Golden Peach Date Paste Mooncakes
Cantonese mooncakes are a classic Mid-Autumn Festival gift, with new styles emerging every year. Black-and-gold mooncakes are trending this season, but brown sugar isn't to everyone's taste. I tried brushing edible gold powder onto traditional Cantonese mooncakes instead—and the result was a beautiful, unexpected surprise. Pure satisfaction!
Ingredients
inverted sugar syrup
160 g
peanut oil
60 g
cake flour
230 g
bread flour
20 g
alkaline water
4 g
date paste filling
1 pack
egg yolk
1
light cream
10 g
salt
1 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
First, add the alkaline water to the inverted sugar syrup and mix briefly until well combined.
2
Step 2
Next, add the peanut oil and whisk with a manual whisk until the mixture is emulsified.
3
Step 3
Sift the flour onto a pastry mat, reserving a small amount to adjust the dough firmness if needed.
4
Step 4
Pile the sifted flour into a small mound, hollow out the center, and pour in the liquid mixture prepared in step 2.
5
Step 5
Use a bench scraper to gradually fold the flour into the liquid, a little at a time, until a single dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to relax.
6
Step 6
Divide the rested dough into 25 g pieces and the date paste filling into 50 g portions. (A crust-to-filling ratio of 2:8 or 3:7 both work well; it mainly comes down to taste.)
7
Step 7
Take one piece of dough, roll it into a ball, and flatten it with a bench scraper.
8
Step 8
Wear a food-safe glove and cradle the flattened disc in the cup of one hand. Place a portion of filling in the center, then gently push the dough up and around the filling. Be gentle so the filling does not peek through, and try to keep the wrapper even.
9
Step 9
Once sealed into a round ball, roll it in a thin layer of cornstarch to make unmolding easier. Press the mooncake mold firmly onto the ball twice in quick succession to imprint the pattern, then lift the mold off immediately.
10
Step 10
Lightly mist the surface of the mooncakes with water, then bake in an oven preheated to 210°C top heat / 190°C bottom heat for 8 minutes to set the shape.
11
Step 11
After the first bake the shape is set. Let cool at room temperature until no longer hot to the touch, then use a pastry brush dipped in egg yolk to quickly brush a thin, even layer over the surface.
12
Step 12
Return to an oven preheated to 180°C and bake for 12–15 minutes. Adjust the time to your own oven.
13
Step 13
After the second bake, take the mooncakes out immediately and cool them on a wire rack.
14
Step 14
Mix edible gold dust with a small amount of rum until smooth, then use a small brush to paint a thin layer over the imprinted pattern on each mooncake.
