1. Baked Mooncake
For the baked mooncake style, the crust is made using flour. There are several types of flour that can be used:
All-purpose flour (wheat flour number 8)
This is a common flour used for various types of cakes. It is a mixture of durum wheat flour and soft wheat flour, without baking powder.
The gluten content in this flour is relatively low (about 8 – 9%) and it has high moisture, resulting in a soft, spongy, and cottony cake layer.
- Pros: Easy to obtain and use for making mooncake crust.
- Cons: The crust can be dry and hard, and takes at least 3-4 days after baking to soften.
Pastry dough
This flour is made from finely milled soft wheat grains and is very light. It has a low gluten content (about 6% – 8%) but high starch content.
- Advantages: After baking, the mooncake shell will be soft and not dry or hard.
- Cons: The mooncake crust made with this flour quickly degrades in oil and cannot be preserved for a long time.
Bread flour (Cai Can flour, flour number 11)
Bread flour has a relatively high protein content (about 11.5% – 13%) and interacts with yeast to increase the toughness and firmness of bread and mooncakes.
- Pros: Easy to find.
- Cons: If used as a crust, the crust may become hard.
Ready-mixed mooncake powder
In the market, pre-mixed mooncake flour is available and easy to purchase. These flours are already mixed with the necessary additives to make the crust soft and spongy.
- Advantage: Saves time in making baking powder.
- Cons: Difficult to adjust the salty-sweet taste according to personal preference.
2. Flexible Mooncakes
Flexible mooncakes have a different style compared to baked mooncakes. The crust for flexible mooncakes is made using finely ground roasted glutinous rice, along with a little flour or cornstarch. The flour is mixed with sugar water and grapefruit perfume to create the crust.
In the past, the mooncake shell was usually white, but now there are various flavors and colors available, such as coffee, pandan leaves, and green tea. You can choose different ingredients to make these beautiful and unique cakes using ingredients commonly found in the kitchen.
In recent years, making mooncakes with jelly has also become popular. This method is simple and gives the cake an eye-catching color without the need for an oven. You can find recipes and more delicious cake ideas to explore.
