OTHER BAKES - Mooncakes

Five Nuts Mooncake with XO Sauce

September 13, 2018 | Recipe by Bake with Paws




After trying the Five Nuts Mooncake with XO Sauce from Hong Kong that was gifted by a friend,  it gave me the inspiration to try to make a Five Nuts Mooncake with XO Sauce.  To begin with,  I cooked a homemade XO Sauce from scratch so I could avoid store bought jars (though if you are lazy you may just use a store bought Sauce).  You may find the homemade XO sauce recipe here.  

The Five Nuts Mooncake recipe I shared last year is quite nice but with the added XO sauce, it takes it to another level. There is a hint of spiciness along with an umami sweetness. This is a delicious almost savoury mooncake. 


COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What type of flour to use?
It is advisable to use low protein flour like pau flour or cake flour.  All purpose flour is acceptable too if you can't get pau flour or cake flour.  The lower the protein content of the flour will yield more softer mooncake biscuit.

What type of oil?
Neutral-flavored oils are suitable for making the skin dough.  Example like corn, peanut, canola, or sunflower oil.  Most recipes will specify peanut oil as it adds a nutty fragrance.

How to determine the weight of the mould?
Put some dough into the mould and press until fill up to the brim.  Remove the dough from the mould and weight it on a kitchen scale.  

How to store and when is the mooncake ready to eat?
Freshly baked mooncake biscuits are rather dry and are best enjoyed 2 or 3 days later. Store the mooncake in an airtight container in a cool place, eg. air-cond room. Let them rest for at least 2 to 3  days before serving in order for the pastry to relax for a better flavour and texture.  After about 4 - 5  day, it is recommended to store the mooncake in the refrigerator.  It is best to eat the mooncake within 2 weeks.  

If you have any questions regarding this recipe or any other post, please leave me a comment in the “LEAVE A COMMENT” link and I will reply you as soon as possible.

Five Nuts Mooncake with XO Sauce Recipe

Yields: 11 (160g ) mooncakes

SKIN DOUGH

Ingredients:

350g low protein flour (pau flour/cake flour/all purpose flour)
230g homemade golden syrup (click here for recipe)
1 tsp Alkaline water
80g Peanut oil
Egg wash : egg yolk + 1 tbsp fresh milk, mix well and strain

Method:
  1. Mix sugar syrup, alkaline water and peanut oil together thoroughly
  2. Sift flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center and pour in the sugar syrup mixture. Using a rubber spatula to mix and form to a soft dough.
  3. Cover the dough using cling wrap then set it aside in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight before using.
  4. After one hour or the next day, remove the dough from fridge. Lightly dust some flour on table and knead dough again till smooth. Measure dough to about 50g and roll it into a ball. Make 11 balls and use the balance for mooncake biscuits.  The mould size of this mould is about 160g.  I made about 31% for the skin.

FILLING

Ingredients:

Ingredients A
100g walnuts, toasted and chopped
100g almonds, toasted and chopped
100g melon seeds, toasted
100g pumpkin seeds, toasted
100g sesame seeds, toasted
100g kat paeng (candied mandarin orange), diced small
110g tong kua (candied melon), diced small
4 kaffir leaves, shredded (optional)
120g koh fun (cooked glutinous rice flour)

Ingredients B (Seasoning):
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp five spices powder
50g or 5 tbsp vegetable oil (I used extra virgin coconut oil + extra virgin olive oil)
2 tbsp rose wine (may replace with shaoxing wine or brandy if can't get rose wine)
90 water - 120g water (start with 90g, add in the balance if you find the filling is too dry after adding all the ingredients)
1 tbsp ligh soy sauce
80g or 4 Tbsp honey 
25 sesame paste (blend 25g of toasted sesame seeds with food processor till creamy)
150g  homemade XO sauce (click here for recipe)

Method:
  1. Combine all  ingredients A (except koh fun) in a big mixing bowl. 
  2. Combine all ingredients B in a jar and mix well with the spatula or hand whisk.
  3. Add in the ingredients B mixture into ingredients A mixture.  Stir all together to combine with spatula.
  4. Then in koh fun. Mix well and roll into 11 balls, approximately 110g each. Set aside.  The size for this mould is about 160g.  I made about 69% for the filling.

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE MOONCAKES

  1. Preheat the oven to 170C (top and bottom heat).
  2. Line baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. Roll a ball of Skin Dough out until approx 4.5 inches in diameter and wrap around a ball of the filling. 
  4. Place a ball of filling in center, wrap and shape into a ball. Dust with flour all around. Dust the mould with some flour too and press firmly into the mould. Unmould and place it on the lined baking tray.
  5. Lightly spray some water onto the mooncakes.  This will prevent mooncake from cracking.
  6. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes. Brush with egg wash. Return mooncakes to the oven and bake for another 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.
  7. Let the mooncakes cool completely on a rack before storing.  The mooncake may look slightly cracked and uneven colour when you remove it from the oven.  However, the cracks will lessen or disappear and the colour will become even and darker over time as its oils naturally distribute. 
Notes:
Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.

SKIN DOUGH


FILLING


TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE MOONCAKE


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