How to Make Snow Skin Mooncakes
Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with this mochi-like take on the iconic treat.
Matt Armendariz
When you think of the Mid-Autumn festival, one of the first things that comes to mind is, of course, mooncake. And for many, mooncake means a hefty pastry, baked golden brown with an intricate design on the outside, and a lightly sweet paste filling, and bright orange salted egg yolk on the inside.
Mooncake also often means families coming together for a feast – and splitting a cake into wedges, then determining who was lucky enough to pick the most prized piece (the one with the most salted egg yolk!).
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But in addition to that iconic baked golden brown version, there are actually several other types of mooncakes – one of which is Snow Skin Mooncake, a modern take on the classic. Originating in Hong Kong in the 1960s, snow skin mooncakes are comprised of a soft, slightly chewy mochi-like “wrapper” (that is, the snow skin) that encases a soft filling such as red bean paste or custard. Unlike their golden counterparts, snow skin mooncakes are not baked, and served cold. They’re perfect for when you don’t want to heat up the house, or simply want to have variety in your Mid-Autumn Festival spread. They’re also great for people who just love the texture of mochi.
How Do You Make Snow Skin Mooncake Dough?
The snow skin is made with a combination of glutinous rice flour, rice flour and wheat starch – which makes the dough soft, subtle and incredibly flexible. The dough is easy to wrap around any thick filling of your choice; we stuck with a classic red bean paste in this recipe. Glutinous rice flour provides the chewy and bouncy texture we all know and love, while the rice flour prevents the dough from becoming too sticky and hard to work with. The wheat starch is added to give the dough a translucent look, and its gluten helps make the dough more flexible.
When forming the dough, you will end up with a runny batter once all the dry ingredients are whisked together with the wet ingredients. The batter is then either steamed, as is tradition, or microwaved.
If you’re steaming the batter, be sure to do so in a heatproof bowl, over simmering water with a rack to keep it from touching the water until a dough starts to form and it turns slightly translucent. This takes about 20 to 25 minutes. We also recommend wrapping the lid of the pot with a clean, lined towel so condensation doesn’t fall into the dough.
If you’re microwaving the batter, use a microwave-safe bowl covered with plastic wrap on high power, stirring every minute until a dough starts to form and is slightly translucent. This should take about four minutes.
After either method, once the dough is ready, set it aside until cool enough to handle.
What Fillings Can You Use in Snow Skin Mooncakes?
Fillings for snow skin mooncakes can range from quick and easy store-bought sweet red bean paste to homemade custard to even advanced homemade creamy lotus seed paste.
You can also take a less traditional route, with flavored custards such as matcha, black sesame or chocolate.
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How Do You Create the Designs On Mooncakes?
When any or all of the fillings of your choice are prepared, begin dividing and rolling out the dough. Working one at a time, place a portion of the filling into each rolled out piece of dough, pull the dough around the filling, and pinch to enclose it.
Then, place the mooncake into a press to get the beautiful, intricate designs that many mooncakes are known for.
Note that there are two different kinds of presses. One is a traditional wooden mold that involves firmly pressing the mooncake into the mold with your palms, then tapping it out. The second is a more modern mold – a spring-loaded press. To use this type, simply place the mooncake on a firm surface, cover with the press, and press down firmly using the spring level to imprint the design. Both types of presses come in square and circle varieties.
When making your snow skin mooncakes, dust the inside of your press with sweet rice flour to prevent sticking. However, be sure to toast the flour for a couple minutes on a dry pan and cool completely beforehand to avoid an uncooked flour taste.
Once all your snow skin mooncakes are formed, enjoy the soft, subtle treat immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container until it’s time to share them with friends and family.
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