Sweet, slightly salty, and full of flavor Lotus Salted Yolk Mooncakes! This is a traditional baked mooncake recipe filled with white lotus seed paste and salted duck egg yolk. All wrapped in a sweet golden syrup dough. Nothing can beat the taste of traditional homemade mooncakes!
It’s mooncake (月饼 – Yuèbǐng) time again!
Mooncakes are the indispensable Chinese dessert during the Mid-Autumn festival which falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. In ancient times, the Mid-autumn Festival was a royal ceremony associated with moon worshiping and agricultural activities. People worshiped the full moon to give thanks for the harvest and to encourage the “harvest-giving light” to return in the coming year. In modern times, the Mid-autumn Festival is a symbol of family reunions, like thanksgiving! Chinese people celebrate it by gathering for dinners, appreciating the full moon, lighting paper lanterns, and enjoying moon cakes!
Mooncakes with their round shape like the full moon represent completeness, fullness, and they show the warm joy of reunion. What’s more wonderful than when the whole family or friends sit together and enjoy mooncakes on a peaceful night with the brightest moon! This year, the mid-autumn festival falls on Tuesday, Sep 17, so now is the perfect time to make some mooncakes at home!
I’m sharing a recipe for traditional baked mooncakes and this was my dad’s recipe with a lil bit adjustment. This mooncake recipe is made with homemade white lotus seed paste and salted duck egg yolk, all wrapped in a sweet golden syrup dough, and then brushed with egg yolks to get that shiny golden skin. The lotus paste is sweet, smooth, and nutty. The salted egg yolk provides a savory balance to the sweetness. The golden syrup dough is soft, and chewy, and complements the rich filling. Beautiful visual and oh so yummy, they are indispensable at family reunions on this special occasion and also a perfect gift for your loved ones!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE LOTUS SALTED YOLK MOONCAKES
- Sweet, slightly salty, and full of flavor.
- Beautiful visual and oh so yummy.
- The texture is soft and chewy.
- Made with homemade white lotus seed paste with no additives or preservatives, and you can adjust its sweetness.
- The lotus paste is sweet, smooth, and nutty. The salted egg yolk provides a savory balance to the sweetness.
- If you run out of time you can use store-bought salted duck egg yolk and also the lotus paste. You can find these in Asian stores.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED & NOTES
(Shop mooncake ingredients here!)
Salted egg yolk – Making salted egg yolks from scratch takes a lot of time! You need to brine the eggs for one month. I ran out of time to write a blog post about salted egg yolks, but you can use ready-to-use salted duck egg yolks. They’re available in the chilled or frozen sections in Chinese stores.
White lotus seeds – I use homemade lotus seed paste to make these mooncakes, but if you don’t have enough time, feel free to use the ready-to-use paste. You can find it in Asian stores.
Golden syrup – The golden syrup will create a tender, moist, and shiny mooncake that keeps its shape. It’s a type of inverted sugar syrup.
Lye water – This is essential to Cantonese mooncakes, lye water (or kansui) is a food-grade potassium carbonate solution used to neutralize the acid in the golden syrup, resulting in a sweet pastry with no sourness. Also, it helps the dough to get a brown color and tender texture.
Oil – You can use any type of neutral oil like canola oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil
Sugar – You’ll need granulated sugar to make the lotus paste.
All-purpose flour – no need for fancy flour, you’ll just need regular all-purpose flour to make these mooncakes!
Cornstarch – For dusting!
Salt – This recipe uses salt to balance the flavor.
Eggs – You’ll need fresh egg yolks to make the egg wash mixture
BAKING TOOLS & EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED
(Check my favorite baking tools and equipment here!)
- Mooncake mold. I use a 3.25-inch (150g) plastic mooncake mold.
- Food processor
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Kitchen scale
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE THESE LOTUS SALTED YOLK MOONCAKES
(Be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions)
STEP 1 – Prepare the Filling
You’ll need 12 salted duck egg yolks and about 2.25 pounds white lotus paste. You can use ready-to-use salted duck egg yolks and white lotus paste.
