autumn day 30 years ago. Eating mooncakes and homemade sticky rice cake along with the birthday cake have been our family activities for 30 years.

    Mooncakes have become increasingly popular over the years and are now considered a luxury item. We bought well-pancaked mooncakes and use them as gifts for families and friends, this has led to them becoming quite expensive — some Chinese delicacies can cost up to 500 Chinese Yuan ($71 USD) per piece! But the ingredients used for mooncakes are quite simple and humble.

    Types of mooncakes

    Since it has a great popularity, we also developed lots of other types of mooncakes from no-baking versions- snow skin versions made with wrappers from sticky rice flour to traditional versions made from particular dough combinations and fillings like lotus seed paste or red bean paste. Other more modern mooncake recipes have also risen in popularity, such as Oreo mooncakes.

    Shapes of Mooncakes- with the mold

    Starting last year, Elaine makes mooncakes for my family instead of purchasing some from the market. Chinese eat mooncakes to celebrate family reunion day. In order to make the mooncake, you need to buy mooncake molds. Those mooncake molds are either round or square-shaped. We also have flower mooncake molds now. Most of the traditional mooncakes are round. The roundness symbolizes completeness and reunion. Family members usually share mooncakes together.

    Mooncake Fillings

    Mooncakes fillings can be different too. Recently mooncakes are a large group, for example, Su style savory mooncakes(minced pork as filling), snow skin mooncake (this one does not need baking), Yunnan ham and flower mooncakes, ice cream mooncakes, chocolate mooncakes, etc.

    We even heard of reman noodles mooncake this year. Cantonese sweet mooncakes usually use different pastes, nuts, and egg yolk as the ingredients for the filling including lotus seed paste, red bean paste, black sesame paste, mung bean pastes, or mixed nuts(五仁月饼). 

    Lye water (枧水)

    Lye water sometimes called alkaline salt is an alkaline solution. Tradition Chinese lye water is made with Kansui powder (蓬灰) and alkaline. But today's version is a combined alkaline solution containing potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate. The ingredient label on the store-bought bottle contains 80% pure water, 15% sodium carbonate, and 5% potassium carbonate. The lye water can raise the alkalinity (pH) to neutralize the acid in the golden syrup. Baking soda does too, but sodium hydroxide is far more potent. Another purpose is the Maillard reaction, which is responsible for the crisping and browning of crust skins.

    Where to get lye water and how to substitute


    Lye water might quite hard to find.  Lye water You can try to search for it at large Asian stores, especially with lots of bakery ingredients.  There are several approaches to making substitutes for lye water used in mooncakes. They might work slightly differently
    but can yield a very similar result.


    Approach 1: dietary alkali powder with clean water at a ratio of 1:4.
    Approach 2: If you use baking soda directly, you will get a much softer and less browned crust. So first bake baking soda on a lined baking tray at 120 degrees C  for around 1 hour to turn it into stronger alkali. Do not touch it during the process to prevent skin irritation. And then mix 1 teaspoon of baked soda with 4 teaspoons of water.
    Approach 3:
    A better substitute than baking soda due to its high pH is sodium carbonate. The pH value is between the pH of baking soda and lye water. I find this one on amazon.

    mooncake ingredients|golden syrup

    Golden syrup

    known as artificial honey usually used in moon cakes and other cakes to replace sugar. It can add a sweet taste, create a deep dark color of the final cakes and maintain the water. You can either choose the homemade version or a store-bought version.
    If there is any chance that you need to make mooncakes soon and do not want to bother simmering for 40 minutes or access Asian stores, you can replace golden syrup with honey at the same amount. I have tested several batches last year. Honey can work as a reliable substitute. The following picture is the batch using honey instead of golden syrup. There is little difference in texture and taste, but it yields a light color compared with the ones using golden syrup.


