Tijiang Mooncake
A variety of Cantonese-style mooncake with a thin crust, generous filling, moist and tender texture, golden color, and a balanced sweet-savory flavor.
Ingredients
flour
160 g
salted cooked egg yolk
1
raw egg yolk
2
mooncake filling
80 g for large or 60 g for small
vegetable oil
40 g
syrup
110 g~120 g
lye water
1/2 tsp
salt
a pinch
wine
2 tbsp
Instructions
1
Step 1
Combine the oil, syrup, lye water, and salt in a container and microwave for several tens of seconds until the syrup becomes thin. Sift in the flour and mix with a rubber spatula until the mooncake dough is as soft as an earlobe. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
2
Step 2
Soak the salted egg yolk in the wine for 10 minutes to remove the fishy smell, then place the yolk on a baking tray. There is no need to preheat the oven; bake directly at 325°C for 7 minutes, then remove and let cool.
3
Step 3
For large mooncakes, divide the mooncake dough into 8 portions of 40 g each; for small mooncakes, divide into 20 portions of 15 g each.
4
Step 4
For large mooncakes, divide the mooncake filling into 8 portions of 110 g each, wrap an egg yolk inside each, and roll into a ball. For small mooncakes, divide into 20 portions of 30 g each, wrap half an egg yolk inside each, and roll into a ball.
5
Step 5
Place one portion of dough in your palm and press flat with both hands. Place one portion of filling on top. With one hand gently push the filling while the palm of the other hand gently pushes the dough so that the dough slowly spreads out until the filling is completely wrapped. Sprinkle a little dry flour into the mooncake mold, shake to distribute evenly, and pour out the excess flour. Lightly dust the surface of the wrapped mooncake with dry flour as well, place the mooncake ball into the mold, and press gently and evenly flat. Then tap the mold up, down, left, and right to release the mooncake easily. Repeat with all remaining mooncakes.
6
Step 6
Lightly spray a layer of water on the surface of the mooncakes and bake on the top rack of the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and brush with the egg yolk wash, while lowering the oven temperature to 150°C. Return the mooncakes to the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove and brush with the egg yolk wash again, then bake for another 5 minutes, or until the desired color is reached. For the final bake, you may use top heat only so the color develops faster.
7
Step 7
Remove the baked mooncakes, place on a rack to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for 2–3 days to allow the oil to return (huí yóu), after which they are ready to eat.