If you decide to make the white lotus paste from scratch, here’s how to make it:
Soak the dried white lotus seeds in water, cover the bowl, and let it sit overnight. Then, drain well and remove the green bit in the center.
in a medium saucepan, cook the seeds in simmering water (enough to cover all the seeds) until soft. This takes about 40 minutes. Drain well and transfer the seeds to a food processor, then add 1 tablespoon water and puree them. Add a little more water if necessary.
Transfer the lotus puree to a non-stick pan and cook over medium heat. Add sugar and oil in batches while stirring and flipping constantly. Once the paste becomes dry and holds in shape, remove from the heat to cool completely. Make sure the cooked paste isn’t too wet!
STEP 2 – Make the Golden Syrup Dough
In a large mixing bowl, mix golden syrup, canola oil, and lye water until well incorporated. Then, add all-purpose flour and salt. Combine everything and knead briefly until it forms a soft dough. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour 1 teaspoon at a time. The amount of flour needed may vary depending on the thickness of the syrup and the absorbent nature of the flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
STEP 3 – Assemble and Shape the Mooncake.
Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Once you have all the components ready, you will need to measure and divide the dough and filling into 12 portions.
The dough-filling ratio varies depending on personal preferences. I love the dough, so my recipe goes for 2:3 ratio. I use 150g mooncake mold, the dough weighs 60g and the total weight of the filling (white lotus paste and salted egg yolk) should be 90g.
Flatten the white lotus paste into a round disk, then place the egg yolk in the middle. Gently push the paste upwards to seal the yolk completely. Adjust the filling to reach 90g – 95g.
Flatten 60g of the dough into a round wrapper, then place the filling in the middle. Gently push the dough upwards to seal the filling completely, creating a round shape.
Coat the ball with a thin layer of cornstarch, then put it into a mooncake mold. Place the mold on the prepared baking sheet and press the handle until you cannot move it any further. Pull the handle up and release the mooncake. Arrange the mooncakes on the prepared baking sheets, around 2 inches apart.
STEP 4 – Bake the Mooncakes
Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a thin layer of water onto the mooncakes to prevent the dough from cracking, then bake the cakes for 8 minutes. While waiting, make the egg wash. Mix 2 egg yolks with 2 teaspoons water and 1/2 teaspoon oil for brushing.
Reduce the oven temperature to 320F. Remove the mooncakes and let them cool slightly for about 8 minutes. Brush their top and sides with a thin layer of the egg wash, then put them back into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove the mooncakes and coat them with another layer of egg wash, then continue to bake for 15-20 minutes or until evenly golden brown. Transfer the baked mooncakes to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
STEP 5 – Rest the Mooncakes
Once completely cooled, store them in an airtight container and let them rest for 1-2 days at room temperature to soften and become shiny. They are ready to be served once soft and appear glossy. I promise it’s worth waiting for, so no touchy!
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST LOTUS SALTED YOLK MOONCAKES
- You’re not making bread dough, so when you knead the mooncake dough do not overwork it. Once the ingredients come into a ball, stop. Then, rest the dough for 30 minutes.
- Dust your hand with cornstarch when you shape the mooncakes.
- Make your own red bean paste for the best flavor. It’s fresh, no preservatives, and you can adjust the sugar.
- Use 2:3 proportion of skin to filling. This ratio makes it easier to assemble and the dough is as good as the filling.
- Brush with egg yolks to get that shiny golden skin.
- Bake the mooncakes at least twice. The first bake is to set the pattern before applying the egg yolk wash. After the first bake, let the cakes cool slightly before applying the egg wash. If you apply the egg wash too soon, the egg might coagulate on the cakes and leave spots on the surface. The second bake is to fully bake the mooncakes.
- You can apply another thin layer of egg wash before you fully bake the mooncakes to get that even golden brown color.
- After baking, let them cool to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container for 1-2 days until they’re soft and glossy!
- Practice makes perfect! Once you have made mooncakes once or twice, the process becomes less daunting.