    I have tested several times with my fellow housewives, golden syrup can be replaced by honey.

    mooncakes made with honey
    mooncakes made with honey instead of golden syrup
    mooncakes three days after baking
    mooncake with golden syrup

    💭Tips for homemade Mooncakes

    1. You need a kitchen scale to measure all the ingredients, accurate amount really matters to the final texture and taste.
    2. Success mooncakes=well balanced taste+well wrapped fillings+well kept shape (including the clear pattern on the surface)
    3. If you are using homemade paste filling, make sure your paste is dry enough. Moist fillings might cause cracks on the skin.
    4. Cover all the fillings and divided the wrapper dough with a plastic wrapper to prevent drying out.
    5. Do not use too much flour to dust, otherwise, it influences the pattern.
    6. Mooncake assembling needs patience and skill.  I even spoil my first one during this batch(as it is my first batch this year). But wearing plastic gloves can make the process easier. But be gentle and slow down when pushing the wrapper up.

    How to Make Mooncake (Mon Cake) at home

    Attention: The following recipe is based on 7: 3 (filling vs wrapper) for 14 moon cakes around 50g. If you want to use a ratio of 8:2, adjust the ingredients accordingly.  And this is based on a 50g moon cake shaping tool. If your egg yolk is too large, divide them into halves and wrap it in two moon cakes.  I am using New Moon Cake Decoration Mold mold to shape my moon cakes.

    Mooncake dough wrapper

    prepare all the other ingredients: golden syrup, alkaline water, flour, and vegetable oil together. Combine golden syrup with vegetable oil and alkaline water in a large mixing bowl. Add flour in. Mix well. Knead to a ball, wrap with a plastic wrapper, and knead several times until smooth. Reset for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.

    mooncake skin

    Firstly all of the fillings should be prepared previously. I usually make them on the previous day. I combine lotus seed paste, mung bean paste, red bean paste, and black sesame paste this time. But it is ok if you choose only one filling.

    Prepare the egg yolk

    If you can find fresh salted duck egg, crack the egg and then wash the egg yolk in clean water. Set aside to drain before using. If you are using packaged salted duck egg yolk, remember to sprinkle some white spirit (白酒) on the surface to remove raw taste.

    Prepare the filling

    I made 14 mooncakes in the video tutorial and 8 of them are loaded with salted egg yolk (Measure: egg yolk+paste filling=35g) and 6 of them are pure filling (30g).

    Wrap the egg yolk with the filling

    Carefully shape it into a round ball and set it aside. It is quite important to cover all of the ready fillings with plastic wrappers to prevent drying out. 

    1. When the crust dough is ready, use a kitchen scale to divide them into 14 balls (each 15g). Take one portion of the wrapper, press it into a round wrapper (larger is better but do not break the wrapper), and then place one filling ball in the center.
    2. Push the wrapper from bottom to top little by little until the whole ball is completely wrapped.
    3. Shape it into a round ball. This step can help to make the skin as even as possible. Then slightly shape the ball into an oval so you can easily place it into the mold.
    4. Dust your mold with flour and then shake it several times to remove the extra amount of flour. Use a mooncake mold to shape it.
    5. When the assembling process is done, coat the ball with a layer of flour. Also, coat your tool, please. Place the ball on your board, then carefully cover it with the shaping tool, press the rod, and gently remove the cake from the tool.
    Chinese traditional mooncake step--asseme the mooncake

    How to bake mooncake


    Preheat oven to 180 degrees C  (356F). Spaying a very very thin layer of water on the surface of the mooncake can help to avoid cracking surfaces. But too much water will spoil the pattern on the surface. Bake for 5 minutes to firm the shape.
    In a small bowl, whisk one egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of egg whites.  Transfer the mooncakes out and brush a very very very thin layer of egg wash on the surface. Low the oven temperature to 170 degrees C and put them back in the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. I baked around 16 minutes.

    Mooncakes |China Sichuan Food

    When well-baked, transfer out the cooling rack to cool down completely.

