Easy Moon Cakes
From the kitchen of The Finding Place author Julie Hartley.
Moon Cakes are traditionally eaten during Moon Festival in China and Vietnam, but my daughter loves them so much we make them all year round! The traditional versions are best, but they can be quite complicated to make. This is a simplified version I’ve been making with my daughter ever since she was small. The traditional filling for a moon cake is lotus seed paste (which is delicious) but we’ve also used apricot jam, chopped fruit with honey, and or coconut, maple syrup and dates.
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
¾ cup dried milk powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 ¼ cups sugar
¾ cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
Beaten egg & water for a glaze
1. Mix the flour, milk powder, baking powder and salt in one bowl.
2. In a second bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes. Pour in the melted butter and vanilla and fold in.
3. Combine both sets of ingredients.
4. Knead the dough on a floured surface.
5. Separate into 15-20 balls of the same size.
6. Mix together your chosen filling. Large pieces of fruit should be chopped finely.
7. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Press your filling deep into each circle of dough, then seal firmly by pinching the edges of the hole together and kneading carefully. Flatten the balls.
9. Traditionally, the moon cakes should now be pressed one by one into a mold, stamping the top of them with an intricate design. Beautiful moon cake presses with hand carved designs can be ordered online. If you don’t have a press, make your own design on the top of the mooncakes using a fork, or even cookie cutters.
10. Lay the moon cakes 1 inch apart on the baking sheets, brush with egg wash then bake for about 30 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown.
Moon Cakes go well with jasmine tea as an afternoon treat. But that’s an adult’s view. My daughter likes hers with mango ice cream!