Mooncakes (basic “doll” mooncakes)
Mooncakes are baked goodies. When it comes to baking, it’s best to stick with weight measurements for more consistent results. However, I’ve also provided the approximate volumetric equivalents. I’ve chosen to go the way of metric measurements (grams) for better accuracy with some of the small amounts of ingredients.
Servings Prep Time
18pieces 2hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15minutes 1hour
Servings Prep Time
18pieces 2hours
Cook Time Passive Time
15minutes 1hour
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Golden Syrup: The first 3 ingredients listed are all you need to make your own golden syrup. A candy thermometer is not a requirement but helpful if you have it. If you’re comfortable working with high-temperature sugar, you could do this by sight. Or you could simply buy premade golden syrup like Lyle’s Golden Syrup at your favorite grocery store. They run around $5 – $6 (ish) for an 11 oz bottle. I have not tested this recipe with store-bought syrup.
  2. Put water, sugar and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. Continue on a slow boil while monitoring the temperature of the syrup. Bring the temperature up to 285 ⁰F (the syrup will be a rich brown color), then very slowly add water to the pot to gradually bring the temperature back down to 235 ⁰F. Allow syrup to cool completely before using.
  3. CAUTION: Because the syrup is considerably above the boiling point of water (212 ⁰F), much of the added water will immediately flash and possibly cause burns. Be extremely careful. Be sure to trickle the water into the pot very slowly. You could cut back on the flashing by adding hot or off-the-boil water.
  4. Dough: Lye water is an alkaline solution, usually found in Asian markets as potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate solution.
  5. Put oil, golden syrup, vanilla and alkaline solution in a bowl. Whisk the mixture until well-mixed (emulsified). Fold the flour into the liquid mixture. As the dough starts to form, use your hands to mix in the rest of the flour.
  6. You should get a soft but workable dough once the flour has been incorporated. Avoid overworking the dough. Cover the dough and let rest for an hour in the refrigerator.
  7. Preheat convection oven to 375 ⁰F.
  8. Divide the dough out into 30 g (1 ounce) portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
  9. Dust the mooncake mold with flour, then insert a dough ball. Place the mold upright, then press down, and release the molded cake. (I use a 50 g mold purchased on ebay.)
  10. Arrange cakes in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mist top of cakes with water (to avoid cracking). Bake for 6 minutes, then remove from the oven. Brush the cakes with egg wash, return to the oven and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown.
  11. Do not overbake. The cakes will be very soft when they’re hot off the oven. They will stiffen (but still remain soft) as they cool.
  12. Cool the cakes and store in an air-tight container. The cakes are best served after they’ve rested for 24 hours.