    Mooncakes

    How to keep Mooncakes


    When the mooncakes are out of the oven, the skin is not oily like the ones on the market. We need the last step: place them in an airtight container (I am using a single package as I need to ship them to my family). Wait for around 1 or 2 days for the pasty to become soft (This process is named”回油”, meaning the process of returning the oil to the surface). After this last step, mooncakes can be kept for around 2 weeks in the fridge.

    Mooncakes |China Sichuan Food

    Other mooncake recipes


    1. Snow skin mooncakes - no baking, a super soft and lovely wrapper made from sticky rice flour.
    2. Nuts mooncake - if you are tired of sweet filling, check out this version with lots of nuts.

    snow skin mooncake with custard filling
    snow skin mooncake with custard filling
    mooncakes with nuts|chhinasichuanfood.com
    Nuts Mooncakes

    🧾Recipe

    Chinese Mooncakes—Traditional Version

    Elaine
    Traditional Cantonese Chinese Mooncakes.
    5 from 12 votes
    Watch Video Print Recipe
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 14 Making 14 moon cakes (50g*8 and 45g*6)
    Calories 178 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Wrapper dough

    • 115 g plain flour
    • 28 g peanut oil ,around 2 tablespoons, or other vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon flour for coating the tool
    • 75 g golden syrup homemade or store bought
    • 2 g lye water

    Filling:

    • 8 salted egg yolks ,each 10g
    • 380 g bean paste or black sesame filling ,25g*8+30g*6

    egg wash:

    • 1 egg yolk
    • 1 tablespoon egg white

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare the filling paste in the previously, lotus seed paste, mung bean paste or red bean paste.

    To make the wrapper

    • Combine lye water, golden syrup, and vegetable oil in a small bowl and then mix with flour. Stir until well combined. Wrap with plastic wrapper and then knead several times until smooth. Set aside in fridge for 2-3 hours.
    • Transfer out and then divide into 14 equal balls (each one 15g)

    Assembling

    • Measure the fillings for egg yolk mooncake: paste+ egg yolk=35g. Measure the fillings for pure paste filling: paste filling=30g. Wrap the egg yolks with paste firstly. And shape all the filling into round balls. Take one portion of the wrapper, press into a round wrapper and then place one filling ball in center. Push the wrapper from bottom to top little by little until the whole ball is completely sealed. Shape it into a round ball firstly and then into an oval.Slightly dust your mooncake tool and press the rod and gently remove the cake from the tool.
    • Preheat oven to 180C (356F). Spray a very thin layer of water on surface to avoid cracking surface (especially you used larger amount of dusting flour). Bake for 5 minutes.
    • In a small bowl, whisked the egg yolk and combine with egg whites. Transfer mooncakes out and brush a very thin layer of egg wash on the surface.
    • Continue bake for around 15 to 20 minutes until the mooncake becomes well browned.
    • Transfer out to a cooling down crack to cool down completely. Place in an airtight containers. Wait for around 1 or 2 days for the pasty to become soft and oily. After the "oil return" process, keep the mooncakes in fridge up to 2 weeks.

    Video

    Notes

    For mooncakes, smaller duck egg yolk around 10 grams each one is highly recommended. If your egg yolks are larger, for example near 20g. Divide it into two halves and wrap in two moon cakes.
    When pushing the outer wrappers, be carefully and slow down your process. Do not break the wrapper. If you do, pinch any small holes together. The time needed for assemble one moon cake should be around 1 minute even you are quite skilled. Be patient during the process.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 7mgPotassium: 20mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 165IUCalcium: 21mgIron: 1.1mg
    Keyword mooncake
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood

    How to serve mooncakes

    With tea or coffee: Mooncakes can be served as a dessert with tea or coffee. Chinese mooncakes are usually served as a snack in the afternoon and can be enjoyed with family and friends. Chinese mooncakes are a perfect companion for Chinese tea. Chinese people often pair the pastry with Chinese tea such as pu-erh or oolong. The flavor of tea can bring out the sweetness and fragrance of Chinese mooncakes. To serve Chinese mooncakes, you should first slice them into small wedges for easier sharing.

