Mooncakes, as a traditional Chinese delicacy, are essential during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Their production process is intricate, with five-nut mooncakes being particularly well-known. The birth of mooncakes requires a series of complex steps that test the experience and skills of the maker. Here is an overview of the mooncake-making process:
First, prepare the ingredients: all-purpose flour, duck egg yolks, red bean paste filling, special white syrup, lye water, vegetable oil, and eggs.
Making the dough is the first step, gradually mixing the white syrup, lye water, and vegetable oil with flour in a ratio of 5:4:1.4:1 until a smooth dough forms.
Next, divide the large dough into small pieces and roll them flat, preparing to wrap the filling. Then, the red bean paste is shaped into small round cakes, tightly enclosing the duck egg yolk to form the filling.
During the filling stage, place the filling in the center of the dough round, carefully wrap it up, and roll it into a ball. Next, using a wooden mooncake mold dusted with a small amount of dry flour, place the dough inside, press it down and flatten it, then gently knock the mold to release the mooncake.
The decoration on the surface of the mooncake is also crucial. Beat an egg mixture (three egg yolks plus one whole egg) and brush it on the surface of the mooncake, then place it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius to bake for about 20 minutes. It should be taken out once during this time to brush on more egg wash to prevent the skin from drying out.
When making soft-skin mooncakes, a few details need attention: the dough mixture should be flexibly adjusted based on the actual ingredients; for the filling, using raw duck egg yolks is recommended to enhance the flavor of the mooncake; the force when releasing from the mold should be balanced, while the dry powder in the mold should not be excessive; baking time should be adjusted according to the size of the mooncake to avoid burning; and a small amount of butter can be added to the dough to enhance the aroma, but caution is needed, as too much will make the crust too flaky.
Additionally, there is a unique lemon chocolate mooncake. It consists of 275 grams of lemon chocolate, 65 grams of maltose, 25 grams of peach water, and 43 grams of strawberry filling. The preparation process includes mixing the chocolate and other ingredients with water until reaching a medium gluten consistency to make the dough; a water bath heating method is used, controlling the water temperature at 40 degrees Celsius to maintain the delicate texture of the chocolate. The strawberry filling is wrapped in the dough using a mold to shape it. This mooncake has a crispy outer layer and a soft interior, offering a unique flavor, with various options like strawberry and coffee available, adding a novel taste to traditional mooncakes.
