Rush Rush, Hurry Hurry for your Mooncakes

It was like yesterday that I asked myself if it was too early to start making mooncakes, believe it or not, the festival is around the corner already, just a week away to be precise! In no time many of us will be rushing to either buy, make or eat these cakes!

This will be my wrap up post on Jelly Mooncakes. I made quite a fair bit for own indulgence, gifts for loved ones and also to meet orders from a few close friends. Toyed with some flavours and these ended up as my pick. 4 lovely flavours in contrasting colors to fit in a gift box, Red Dragon Fruit, Pandan Sweet Corn, Cendol Red Bean and Coffee Peach.

Making them is not too difficult but the process is quite time consuming. First off, one will have to cook the fillings separately, it's not like the baked or snow skin ones where ready to use fillings are available for sale. Personally I find the most tedious part would be the waiting for the 1st part of the skin to be half set before dropping in the fillings and fill it up with the remaining portion of the skin. It has to be half set otherwise the filling will separate from the skin when it is cut.

Here's the recipe for the Cendol Red Bean flavour. This turned out to be a favourite among many. The photo does no justice to it, it looks rather pale compared to the rest. But in reality it's really pretty, white with greenish hue from the cendol strands, jade like if I may say so.

I am submitting this for Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baking.

Recipe
Source :Adapted from Mooncake Selections by Khoo See Yew

Makes : Approximately 8 pieces (with similar moulds)

Ingredients for Filling

• 50g gm. caster sugar
• 5g agar-agar powder
• 125 thin coconut milk
• Few pieces of pandan leaves
• 150g cooked red bean, blended
• 62ml thick coconut milk

1. Boil sugar, agar-agar powder and thin coconut milk in a pot until agar agar and sugar dissolves.
2. Lower flame and mix in red beans and thick coconut milk.
3. Pour in small bowls and let it set.
4. Remove from bowl, use a fork to scratch surface (top and bottom). This is to make sure the filling and skin will stick to one another.

Ingredients for Skin

• 185g sugar
• 13g agar-agar powder
• 825ml thin coconut milk
• 150ml thick coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 150g cendol
• Few pieces pandan leaves

1. Boil sugar, agar-agar powder and thin coconut milk with pandan leaves in a pot until agar agar and sugar dissolves.


2. Lower flame and mix in cendol, salt and thick coconut milk.

Assemble

1. Pour in some skin agar agar into mooncake mould.
2. When it is half set, put in the filling then pour the balance skin mixture into the mould until full. Let it set.
3. Chill in the fridge before serving.

A peek into Coffee Peach :)

Coffee Peach

Ingredients for Filling

• 100ml water
• 4 gm agar-agar powder
• 35gm sugar
• 75gm peach flavour yogurt
• 1 egg yolk
• 10ml lemon juice
• 50g fresh cream
• 50gm peach (blended)

1. Boil sugar, agar-agar powder and water in a pot until agar agar and sugar dissolves.
2. Mix yogurt, egg yolk, lemon juice, fresh cream and blended peach in a separate container.
3. Lower flame and mix in no. 2.
4. Pour in small bowls and let it set.
5. Remove from bowl, use a fork to scratch surface (top and bottom). This is to make sure the filling and skin will stick to one another.

Ingredients for Skin

• 80gm brown sugar
• 5g agar-agar powder
• 400ml water
• 100ml evaporated milk
• 1tbsp cocoa powder
• 1tsp instant coffee powder

1. Boil sugar, agar-agar powder and water in a pot until agar agar and sugar dissolves.
2. Lower flame and mix coffee and cocoa powder. Stir until completely dissolve.
3. Stir in evaporated milk.

Posted in: Mooncakes