月饼 — Mooncake with Lotus Seed Paste (yuèbǐng)
A small golden cake with a thin, tender crust, filled with a smooth and soft lotus seed paste scented with osmanthus. Round, dense, it is cut into wedges to share under the Moon.
A small golden cake with a thin, tender crust, filled with a smooth and soft lotus seed paste scented with osmanthus. Round, dense, it is cut into wedges to share under the Moon.
Approach, mortal, and look up at my palace of Vast Coldness. Here the jade is frozen and no one shares my tea. When you below break this round cake, you also break a little of my solitude—for its shape is that of my dwelling, and each piece you give to a loved one is warmth that reaches me. Knead the dough with lard and a well-ambered malt syrup, seal in the crushed lotus and osmanthus; press it into a carved wooden mold, and let the roundness be perfect. Offer it to me first, then eat: thus no one is ever truly alone on the autumn night.
- •Wheat flour — two bowls (crust)
- •Lard — one good spoonful (fat for crust)
- •Barley malt syrup (饴糖, maltose) — enough to bind (ancient sweetener for crust)
- •Dried lotus seeds — two handfuls (inner paste)
- •Honey — to taste (sweeten the paste)
- •Dried osmanthus flowers — a pinch (signature fragrance)
月饼 — Mooncake with Lotus Seed Paste (yuèbǐng)
A small golden cake with a thin, tender crust, filled with a smooth and soft lotus seed paste scented with osmanthus. Round, dense, it is cut into wedges to share under the Moon.
Why this dish? This is THE mooncake offered to Chang'e herself: round like the Moon where she resides, it is placed on the altar before being broken into equal shares among all the living in the house. It is the earthly echo of the peaches of immortality from her celestial garden.
Approach, mortal, and look up at my palace of Vast Coldness. Here the jade is frozen and no one shares my tea. When you below break this round cake, you also break a little of my solitude—for its shape is that of my dwelling, and each piece you give to a loved one is warmth that reaches me. Knead the dough with lard and a well-ambered malt syrup, seal in the crushed lotus and osmanthus; press it into a carved wooden mold, and let the roundness be perfect. Offer it to me first, then eat: thus no one is ever truly alone on the autumn night.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — two bowls (crust)
- Lard — one good spoonful (fat for crust)
- Barley malt syrup (饴糖, maltose) — enough to bind (ancient sweetener for crust)
- Dried lotus seeds — two handfuls (inner paste)
- Honey — to taste (sweeten the paste)
- Dried osmanthus flowers — a pinch (signature fragrance)
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour (T45) — 200 g (crust)
- Inverted sugar syrup (or mild maple syrup) — 140 g (tender crust)
- Neutral oil (or lard) — 50 g (fat)
- Alkaline water (枧水) or a pinch of diluted baking soda — 4 g (golden color, texture)
- Lotus seed paste — 350 g (filling)
- Candied osmanthus (糖桂花) — 1 tsp (signature fragrance)
- Beaten egg yolk — 1 (egg wash)
Method
- Mix syrup, oil, and alkaline water, then incorporate flour until a soft dough forms; let rest 1 hour.
- Flavor the lotus paste with candied osmanthus; form into 35 g balls.
- Divide dough into 15 g balls, flatten, wrap each filling ball.
- Flour a mooncake mold, press firmly to imprint the pattern, unmold.
- Spray with water, bake 5 min at 180°C, remove, brush with egg yolk, then bake another 10-12 min.
- Let rest 1-2 days in a container: the crust 'returns oil' (回油) and becomes tender and shiny.
How it was made : The round cake offered to the Moon became established mainly under the Song and Ming dynasties; before that, more rustic round cakes were offered. At that time, refined white sugar was not abundant: they sweetened with honey and maltose (饴糖), and the fat was lard. Carved wooden molds with lunar or osmanthus motifs were passed down in families.
The contemporary twist : Slip a thin layer of salted egg yolk puree into the center of the filling for a 'full moon' yellow center when the cake is sliced.
Chang'e · Charactorium