HERE’S HOW TO STORE THE LEFTOVERS LOTUS SALTED YOLK MOONCAKES
You can keep the mooncakes in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Lotus Salted Egg Mooncakes
Sweet, slightly salty, and full of flavor Lotus Salted Yolk Mooncakes! This is a traditional baked mooncake recipe filled with white lotus seed paste and salted duck egg yolk. All wrapped in a sweet golden syrup dough. Nothing can beat the taste of traditional homemade mooncakes!
Ingredients
Filling:
- 12 salted duck egg yolks
- 300g dried lotus seeds
- 225g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 180g (3/4 cup) canola oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Golden Syrup Dough
- 80g (1/3 cup) canola oil
- 240g (1 cup) golden syrup
- 1.5 teaspoons lye water
- 375g (3 cups, spoon and level method) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Cornstarch, for dusting
Egg Wash
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon canola oil
Instructions
STEP 1 - Prepare the Filling
You'll need 12 salted duck egg yolks and about 2.25 pounds of white lotus paste. You can use ready-to-use salted duck egg yolks and white lotus paste.
If you decide to make the white lotus paste from scratch, here's how to make it:
Soak the dried white lotus seeds in water, cover the bowl, and let it sit overnight. Then, drain well and remove the green bit in the center.
in a medium saucepan, cook the seeds in simmering water (enough to cover all the seeds) until soft. This takes about 40 minutes. Drain well and transfer the seeds to a food processor, then add 1 tablespoon water and puree them. Add a little more water if necessary.
Transfer the lotus puree to a non-stick pan and cook over medium heat. Add sugar and oil in batches while stirring and flipping constantly. You can add 1-2 tablespoons extra sugar if you want it sweeter. Once the paste becomes dry and holds in shape, remove from the heat to cool completely. Make sure the cooked paste isn’t wet!
STEP 2 - Make the Golden Syrup Dough
In a large mixing bowl, mix golden syrup, canola oil, and lye water until well incorporated. Then, add all-purpose flour and salt. Combine everything and knead briefly until it forms a soft dough. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour 1 teaspoon at a time. The amount of flour needed may vary depending on the thickness of the syrup and the absorbent nature of the flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
STEP 3 - Assemble and Shape the Mooncake
Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Once you have all the components ready, you will need to measure and divide the dough and filling into 12 portions.
The dough-filling ratio varies depending on personal preferences. I love the dough, so my recipe goes for 2:3 ratio. I use 150g mooncake mold, the dough weighs 60g and the total weight of the filling (white lotus paste and salted egg yolk) should be 90g.
Flatten the white lotus paste into a round disk, then place the egg yolk in the middle. Gently push the paste upwards to seal the yolk completely. Adjust the filling to reach 90g - 95g.
Flatten 60g of the dough into a round wrapper, then place the filling in the middle. Gently push the dough upwards to seal the filling completely, creating a round shape.
Coat the ball with a thin layer of cornstarch, then put it into a mooncake mold. Place the mold on the prepared baking sheet and press the handle until you cannot move it any further. Pull the handle up and release the mooncake. Arrange the mooncakes on the prepared baking sheets, around 2 inches apart.
STEP 4 - Bake the Mooncakes
Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a thin layer of water onto the mooncakes to prevent the dough from cracking, then bake the cakes for 8 minutes. While waiting, make the egg wash. Mix 2 egg yolks with 2 teaspoons water and 1/2 teaspoon oil for brushing.
Reduce the oven temperature to 320F. Remove the mooncakes and let them cool slightly for about 8 minutes. Brush their top and sides with a thin layer of the egg wash, then put them back into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove the mooncakes and coat them with another layer of egg wash, then continue to bake for 15-20 minutes or until evenly golden brown. Transfer the baked mooncakes to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
STEP 5 - Rest the Mooncakes
Once completely cooled, store them in an airtight container and let them rest for 1-2 days at room temperature to soften and become shiny. They are ready to be served once soft and appear glossy. I promise it's worth waiting for, so no touchy!
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If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Send me a message or write a comment below.
Also, be sure to snap a picture and tag me on your social media posts with #thejobaker
Happy Baking!
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