I’ve made lotus moon cakes. ^_^
First of all, I’d like to emphasize the fact that my recipe is absolutely not the traditional recipe, it’s a hugely adapted one. The traditional recipe seems to be using (a lot of) maltose syrup for the dough, which is basically the sole liquid. I like using agave syrup when sugary stuff is needed. According to the info written on the packaging of the agave syrup I’ve bought, you need to use 3 times less agave syrup than honey or other syrups, as it’s way sweeter. I always find most recipes way too sweet and divide their quantities by 2 or 3 as well. (Same for the oil.) When you take the syrup out of the recipe (or only use a tiny bit of another syrup), you’re left with basically dry flour and need to add another liquid in it. Hence why my recipe is so different from the original traditional recipe.
Traditionally, there’s a salted egg yolk inside of the moon cake. It symbolizes the moon. I really don’t like it, though. Therefore, this recipe is without salted egg yolks.
I also like the dough/paste to be slightly thick. Cantonese style moon cakes (and other similar cakes) have a very thin paste/dough. It’s just a matter of preferences. The recipe here will give you a slightly thick dough/paste.
Lotus moon cake recipe (for around 15 moon cakes, using a 25g moon cake mold (mini moon cakes)) :
For the lotus paste :
– 200g of lotus seeds
– 20g of agave syrup
– 16ml of sunflower oil
Note that it will give a slightly sweet paste. If you want something sweeter, just add more agave syrup.
It’s easier to use lotus seeds which skin and center have already been removed. Otherwise, you will need to do it yourself.
Clean the lotus seeds (by rinsing them in water).
Boil the lotus seeds in a good amount of water for 30 minutes. (The lotus seeds should then be soft and easily mashed with a fork.)
Let the lotus seeds cool down.
Mix the lotus seeds into a paste using a mixer. Add a bit of water with them to ease the mixing process. (You might want/need to do this by batches/part of the lotus seeds at a time, depending on your mixer.)
Pour half of the oil in an non-sticking pan, allow to heat a little (just like when you usually cook), pour the lotus paste in the pan, mix well until the oil is mixed into the paste. Add the agave syrup. Mix well. Add the rest of the oil. Mix well. The paste should be consistent.
Note : you won’t get the same consistency as in the traditional recipe (very smooth and shiny), because it’s not the same ingredients. It cooks very fast ! Use a rather mild-low heat, keep stirring all the time. When it becomes difficult to stir, it’s done.
For the dough :
– 200g of wheat flour
– a bit of cinnamon (optional)
– 1 egg yolk
– 15 ml of sunflower oil
– 100 ml of coconut milk
– 1 soup-spoon of agave syrup
Whisk the egg yolk. Add all the other ingredients and mix them together. You should get a soft paste which doesn’t stick and is not dry. (If anything, either add a bit more flour or a few drops of mineral water to get the proper consistency.)
Use 20g of dough and 18g of filling (lotus paste) for each moon cake.
Make lotus paste balls.
Flatten the (20g of) dough using a small rolling pin.
Place the lotus paste ball at the center of the flattened dough and wrap it with it. (Basically like when making dumplings, but the result should be a ball instead.)
Put the resulting ball into the moon cake mold to make a proper moon cake.
Cook the moon cakes in an oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
