Mooncakes (月饼) are an essential treat during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Traditionally, these cakes are round, symbolising the full moon and family unity, and are often decorated with intricate Chinese patterns on top. The texture can be smooth and tender, and the fillings vary widely – from rich, sweet pastes to nutty or even savoury combinations. Mooncakes are usually served with warm tea and are a staple in every household during the festival, while also being widely available in markets and shops throughout the season.

If you want to learn more about the festival history and mooncakes, read my article on the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Historically, mooncakes had a few traditional flavours that have been enjoyed for centuries, such as green tea, lotus seed paste, and salted egg yolk. Today, however, mooncakes come in countless variations, including fresh fruit, ice cream, cookies or matcha flavours and even more adventurous fillings like chicken or seafood.

Have a great time baking and tasting – here’s to mooncakes that turn out beautifully!

Mooncakes Recipe

This time I made two kinds of mooncakes: one filled with red bean paste and the other with a mix of nuts. The recipes are slightly adapted to use ingredients that are easy to find locally. From the quantities listed, I made enough dough to split in half, one portion for each filling, and it gave me about 30 mooncakes in total.

The moulds that give mooncakes their distinctive shape can usually be found in Chinese supermarkets, but if you plan ahead you can also order them from Amazon, AliExpress or Temu. They come in different sizes, and the ones I used were 50 grams.

I hope you enjoy making them as much as you enjoy tasting them!

Dough

Traditional mooncake pastry is usually made with flour, oil and a special golden syrup (in Chinese, 糖浆 táng jiāng), which gives the dough its distinct colour and delicate texture. Since I didn’t have the original syrup to hand, I used a homemade version instead and I’ve included the method so you can easily prepare it yourself. This way, the pastry stays soft and is just right for filling.

Ingredients:

• 230 g sugar
• ½ cup water
• Juice of half a lemon
• ⅓ cup oil
• 1 tbsp baking powder + a little bit of water
• 250 g flour

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, mix sugar and water and stir over medium heat until it boils.
2. Add the lemon juice and let it simmer on a low heat for about 60–70 minutes, without stirring, until it turns a lovely golden colour.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Mix 140 ml of the syrup with oil, baking powder, water, and flour. Stir briefly to form a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for around 2 hours.

Red Bean Paste Filling

Red bean mooncakes, known in Chinese as Hong Dou Yue Bing (红豆月饼, hóng dòu yuè bǐng), have been enjoyed for centuries and are loved for their mild, creamy flavour. In China, or in Chinese supermarkets abroad, you can usually find ready-made red bean paste. But if you can’t get hold of it, it’s easy enough to make at home, which is exactly what I did this time. Either way, the paste brings a rich, gently sweet taste that pairs beautifully with the pastry.

Ingredients:

• 100 g red azuki beans
• 40 g oil
• 80 g sugar

Instructions:

1. Soak the beans overnight.
2. Cook in a pressure cooker until very soft.
3. Mash the beans and mix with sugar and oil to form a smooth paste.
4. Once set, form into small balls for the mooncakes.

Mixed Nut Filling

This traditional flavour, known in Chinese as Wu Ren Yue Bing (五仁月饼, wǔ rén yuè bǐng), is one of the most popular varieties. It was originally made with five types of nuts and seeds: walnuts, almonds, Chinese almonds, sesame, and pumpkin seeds. Some recipes also include small pieces of pork, though I decided to leave that out this time. What really gives the filling its distinctive aroma, however, is a splash of Chinese spirit called Bai Jiu (白酒, bái jiǔ).

These days, people like to experiment, adding all sorts of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit to create their own version of this rich, crunchy filling. Here’s my take on the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 50 g walnuts
• 50 g cashews
• 50 g almonds
• 40 g pumpkin seeds
• 30 g sesame seeds
• 30 g dried cranberries
• 100 g flour
• ½ cup water
• 75 g sugar
• 40 g oil
• 1 tbsp Chinese bai jiu

Instructions:

1. Toast the flour in a pan until it turns brown.
2. Chop the nuts, seeds and dried fruit.
3. Combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth and uniform.
4. Form into balls of equal size.

Assembling and Baking Mooncakes

1. Divide the dough into equal portions.
2. Flatten a piece, place a filling ball in the centre, and wrap the dough around it.
3. Place in a mooncake mould dusted with flour to prevent sticking.
4. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).
5. Arrange the mooncakes on a tray and bake for 5 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 150°C (300°F).
7. Brush the cakes tops with a mixture of one egg yolk and 3 tablespoons of water, then bake for an additional 15 minutes.

✨ If you enjoyed this recipe, follow my blog for more traditional Chinese recipes!