Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncakes
A Childhood Memory & Traditional Recipe
The Mooncake Festival: A Celebration of Light and Family
The Mooncake Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, has always held a special place in my heart. Unlike Christmas, with its abundance of gifts, or Tết New Year, filled with lucky money and celebration, the Mid-Autumn Festival shines in a different way, through lantern light and the warmth of family.
As a child, I was captivated by the vibrant lanterns crafted from bamboo and wrapped in colorful translucent paper. Some were shaped like stars, fish, or even mythical creatures. They were more than decorations, they symbolized hope, unity, and childhood wonder.
I treasured my lantern, carrying it everywhere with a small candle glowing inside. Its soft light illuminated our neighborhood as I walked joyfully, enjoying the special sweets of the season especially mooncakes.
Moon cake
Childhood Memories of Mooncakes and Resilience
Our family tradition included singing Mid-Autumn Festival songs while parading our lanterns through the streets. My father, a respected physician, often received gifts from grateful patients many of them beautiful boxes of mooncakes in flavors like lotus seed paste, red bean, and salted egg yolk.
These traditional mooncakes became the centerpiece of our celebration.
But the years after the war were difficult. When new communist laws forced my father into early retirement, our family had to adapt. My grandmother, strong and resourceful, opened a small restaurant serving home-cooked street food.
It was there, among the sounds of sizzling pans and fragrant dishes that I truly learned the art of cooking and baking.
Making homemade mooncakes became an essential part of our Mid-Autumn Festival tradition.
How Baking Mooncakes Shaped My Passion
What began as necessity soon became passion.
Each year, I experimented with traditional mooncake recipes, blending classic flavors with creative twists. From kneading the dough to pressing intricate designs into wooden molds, the process felt like art.
Crafting mooncakes connected me deeply to my heritage. The tender, moist crust. The rich fillings. The glossy golden finish.
Every detail carried memory. Watch my video how to make mooncake on YouTube Chanel Ti’s Kitchen
Why the Mid-Autumn Festival Still Inspires Me
The Mooncake Festival remains my favorite childhood celebration — not only for its enchanting lanterns or delicious pastries, but for what it represents:
Family resilience
Cultural heritage
Adaptability in difficult times
The joy of simple traditions
Each year, as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, I eagerly prepare homemade mooncakes again — lantern in hand, mooncake in mouth — guided by the warm light of memory and tradition.
Let’s Make Traditional Mooncakes Together
Mixed nut savoury moon cake filling (my favourite )
Now, let’s begin the beautiful process of making homemade mooncakes.
We’ll start by preparing the delicate pastry crust, mastering the art of wrapping the filling, and shaping the dough in traditional molds. The result is a mooncake with a tender, moist, and glistening crust — perfect for celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with family.
How to Make Traditional Mooncake Pastry Dough
My favourite mooncake Lotus and pandan flavour
The cornerstone of traditional mooncake pastry is golden syrup. This essential ingredient gives mooncakes their signature flavor, soft texture, and extended shelf life. Golden syrup also prevents crystallization and can be stored for years.
You can easily purchase golden syrup from supermarkets, or prepare it in advance. I personally make mine a year before mooncake season, allowing it to age and develop a deep amber color and richer flavor.
Another key ingredient is lye water. If lye water is not available, you can substitute it with baked baking soda water.
How to Make Baked Baking Soda Water
Spread baking soda on a baking tray.
Bake at a low temperature for 1 hour.
Let it cool, then mix with water as needed.
Preparing the Mooncake Dough
In a bowl, combine:
Golden syrup
Oil (canola oil, peanut oil, or sunflower oil)
Lye water (or baked baking soda water)
Cornstarch
Mix until well combined.
In a separate large bowl, add the flour. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and mix thoroughly using your hands or a stand mixer until a smooth dough forms.
Once combined, wrap the dough tightly and let it rest at room temperature overnight. Resting allows the dough to hydrate fully and become soft and pliable, making it much easier to handle the next day.
Mung bean and salt yolk
Preparing the Mooncake Filling
For this recipe, I use:
Lotus seed paste
Pre-cooked salted egg yolks
Shape the filling into balls weighing about 80g each to fit standard plastic mooncake molds.
For the crust, weigh portions between 35g and 40g, depending on your mold size.
You can prepare various mooncake fillings in advance to suit your preference.
Wrapping and Shaping the Mooncakes
After resting overnight, the dough will be soft and flexible.
Roll the dough thin — about 2 millimeters (⅛ inch).
Place the filling ball in the center.
Carefully wrap the dough around the filling.
Trim any excess dough.
Pinch the edges tightly to seal.
Gently roll the ball between your palms until smooth.
Place into the mold and press firmly to create the intricate mooncake pattern.
Repeat with the remaining filling and dough.
Baking the Mooncakes
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake the mooncakes for 7–10 minutes.
(Do not apply glaze yet.)Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
Prepare an egg wash glaze using:
Egg yolk
A small pinch of salt
Lightly brush the tops of the mooncakes.
Return them to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 350°F.
Since the filling is already cooked, extended baking is not necessary. Baking times may vary slightly depending on your oven and the size of your mooncakes.
Plastic mold I use
After the final bake, the mooncakes should have a delicate golden-brown finish glossy, elegant, and beautifully detailed.
Supplies:
Mixing bowl medium size or stand mixer
Mooncake mold
Rolling pin
Scale
Baking tray
Stand mixer machine, Electric handheld mechine
The Pastry Dough: Mooncake Skin
This dough substitutes 1 tbsp molasses with golden syrup, resulting in a deep amber color
The dough is pressed using plastic mooncake mold
Roll the filled dough between palms to smooth it out
Ingredients:
150g golden syrup
1 tsp lye water or baked baking soda water
1 tbsp cornstarch
3.5 tbsp cooking oil —sunflower oil, canola oil, peanut oil
225g flour
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk for glaze
Steps:
In the bowl, combine golden syrup, lye water or baked baking soda water, oil, and cornstarch. Mix until well combined.
In a larger bowl with flour and a pinch of salt, pour in the liquid mixture. Mix and knead a few times.
Wrap and let it rest overnight on the counter.
Divide the dough into 35-40 portions.
4. Roll each portion to a thin 1/8 in or 2mm and wrap the prepared filling.
5. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes without glaze. After 10 minutes, remove the tray from the oven. Allow the mooncakes to completely cool, glaze with egg yolk and a pinch of salt, and bake for another 10 minutes at 350°F.
Apply the glaze after the first bake
Lotus pandan and salt yolk
Tips:
For the best result don’t use too much glaze it will ruin the design .
To get a deep amber color, 1 tablespoon of molasses replace with gold syrup in the dough
Enjoy these mooncake ! Happy Autumn Festival !
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