    Serve as breakfast: Mooncakes can also be served as breakfast. Chinese people enjoy mooncakes with hot soy milk or even congee in the morning. It contains a lot of nutritious ingredients such as sesame, nuts, Chinese dates, and lotus seeds. So will be a good energy boost for a day.

    FAQs about Mooncakes

    What's inside mooncakes

    You may encounter different types of fillings in a mooncake, including but not limited to the followings: red bean paste, lotus seed paste, mung bean paste, date paste, taro paste, black sesame paste, mixed nuts, custard filling, salted egg yolk or even pork.

    Is mooncake healthy

    Mooncakes are generally not considered to be healthy. The majority of mooncakes are made with high amounts of sugar and refined carbohydrates, such as wheat flour and sugar. Additionally, many varieties contain high levels of fat from lard or vegetable oil. While there are some healthier versions available that use whole wheat flour and less sugar. Therefore, it is best to enjoy mooncakes in limited amounts every day.

    Why it is called mooncake

    The shape and design of these cakes often symbolize the moon and its symbolic importance for cultural celebrations. The name mooncake comes from this symbolism, as it is a cake typically shaped like a full or crescent moon, which is associated with the festival's celebration of the autumnal equinox. Moon means 月 while the cake is 饼 in Chinese (cakes, pastry, and such).

    Hope you have a nice felling about this lovely Chinese traditional desserts and also has a perfect life with families.

    More Chinese desserts

    • Lotus Seed Paste
    • Mung Bean Cake (Mung Bean Paste)
    • Snow Skin Mooncake-Video Recipe with Custard Filling
    • Sesame Balls-Jian Dui

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chad

      November 17, 2016 at 10:24 am

      Hi Elaine,

      First - THANK YOU for your wonderful and informative blog!

      Two questions please, with the mooncake recipe above, if honey is used instead of golden syrup, is lye water necessary?

      Second, where did you find those wonderful plastic cases for your cakes? They are beautiful!

      Thank you in advance.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        November 17, 2016 at 10:27 am

        Hi Chad,
        If you use honey instead of the syrup, I still recommend adding the lye water. It can help to coloring the mooncakes.
        I purchase the mooncake tool from taobao, but I find it is available on Amazon too.

        Reply
    2. Chad

      November 18, 2016 at 8:27 am

      Thanks Elaine,

      I ordered your recommended mooncake tool from amazon. I was actually asking about the individual airtight containers you are using in your picture, black bottom and clear top. Where did you get them?

      Chad

      Reply
    3. Annie

      May 05, 2017 at 8:05 pm

      Hi Sis Elaine, i have 1 question.
      Does the egg yolk use in this recipe,is the raw one?
      As i look into other recipes,they did cooked it first by steam it or bake it for +-10 min.
      If yes in this recipe using raw egg yolk, i found the last result after cutting the baked moon cake shown brilliant color compared to those steam/bake egg yolk(i like it very much)

      Reply
      • Elaine

        May 08, 2017 at 8:51 am

        Hi Annie,
        I use raw egg yolk directly. There is lots of recipes asking to bake the egg yolk firstly but I found it is unnecessary. I only spread some white spirit on surface to remove the odd taste. But do not use large raw yolks.

        Reply
    4. RD

      August 21, 2017 at 1:50 am

      Floral cakes by Jessica MV does bean paste work on cakes.
      1) mung bean paste- bows & macrames
      2)kidney bean paste- beads, sequins& embroidery
      flowers
      3)lotus seed paste- David Austin rose

      Do you have a recipe for it?

