Moon Cake Making Class

• 
• Servings
  2
• Prep
  120 m
• Cook
  45 m

Recipe By: Otao kitchen

Moon Cake Making Class 

With the Mid-Autumn Festival fast approaching, it's time to start making preparations! This year, why not take your celebrations to the next level and learn how to make moon cakes yourself? Our Moon Cake Making Class will help you create a unique and customised mooncake that makes the perfect accompaniment to your festive get-together.

HOW WE RUN THE CLASS? 

• This hands-on moon cake making experience lasts for 2 hours
• Complimentary glass of wine or beer or soft drink
• Demonstration and moon-making and learn how to fold your favourite moon cakes
• You are required to work with one another in the class
• Taste and pack your moon cakes
• Sit and taste the mooncake together at the end with a glass of sparkling win

SPECIAL DIET NOTES

• Vegetarian/ Vegan - the recipes are vegan except the butter. Replace the butter with coconut oil.
• No nuts. We don't include any nuts in this menu. 

EQUIPMENT

• Sharp knife and cutting board 
• Sturdy sauté pans
• A set of small bowls for your organising your ingredients and a few bowls for mixing
• A rolling pin, spatula, tong, and tablespoons
• Measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a digital scale and moon cake mould

Traditional Chinese Moon Cakes

Make 10 pcs Prep 4 -5 hours Make 20min Cook 20 min

You might see moon cakes at the store for the mid-autumn festival in late September and early October. Now you can make your own homemade moon cakes and gift them to friends and family too.

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

• 1.5 cups (220g) all-purpose flour
• 150g golden syrup
• 50g sunflower oil
• 1/2 tsp (2g) lye water
• Corn starch for coating

Red Bean Paste Filling - chef to make this prior to the class

• 200g adzuki beans soak in water over night
• 150g caster sugar
• 120g sunflower oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

Lotus Seed Paste Filling - chef to make this prior to the class

• 320g lotus seed remove lotus seeds green stems
• 200g icing sugar
• 250g sunflower oil
• *optional salted egg yolks*

Egg-wash

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp water 

METHOD

Dough

1. In a small bowl, whisk together golden syrup, sunflower oil, and lye water. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine all-purpose flour with the golden syrup mixture. Knead together until fully incorporated.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes to 4 hours.

Red Bean Paste Filling

1. In a large bowl, place in the red bean and cover with water. Cover with plastic wrap and sit at room temperature overnight.  
2. Once finished soaking, drain the beans and place into a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
3. Place into a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. 
4. Add to a nonstick pan set to medium heat. Gradually add granulated sugar and peanut oil, mixing in between
5. Mix until fully incorporated and add in cornstarch and continue mixing and heating until thick. Cool completely. 

Lotus Seed Paste Filling

1. In a large bowl, place in all the lotus bean and cover with water. Cover with plastic wrap and sit at room temperature overnight.  
2. Once finished soaking, drain the beans and place into a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
3. Place into a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. 
4. Add to a nonstick pan set to medium heat. Cook dry, mixing a little until thickens a little and stops sticking to the pan. 
5. Add and mix powdered sugar and peanut oil. Alternating each until all has been added. Continue cooking until thicken. Cool completely.

Put the moon cakes together

1. When ready, divide the dough into 40g pieces and roll each piece into balls by hand.  
2. Separately roll the desired filling into 50g balls. 
3. Take a ball and roll flat until 3mm thick and 10cm wide between two sheets of plastic wrap. 
4. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap and place a paste/filling ball in the centre. Gather the edges of the plastic wrap and squeeze the sides together to in case the ball and dough. 
5.  Lightly dust with cornstarch. With the seam side down and press using a moon cake mould. Press an additional 7-10 times for a nice print.

Baking 

1. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Lightly mist with water and place in a 185°C oven for 5 minutes.
2. Remove and brush lightly with egg wash. 
3. Reduce oven to 160°C and bake for 5 minutes. 
4. Remove and brush lightly with egg wash again. 
5. Place back in the oven for 10-13 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and fridge overnight to 3 days.

