Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with These Delicious Homemade Mooncakes
Mooncake lovers rejoice, for your favourite time of the year is here! Held on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, is a widely celebrated holiday in Chinese culture with counterparts in various other Asian countries, such as Tsukimi (Japan), Chuseok (Korea) and Tết Trung Thu (Vietnam). For us here in Singapore, however, the festive reason is marked by an indulgence in mooncakes!
Did you know that mooncake history go back as far as 3,000 years? That’s right! The mooncake originated from ‘Taishi cakes’ which were pastries made to commemorate Wenzhong who supposedly invented it. This predecessor of the modern mooncake was thin at the edge and thick in the middle. This then evolved into ‘hu bing’, when an imperial envoy to the Western Regions of China, Zhang Qian, introduced sesame seeds and walnuts to the west and these ingredients were added to the fillings of mooncakes. This popular confectionery undergone one last round of rebranding during the Tang dynasty when the Emperor Taizong, who was apparently not a fan of the name ‘hu bing’, renamed it the ‘yue bing’ (mooncake), supposedly inspired by the sight of his imperial consort Yang Yuhuan looking up at the moon.
Mooncakes traditionally feature base fillings of red bean or lotus seed paste with a salted egg yolk embedded within. The filling is then encased in a lard based dough and are usually embossed with ancient Chinese characters. The modern day mooncake now comes in a seemingly infinite combination of different textures and flavours in the crust and the filling. Types of crusts include the traditional golden-brown baked style, snow-skin, glutinous rice and jelly. Fillings come in even more variations, from the traditional lotus paste to durian and even ice cream. The diversity extends even to the shape it comes in, like Winnie the Pooh and elaborate flower designs.
It feels like a competition between chefs to come up with the most unique and innovative mooncakes every year. Needless to say, home based bakers have also been throwing their hat into the ring with their spunky creations, inventive flavours and brimming creativity. As the go-to resource for the home chef scene in Singapore, needless to say we did our research and found some incredible ones we plan to try and think you should too!
Bakestarters
Enjoy a fun activity with your loved ones this festive season with Bakestarters’ Mooncake Making Kit. The Moonlight Medley kit comprises pre-portioned ingredients, a mooncake mould and comes with a written and video step by step guide for an easy and fulfilling mooncake making experience. In one single kit, you will make Ondeh Ondeh (pandan and coconut snowskin with gula melaka lotus paste), Floral Fusion (Oolong snowskin with honey osmanthus lotus paste filled with sliced almonds), Nut-earl-e (chocolate snowskin with Earl Grey dark chocolate lotus paste filled with chocolate Rice Krispies) and Cookies and Cream (dark cocoa snowskin with dark chocolate lotus paste studded with Oreo cookies and white chocolate chips) flavoured mooncakes.
The kit, priced at $89.95, yields ~36 mooncakes (50g each) and takes about 2 hours to complete. This is a pre order item and will be delivered from August 8th to September 16th. Delivery dates must be selected at checkout.
To place an order, visit their website here.
Pieceofcake8618
Good news for fans of the ever-popular Rainbow Spiral Mooncake: Piece of Cake 8618 has reopened for pre-order again this year! Those unfamiliar with Teochew-style mooncakes may be surprised to find a dessert made with a flaky and buttery crust encasing a traditional yam paste and an oozy salted egg filling. The flavours available this year are Lava Salted Egg with Taro paste, Mochi with Salted egg Taro Paste, Mochi with Taro paste and White Lotus paste with Mochi. If the sound of these flavours made you salivate, they are running a National Day promotion till 13 August 2023 for a $5.80 discount on orders above $58.
To place an order, DM them on Instagram here.
Whisk Bitez
A budding home baker, Whisk Bitez has garnered a small following on Carousell for her assortment of home bakes and it is not hard to see why. Whisk Bitez prides themselves on the use of healthy and clean ingredients for their wholesome and tasty treats; all of the colourings used in their bakes are derived from natural sources like fruit and tea powders.
This mid-autumn festival, they have introduced a delightful menu of snowskin and baked yam mooncakes. Their snowskin mooncakes come in a box of 6 assorted flavours for $39. Of the alcoholic variety, they have Champagne, Lychee Martini, Irish Coffee and Peach Vodka and the non- alcoholic selections include Peach Passionfruit, Osmanthus, Lychee and Hazelnut Crunch. Their yam mooncakes come in a box of 4 for $30. Made of Japanese sweet potatoes and 100% Thailand yam, their decadent and luscious orh nee mooncake is hard to pass up especially for those with a penchant for flaky pastry crust.
To place an order, visit their Carousell page here.
mdesserthaus
Jelly mooncakes are relatively uncommon in Singapore, which is why we were ecstatic when we came across these Agar Agar mooncake by mdesserthaus. These intricately designed mooncakes are not only pleasing to the eyes but also pack a tasteful punch with the assortment of flavours available: Cendol Gula Melaka, Peach Coconut, Rose Lychee and Osmanthus Flower with Goji Berry. Made from premium Japan Agar Agar, the mooncakes are lower in calories and promise a healthier alternative for those watching their weight without having to miss out on the festivities.
Prices start at $48 for a box of 4 assorted flavours.
To place an order, visit their Carousell page here.
Moimoi Bakery
With over 200 positive reviews on Lazada, Moimoi Bakery proves to be a worthy contender in home baked goods. Serving both rainbow snowskin and traditional Teochew-style mooncakes, Moimoi Bakery offers something for both young and old. The flavour profiles range from the traditional red bean and lotus to novel ones like matcha and dragon fruit. Their bakes are also available in a reduced sugar version which makes it a less guilty indulgence.
Prices start at $55 for a box of 4 assorted flavours and salted egg yolks can be added into the mooncakes for an additional $1 per yolk.
To place an order, visit their Lazada store here.
If you’ve tried any of our recommendations above, or are planning to try, comment below and let us know!