      Reply
    5. CONNIE

      September 24, 2017 at 9:24 am

      5 stars
      Love yuebing!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!! I just tried making a batch, but em yuebing expands in the oven, destroying he floral pattern...any tips on how to get how to get a crisp look like the ones you've made? Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        September 24, 2017 at 10:24 am

        Are you using homemade filling or store-bought filling?

        Reply
    6. Stella

      September 25, 2017 at 6:41 am

      Hi Elaine.
      I planning to make this mooncake this year but im still cant get the alkaline water on hand. Can i substitute it with ordinary baking sods plus 1 egg yolk. If i can then how many baking soda that i need and do i need to dissolve it in water or just add in into the golden syrup.
      Please reply to me as soon as possible.
      Tq.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        September 25, 2017 at 3:08 pm

        Hi Stella,
        If you plan to use baking soda, spread them on a lined baking pan and bake for 1 hour at 120 degree C. Then mix with water using the ratio of 1:4 (baking soda vs water). We still need 2g only.

        Reply
        • Elaine

          September 25, 2017 at 3:09 pm

          By the way, never touch the powder with hands.

          Reply
    7. Mrs Yeap

      October 08, 2017 at 8:15 am

      Hi Elaine,
      Thank you for sharing your recipe.
      I just baked mooncake using your recipe. It was a success!?!!
      I use store bought lotus paste 1kg and low protein cake flour.
      I took shortcut, I put the dough in the freezer for 40 minutes because my little girl?? can’t wait for 3 hours....
      It still works.
      Your dough recipe x 2.5 times; i get 9 x 125g & 5 x 63g mooncakes. All without egg yolks.

      Thank you
      ?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        October 08, 2017 at 3:28 pm

        Thanks for this great comment. Lotus paste is my favorite filling.

        Reply
    8. Mrs Yeap

      October 08, 2017 at 8:17 am

      5 stars
      The 5 stars rating is here

      Reply
    9. Cacá

      November 04, 2017 at 12:32 am

      5 stars
      Hi Elaine!
      Is it possible to substitute the plain flour for another gluten free flour?
      Can I use agave instead of the golden syrup?
      Thakk you so much!

      Reply
    10. Jasmine

      August 28, 2018 at 10:33 am

      Hello! I made your mooncake recipe about a week ago and it was great, but the filling (I made red bean) was really dry even after I left it for about 5 days. Could you give me some advice? I made sure to cook the filling till it was quite dry to make sure it didn't make the skin too oily afterwards but it's just really crumbly now...
      I'm Asian so I eat mooncakes every year and the store bought mooncake have smooth, sticky fillings and in comparison mine is just dry and crumbly... Is it meant to be like that??

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 29, 2018 at 7:58 am

        Jasmine,
        There are several reasons can causing mooncakes do not turns oily after days. Based on your description, your filling might be fried too dry (a lack of water or oil). If you prefer a smooth filling texture, increase the oil amount by 1/2 and shortening the frying time.

        Reply
        • Jasmine

          September 01, 2018 at 8:08 pm

          Hello thank you for replying! Should I increase the amount of oil instead of boiling the beans for longer then?
          Because I actually tried it again about 2 days ago, except I really really boiled the beans till they were very soft. Of course I ended up having to fry it for longer afterwards but I did think it was dry enough in the end. But then after the 2 days the mooncake skin got really really sticky and wet (although the filling is nice and smooth)!! Should I not be boiling the beans for so long, or should I just fry longer afterwards??
          Sorry for so many questions! I want my mooncakes to look like yours- they look so nice and the red bean filling looks so smooth and tasty! I can't get it right. 🙁

          Reply
          • Elaine

            September 02, 2018 at 9:47 pm

            Jasmine,
            No. There is no need to further cook the beans as long as they are soft and can be easily broken.
            The more water the filling contains, “回油” process can be quicker and stronger. If your skins gets sticky, it means the filling contains too much water. You need to continue frying it.
            I suggest you increase the oil to 40 grams and have a try with a smaller batch of Wrappers.

            Reply
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