Prosciutto and Date Style Moon Cake

INGREDIENTS

WATER DOUGH:
• 300 grams (2 1/4 cups) cake flour
• 130 grams (1/2 cup + 1 tsp) water
• 90 grams (6 1/3 tbsp) unsalted butter, soften
• 30 grams (2 1/2 tbsp) granulated sugar
OIL DOUGH:
• 180 grams (1 cup + 5 tbsp) cake flour
• 100 grams (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, soften
PROSCIUTTO AND DATE FILLING:
• 200 gram (7 oz) prosciutto, finely minced
• 240 grams (1 packed cup) pitted dates, finely minced
• 64 grams (3 tbsp) honey
• 1/2 tsp dark rum
• Small pinch of sea salt (about 1/16 tsp)

METHOD

1. MAKE THE WATER DOUGH: Combine cake flour, water, unsalted butter and sugar in a large bowl, and mix it with your hands until it comes into a dough. Transfer to a working surface and knead for a couple min until the dough is smooth and soft. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, then set aside to rest.
2. MAKE THE OIL DOUGH: Meanwhile, combine cake flour and unsalted butter in the same bowl and mix right inside the bowl until it comes into an even and smooth dough. It may feel slightly dry in the beginning but it'll come together. Transfer to a working surface and divide into 12 equal portions.
3. PUT THE DOUGHS TOGETHER: DO NOT dust with extra flours during the entire process unless necessary. You probably won't need to anyways. Take 1 portion of the water-dough and flatten it down with your hands. Press the edge down so it's thinner than the centre. Place 1 portion of oil-dough in the middle, then bring the edges of the water-dough up and wrap the oil-dough inside. You'll notice where the water-doughs gather at the top is thicker, making the top and bottom of the water-dough both thicker than the edges.
4. Now, press the whole thing down into an oval shaped disk. Roll the dough out in one direction only, moving from the centre upward and then downward, rolling the dough into a long and very thin oval shape, about 1/16" (2 mm) thick only. The thickness should feel like a flour-tortilla. THIN. Then roll it from one end to the other into a log, then tuck each ends underneath. Repeat with the rest. Place them on a tray and plastic-wrap thoroughly, then chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
5. MAKE THE FILLING: Divide the finely minced prosciutto in 1/2. Cook 1/2 of the prosciutto in a skillet over medium-high heat, until they're crispy and slightly browned. Drain well on a paper-towel, then transfer to a bowl along with the rest of the minced prosciutto, finely minced dates, honey, dark rum and sea salt. Mix evenly with hands or fork until completely integrated, then divide into 12 equal portions.
6. TO MAKE THE MOONCAKES: Preheat the oven on 400 F/200 C. Take the doughs out of the fridge. Place 1 portion of the dough (which looks like a rectangle from above) with the seam-side down, and facing you horizontally. Press it down with your hands, then roll it out upward and downward into a 3/16" (5 mm) thick disk. Flip it over so now the seam-side is facing up. Place 1 portion of the filling in the centre, then bring the edges of the dough up and wrap the filling inside. Gather the doughs at the top then pinch off the excess dough. Smooth the folds with your hands by pinching gently, or cupping it with a bit of pressure inside your palms for a few seconds, and let the heat of your hands do the job for you*. Set aside with the seam-side down, and repeat with the rest.
7. Shape each mooncake as round as you can, then press them down gently with something flat so they have a flat top. Now, you can write/paint/stamp whatever you like on top of the mooncakes with red food-dye. Or not. It's up to you. Bake the mooncakes with 2" (5 cm) space in between, in the preheated oven for 20 min until the bottom is browned (the top of the mooncakes will remain blond). If you need to bake in 2 batches, keep the rest in the fridge until needed.
8. Let cool slightly on the baking rack, if you can bear it. Best mooncake ever. XOXO.

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Printed From otaokitchen.com.au 12/31/2024