Home » Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes 竹炭烘月饼

Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes 竹炭烘月饼

by Angie Liew
Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes

Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes

Malaysia is such an amazing country when it comes to celebrating festivals. We have just celebrated Hari Raya Haji on 24 September and we are preparing to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 27 September. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival (Zhong Qiu Jie 中秋节 ) falls on the 15th of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calendar and there’s still a little time left to bake some last minute homemade baked bamboo charcoal mooncakes.

Baked Bamboo Charcoal MooncakesThese mooncakes are basically similar to the traditional baked mooncakes. Only difference is, bamboo charcoal powder is added when making the mooncake skin. As it turns out, in terms of look, well, it’s ‘awfully’ pretty. In terms of taste, it does impart a mild sweetness to the mooncake skin.

Baked Bamboo Charcoal MooncakesBamboo charcoal powder is made with charcoal of the bamboos. It is one of the popular flavours found in bread and pastry. It’s believed to have health benefits, with the ability to reduce acidity, hence to detox one’s body. This precious black bamboo charcoal powder can be used on almost everything, including adding into coffee and tea! The black colour can really intrigue anyone who is just obsessed with black food in general, another example is Squid Ink.

Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes 竹炭烘月饼

Recipe by Huang Kitchen, Angie Liew
Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes are basically similar to the traditional baked mooncakes. Only difference is, bamboo charcoal powder is added when making the mooncake skin. As it turns out, in terms of look, well, it's 'awfully' pretty. In terms of taste, it does impart a mild sweetness to the mooncake skin.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes

Tap or Hover to Adjust Servings

Servings: 10 pieces

Ingredients
 

Mooncake Skin

  • 175 gram golden syrup
  • 55 gram peanut oil
  • 1 tsp alkaline water, or Lye water
  • tsp baking soda
  • 240 gram all-purpose flour
  • 7 gram bamboo charcoal powder

Mooncake Filling

  • 1200 gram lotus seed paste, homemade or store bought
  • 40 gram melon seeds, toasted
  • 10 Salted egg yolks, baked

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 ½ tbsp water, cold

Mooncake Mould:

  • 1 mooncake mould, 180g

    Instructions
     

    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      First, have ready ingredients for the mooncake skin.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Then, prepare ingredients for the mooncake fillings
    • Homemade Shanghai Mooncakes
      Separate and retain salted egg yolks from salted eggs. Lightly washed, pat dry and baked in preheated 175 degree C oven for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool before use.
    • Matcha Green Tea Snowskin Mooncakes - toast melon seeds
      In the same oven, lightly toast melon seeds and set aside to cool.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      To prepare the mooncake skin, first pour golden syrup followed by peanut oil in a mixing bowl.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Then add alkaline water, baking soda, all-purpose flour followed by bamboo charcoal powder.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Stir using a spatula till a soft and smooth dough is formed.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Cover the mixing bowl with cling wrap. Then set aside for at least 30 minutes before using.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Meantime, prepare the lotus seed paste fillings. Mix lotus seed paste with the lightly toasted melon seeds till well combined.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Then roll into a long log. Using a sharp knife, cut the lotus paste filling into 10 equal pieces.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Weigh each piece of lotus paste to ensure they are of the same weight and roll each lotus paste into a ball. (The weight for my lotus paste each is 120g as I am wrapping one egg yolk about 15g in it).
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Flatten the lotus seed paste ball and place a baked egg yolk in the middle.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Wrap the egg yolk in the flattened lotus seed paste and roll to form a ball. Repeat for the rest of the lotus seed paste balls. You should get 10 dough balls, each about 135g. Set aside until needed.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes.
      After 30 minutes, weigh and divide the rested charcoal skin dough into 10 equal pieces. (Each dough is about 45g).
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      And we're ready to assemble the mooncakes!
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Flatten slightly the dough skin and wrap it around the lotus seed paste filling by slowly pushing the dough skin until totally cover the entire lotus paste filling.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Roll to form a ball.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Lightly dust the wrapped dough and place it into the floured mooncake mould. Using your fingertips, lightly press the dough to imprint the shape of the mould.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Gently knock a few times onto a thick tablecloth to dislodge the moulded mooncake. Repeat the same for the other wrapped doughs.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Place the mooncakes equally spaced on a baking tray.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Baked in a preheated 200 degree C oven for 10 minutes.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Then remove and leave to cool on wire rack for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will prevent the surface of the mooncakes to crack due to high baking temperature.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Then lightly brush the top with very dilute egg wash.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Return the egg washed mooncakes to the oven and continue to bake using the same temperature for another 10 minutes. Check for doneness after 8 minutes to prevent over baked.
    • Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes
      Let the mooncakes cool completely before storing them in air-tight container and let them rest for at least 2 days before serving in order for the mooncake skin to soften as well as for the flavour to develop. And we're done!
    • Mooncakes are enjoyed in small wedges accompanied by freshly brewed Chinese tea so cut into small wedges before serving. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

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Notes

Each of this mooncake weighs 180g in which mooncake skin: 45g, filling:135g (lotus seed paste 120g + egg yolk 15g).
The weight of the mooncake skin and fillings used is determined by the size of the mooncake mould you use. So first determine the weight of the mooncake by filling the whole mooncake mould with mooncake skin dough and then dislodge the imprinted dough and weigh it. The rule of thumb for me is 4:6 ratio, which is 40% mooncake skin and 60% mooncake fillings. Weight of fillings is the total weight of the paste used or paste + egg yolk if egg yolk is added. Just weigh the egg yolk and paste together to determine the total weight of fillings.

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