Longan and lotus paste mooncake ~ 龙眼莲蓉月饼 2017

The Mid-Autumn, Lantern, or Mooncake Festival comes once a year and this year it falls on 4th October, 2017.  There are various flavours of mooncakes nowadays and today  I'm sharing with you, a simple Longan and Lotus paste mooncake.

Longan and lotus paste moncake  ~   龙眼莲蓉月饼  2017
Ingredients

• 150 gm superfine flour
• 90 ml golden syrup
• 38 ml vegetable oil
• 2 gm alkaline water
• Egg glaze - 1 whole egg, beaten and strain

Filling

• 300 gm lotus paste (store bought)
• 15 gm dried longan (snipped to smaller pieces)

Method

1. Use a  handwhisk to mix the golden syrup, oil and alkaline water till no oil surfaces.  Sift in the superfine flour.  Mix lightly to form a dough.  Cover and let rest for a few hours till it doesn't stick to the hands.  (I let it rest for 4 hours).
2. Scale dough to 25 gm each, roll into a ball
3. Mix the snipped longan with the lotus paste.  Scale filling to 27 gm each.
4. Flatten the piece of dough with a rolling pin, wrap a ball of filling inside, roll into a ball.
5. Press the ball of dough inside a plunger mould, press out and remove the mould.
6. Place mooncakes onto a parchment lined baking tray, lightly spray on some water.
7. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg. C for 10 mins., remove from oven and let cool for 15 mins.  Then apply egg glaze and bake again for about 10 mins. @ 175 deg.C
8. Let mooncakes rest ( 回油) for about 3 to 4 days before consuming.  (Once the mooncakes are cooled completely, place them in a an air-tight container to let the skin soften).
9. Yield :  12 mooncakes with a 50 gm mould.