This mooncake recipe is a combination of my favorite elements in dessert: pie crust dough and the purple sweet potato marmellate. Comparing to the traditional mooncake recipe shared last year, this is a modern version. You can enjoy the cookie textured skin and natural sweetness from the purple sweet potato. It is also a dish that I prepare frequently for my clients in my Private Chef events as an elegant ending to a cozy occasion. I can assure you that it is definitely something worth trying!

Back from the summer holidays, I found Florence in a different season. Rather than the changes of the weather, it is more about the status of emotions. When leaving the city, all we thought about was the vacation ahead. Now back at home, we are facing the start of a new school year. I am more than happy to go back to the routine, but at the same time also reluctant to part the summer. This is why I see the Mid-Autumn festival this year (10 September) arrives in perfect timing. It gives us the occasion to farewell the hot days and welcome the new season.

PIE CRUST DOUGH FOR THE MOONCAKE SKIN

Recipe of this mooncake skin is a “upgraded version” of classic pie crust dough. Besides the usual ingredients (butter, sugar, egg and flour), I’ve also added:

• Honey: to make it more compact
• Rice flour and instant yeast: to make the final result softer and more fluffy
• Milk powder: to give additional lactose flavor

TIPS TO SUCCEED IN MAKING THIS MOONCAKE

1. Do not under-beating the butter

Under beating the butter can lead to some unpleasant clumps of ingredients in the dough. It can be a damaging factor as it may result in an un-workable dough and cracks in the final result.

Make sure you rest the butter in room temperature long enough, so it becomes soft before starting the beating process. Mix the softened butter with the icing sugar and beat the mixture for 2-3 minutes. You can stop beating when the color of the butter becomes lighter, and the volume is slightly enlarged. See details in the below recipe “Dough step #2”“.

2. Rest the dough for 30 minutes before assembling the mooncakes

This is to let the oil harmonize with the flour. Make sure to cover up the pie crust dough with plastic wrap to prevent it from getting dry.

3. Stir the purée of the purple sweet potato until it si solid & compact

To make the mooncake filling, we need to make sure our marmalade of sweet purple potato is solid enough to work with. That is to say the marmalade must not contain too much water. If the puree is too liquid and soft, it would be very difficult (or even impossible) to wrap it into the dough. Furthermore, a very hydrated filling is not friendly in maintaining the mooncake’s best flavor and figure.

During the preparation of the filling, a critic step is to stir-fry the puree in order to evaporate the water remaining inside. Similar preparation is used in recipe of red bean paste. When the puree is compact enough to be flipped over as a unique piece, it is ready to be used. See in the below recipe “The Filling Step #3-4”.

BEST WAY TO ENJOY THIS MOONCAKE

Once the mooncakes are out of the oven, don’t be in a hurry to eat them. It is not yet the best moment! Immediately transfer the warm mooncakes into a food container and leave them overnight. Remember to lay a piece of kitchen paper at the bottom to absorb the humidity.

After an overnight resting, the skin will become softer and buttery. That would be the best time to enjoy it over a cup of tea or coffee!

MOONCAKE WITH PIE DOUGH AND PURPLE SWEET POTATO FILLING (紫薯奶香月饼)

Recipe by Sasha WangCourse: SNACKCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Media

Portion

20

Mooncake

Preparation

1

hour 

Cooking

10

minutes

Resting

1

hour 

This mooncake recipe is a combination of my favorite elements in dessert: pie crust dough and the purple sweet potato marmellate. You can enjoy the cookie textured skin and natural sweetness from the purple sweet potato.

INGREDIENTS

• The Filling

• Purple sweet potato (peeled): 250g

• Sugar: 30g

• Milk: 50g

• Butter: 20g

• The Dough

• Butter (soften in room temperature): 125g

• Icing sugar: 50g

• Egg yolk: 1

• Honey: 1 tbsp

• All purpose flour: 200g

• Milk powder: 20g

• Rice flour: 25g

• Instant yeast for dessert: 1 tsp

• Other utensils

• Mooncake stamp of 50g

• All purpose flour for dusting

Preparation

• The Filling
• Cut the peeled purple sweet potatoes into pieces and steam them for 20 minutes.
• Crush the cooked purple sweet potato into purè.
• Put the purè, sugar, milk and butter in a non-sticky pan and stir it on media heat. Keep stirring it until the sugar and milk are completely absorbed by the purè.
• After 6-8 minutes, the water inside the purè should be almost evaporated and the filling should have a solid texture. The filling should be able to hold itself as one unique piece when flipped with a spatula without falling apart. Take it out and let it cool down.
• Divide it into smaller portions each weights 20g.
• The Dough
• Take the butter out from the fridge and leave it in room temperature for 1 hour before using.
• Put the softened butter and icing sugar in a big bowl. Beat them using an electric mixer. At the beginning using low speed to mix them together, then raise the speed to media and beat for 2 minutes until the color of the butter turns lighter.
• Add in the egg yolk and honey. Continue to beat them until all the ingredients are mixed well.
• Add all the rest ingredients listed in the group "The Dough" into the bowl and mix them well to get a solid dough.
• Divide it into smaller portions each weights 20g.
• I Mooncake
• Flatten a portion of the dough in your palm. Put one portion of the filling at the center.
• Close the mooncake by pushing the boarders of the dough up with the help of your fist in order to seal the filling inside.
• Gently roll the mooncake between your palms to smooth out the skin.
• Dust the ball of mooncake with a thin layer of all purposed flour and place it into the mooncake stamp.
• Prepare a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper on top. Place the stamp facing the parchment paper and press to shape it.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and cook the mooncake for 8-10 minutes. Take close look at the mooncakes at the last 2 minutes. Once you notice the surface turns brown, immediately take them out of the oven.
• Transfer the mooncakes to a food container before they completely cool down. Cover up with a piece of kitchen towel to absorb the humidity.
• Leave them in the container for at least 12 hours before eating.

Video Recipe

🌝 Wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. Have a good time enjoying the full moon and the mooncake! 🥮

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