Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 16: You're My Inspiration ~ * ~ Mooncake recipe from Kate ~*~

This month, Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 16: You're My Inspiration , host wants all of us to use recipe from the member to find the inspiration , and I'm very lucky that the person whom I have to choose the recipe is Kate.

Last year, Kate came to stay with me for a week, and she's kind enough to teach me how to make Mooncake. So, this time, I want to show her that I can do it on my own, haha, and I think it's not bad at all ^ ^. I know that the festival is past, but it's not a crime to enjoy this delicious cake at any times of the year.
Even it's not a traditional filling but in Thailand we use the durian paste for the filling, it's delicious and very easy too. But if you can't find it or don't like the smell of it, you can use the custard filling instead (my mother doesn't like the durian, so I have to bake this for her).

The most important thing that you must have, if you want to make the moon cake, is the mold. There are many kinds of it, but this time I just got the traditional one that made from crafted wood. This kind of mold needed to be prepared by cover the drain hole (it's at the side of the mold) with the adhesive tape, and pour the vegetable oil into it, and let the wood absorbs the oil. The oil will prevent the dough to stick to the mold without using too much flour, so an imprint will be deep and beautiful.

It's fun to make but I have to admit that my arm felt tried after making it, haha.

- the mooncake from the mold -

It's not hard to make the mooncake at home, esp. when you use the prepared filling, but it's time consuming process can be a little problem. So, plan ahead, because you have to prepare the syrup, and wait until it's cool, then make the flour mixture that you'll have to let it rest overnight. And if you use the custard filling, you'll have to make it, let it's cool and refrigerate overnight too.
Then, the next day, everything will be easier, just mix the flour, divide the flour and filling into a ball. After that your arm will take all the responsibility, ^ ^.

When baking the mooncake, first round is for cooking it, but after that, you have to bake it until the color of the mooncake is golden brown. It may take longer, or shorter than the given time, so you have to stand by in front of the oven >*<. So, welcome you to see the result of my inspiration from my friend "Kate" ^ ^, the mooncake.

Mooncake
Makes about 40-50 pieces
(small size depend on the size of the mold)

Dough
	Syrup
	250g	Sugar
	2tsp	Lime juice
	175g	Water
	Baking soda mixture
	2tsp	Baking soda
	2tbsp	Water
	Flour (1)
	200g	Pastry flour (or mixture of half all-purpose flour and cake flour)
	100g	Vegetable oil
	215g	Syrup
	½ tbsp	Baking soda mixture
	Flour (2)
	150g	Pastry flour (or mixture of half all-purpose flour and cake flour)
Durian Filling (for 40-50 pieces)
	1400-1750g	Durian paste
	120-150g	Watermelon seed
	160-200g	Salted egg yolks
Custard Filling (for 40-50 pieces)
	400g	Sugar
	400g	Butter
	100g	All-purpose flour
	50g	Corn flour
	100g	Milk powder
	100g	Custard powder
	10	Eggs
	2tbsp	Vanilla extract
Egg wash
	2	Egg yolks
	2tbsp	water

Make the syrup by put all the ingredients together in a pan, put over medium low heat until the thermometer register 118°C.
Pour the syrup into the cup and let it cool to the room temperature.

When the syrup's cool, mix the baking soda with the water, set aside.
Put the flour in the mixing bowl.
Pour the syrup , vegetable oil and ½ tbsp of the baking soda mixture into the flour.
Mix until combine, then cover the bowl with plastic and let the batter rest overnight.

If you want to use custard filling, you have to prepare.
Put all the ingredient into the pan and put over low heat, whisk constantly until it's thicken.

Let the custard cool, then cover with the plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Next day
Pour the flour(2) into the batter, and knead until combine.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (or preheat it 20 minutes before you baking the mooncake).

Put some of the dough into the mold, and take the dough out.
Weight the dough and divide the weight with 4, you will get the weight of the dough per piece.

Divide the dough, and roll the dough into the ball.

Weight the filling using the 3/4 of the total weight.
I use 35g of durian paste and 3g of watermelon seed.
Roll the filling into a ball.

Put the salted egg yolk into the center of the filling cover it, then cover with the dough.

If using the custard filling, roll the dough into a circle and place the filling inside.
Cover the filling with the dough.


Lightly flour the dough, press the prepared ball into the mold, and tap the mold by tapping 2 side then then top (as shown in the picture), the dough will come out beautifully.

Place the dough into the baking pan.
Bake for 10 minutes, take the pan out and brush the side of the mooncake bake for 5 minutes, take the pan out and brush the top of the mooncake for 5 minutes or until the mooncake are well brown.

Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 16:
You're My Inspiration ~ * ~ Mooncake recipe from Kate ~*~