Hello Kitty Snow Skin Moon Cakes

Hello Kitty Moon Cakes with Black Bean Filling - Red food coloring added for pink effect.

Using a different mold for variety.

Moon Cake Molds.

My friend, Katrina, loves making sweets (that are not too sweet) and cooking for her family and has asked if I could share this in time for the coming Mid-Autumn Festival. This might be a bit intimidating for any beginner, but once you have tried it, you will not regret because they taste really fresh and good if you make them yourself!

Recipe for the Black Bean Filling

Ingredients:-

240 g black beans

80 g sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

10 g canola oil

2 tablespoons wheat starch

Method:-

1. Wash and soak black beans for at least 3 hours.

2. Drain and place beans and baking soda into a heavy pot and add enough water to cover the beans with ¼ inch water over the top. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and cover pot with lid and let sit for another 30 minutes.

3. Drain off any excess water and place cooked beans in a food processor. Add sugar and continue to blend until beans becomes a fine paste.

4. Remove from food processor and place the bean paste into a clean frying pan. Add canola oil to paste and fry in low heat until bean paste is dry. 

5. Add wheat starch and fry for another 10 minutes.

Remove from pan and place in a large mixing bowl. 

6. When it is cool enough to touch without burning your hands, put on a pair of food safe gloves and knead paste until it becomes smooth and shiny. Form into a log and wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

7. Remove bean log from the fridge when moon cake skin is ready, divide and measure into 30 g portions each. Form and roll each portion into a ball. 

Recipe for the Snow Skin

Ingredients:-

250 g skim milk

70 g glutinous rice flour

50 g rice flour

20 g all-purpose flour

10 g canola oil

40 g condensed milk

50 g granulated sugar

½ cup cooked glutinous rice flour (guo fun)

1 teaspoon canola oil for greasing the plate

Method:-

1. Sieve glutinous rice flour, rice flour and all-purpose flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add sugar and whisk to combine.

2. Add milk in two portions and whisk to combine. Then add condensed milk and whisk to combine.

Lastly, add canola oil to mixture and whisk to combine to make a thick batter.

3. Lightly brush a 2” deep by 8” wide, heat proof plate all over with canola oil or use any deep heat proof plate that will fit your steamer. Strain the batter through a sieve into the prepared deep plate to remove lumps. 

4. Place plate in a steamer and steam on high heat for 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

5. Remove from heat and let cool until it is slightly warm.  Put on a pair of food safe gloves, scrape and loosen custard from plate, and knead custard until it becomes a smooth and shiny lump of dough. Form into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use.

6. Meanwhile prepare ‘guo fun’ by frying glutinous rice flour in a clean frying pan for 10-15 minutes until flour is slightly yellowish. Dish out into a bowl and cool before using.

How to form moon cake:-

1. Remove skin dough from the fridge, divide and measure dough into portions of 20 g each and form each portion into ball shape. 

2. Roll out and flatten each portion using a rolling pin and by placing each portion in between two sheets of cling wrap.

3. Wrap each portion of the black bean filling with the flattened skin dough and form into a smooth round dough. 

4. Dip the stuffed dough into the bowl of ‘guo fun’.

5. Lightly brush the moon cake mold with ‘guo fun’and gently press the stuffed dough into the mold. 

6. Smooth out the base and press handle to release the dough onto a flat surface. Transfer to a plate lined with plastic wrap and chill before serving.

They freeze well and you just have to defrost in the refrigerator (not at room temperature to prevent condensation) before serving.

Enjoy with your family and friends on a dreamy moonlit night!

*Tip: brush the mold with ‘guo fun’ and shake off any excess flour every time before forming the next cake to ensure easy release of the cake.

*Snow skin recipe adapted from SiuKitchen*