Snowskin Mooncake
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation: 20 min
- Cook: 20 min
- Clean up: min
- Steps: 3 steps
- 8 Ingredients
- Difficulty: Medium
- Steps: 3 steps
- 8 Ingredients
- Preparation: 20 min
- Cook: 20 min
- Clean up: min
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Snowskin Mooncake
Traditionally eaten during the Mid Autumn Festival (中秋節), the snowskin mooncake is a popular no-bake delicacy that originates from Hong Kong and has since expanded to include many different varieties. For snowskin mooncakes, almost anything goes - from durian filling to the traditional lotus paste filling. It’s also relatively simple to recreate at home, less mess and fuss. The snowskin mooncake recipe is straightforward to follow, and just as delicious. Try it at home today!
Pair the Snowskin Mooncake with Tea
One of the most well-loved snacks in Chinese culture, the snowskin mooncake - or crystal mooncake - is a non-baked dessert that offers a soft and chewy bite. It is also called the snowy or ice skin mooncake as it is best eaten cold and fresh, paired with a hot cup of Chinese tea. If you ever find yourself in a traditional Chinese home and are served with this joyous sweet treat, you know you are experiencing the culture just right!
Easy Homemade Snowskin Mooncake Recipe
The snowskin mooncake became highly popular as a healthier alternative to the sweeter traditional baked mooncakes that are made from salted duck egg yolks and lotus seed paste. Experimenting with fruit for filling, the bakers in Hong Kong also created these icy snowskin mooncakes that could hold less oil and fat and still deliver an exceptional taste for the Chinese palate.
Browse other Chinese recipes here.
The core ingredient in the snowskin mooncake recipe is cooked glutinous rice flour - well known for its health benefits owing to its high zinc, fiber and vitamin content. It also plays an important role in promoting the health of the liver, heart and bones.
What also makes the snowskin mooncake popular is its no-bake recipe. This means that more home cooks can enjoy the snowskin mooncake without having to use the oven which is required for traditional versions of the recipe. It is also relatively simple to make at home, with less mess and fuss.
Whether you want to make snowskin mooncakes for the upcoming Mid Autumn festival or just to enjoy them as a family snack, our simple snowskin mooncake recipe will surely get you excited. Easy and straightforward to follow, try out our snowskin mooncake recipe at home!
Frequently Asked Questions about Snowskin Mooncake
How long can the snowskin mooncake be kept?
Since the mooncakes are not baked, minimal heat is used in the cooking process as well as in the ingredients used. As such, the mooncakes can be easily contaminated with bacteria and germs. Moreover, the snowskin mooncakes use less oil, sugar and salt - these are the natural preservatives in foods that play a role in lengthening the shelf life of edible products which snowskin mooncakes lack in. Therefore, you will need to ensure that the mooncakes are stored appropriately so that you can enjoy them over a longer period of time.
It is advised to not leave snowskin mooncakes in room temperature for more than two hours. They should be kept in the freezer for 10 to 20 days and thawed in the refrigerator before eating. Once thawed, they should be consumed within two hours. We would advise against refreezing the mooncakes thereafter.
Is the snowskin mooncake a good alternative for those with diabetes?
While the snowskin mooncake uses less oil, sugar and fat, we would still advise those with diabetes to limit their consumption to every 100g of a mooncake, or one-eighth of a piece. You may cut the mooncake into bite-sized portions for more to share instead of having an entire mooncake at one go.
How can I make snowskin mooncakes with reduced sugar?
If you want to reduce the sugar content of the snowskin mooncake, you can use fruits or dried fruits as filling. You may add nuts or seeds to boost fiber and nutrient values.
Tips on how to make Snowskin Mooncake
Observe consistency of dough: As different brands of glutinous flour have varying water absorption levels, you must keep a lookout of the consistency of the dough (it should be soft with a smooth texture) when pouring in the liquid. You may not need to use all the water as stated in our snowskin mooncake recipe. You are also advised to stir the flour mixture forcefully to prevent it from caking.
Kneading the dough: This is a very important step in making the dough soft. The dough may also become sticky after having set aside in the refrigerator. As such, you may coat your hands with cooked glutinous rice flour or use plastic kitchen gloves when kneading and rolling the dough before you prepare them for the filling.
Cook filling over low-temperature: You may purchase ready-made mooncake fillings from the supermarkets. However, if you are making your own, be sure to cook them over low-temperature so that the sugar and oil are fully incorporated into the mixture. This is necessary to prevent your filling from turning greasy.
Use natural foods for coloring: The best snowskin mooncake is one that is made from natural ingredients. You can substitute artificial food coloring with boiled carrot or beetroot juice to give it the color and flavor. You may also prepare pandan extract from pandan leaves for green coloring.
Coat mooncake mold with glutinous rice flour: To prevent the dough from sticking to the mold when preparing the mooncake in their desired shape and pattern, you should coat the mold with cooked glutinous rice flour.
How to make Snowskin Mooncake
1. Make dough for mooncake skin
Sift the cooked glutinous rice flour and icing sugar in a mixing bowl.
Gently rub the shortening into the flour mixture, combining until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
Mix in the cold water about 1 tablespoon at a time and add in food coloring or flavor and if desired.
Knead dough until soft dough forms – you may not need all the water. Set the dough aside in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
| Use gloves when handling with food dye to prevent hands from staining.
2. Divide dough and filling
Divide dough and filling, depending on the size of mooncake molds. The ratio should be 1 part dough and 2 parts filling.
| More flavors are popping up, with brands offering tom yum, durian and even ice cream mooncakes! Feel free to get creative and experiment with different flavors.
3. Form mooncake
Flatten the ball of snow skin into a thin circle.
Place the ball of filling in the center of the dough and seal the filling with the snowskin dough.
Put the ball seam-side up into the floured mold and pack it in gently.
Flip it over onto a flat surface.
Press down hard on the lever of the mooncake mold, so that the mooncake shape is formed and the faceplate
Then squeeze to release and your mooncake.
Repeat with remaining dough. Chill for 6 hours before serving.
Plate and Serve!
Serve cold and slice into smaller pieces to show off your different fillings.
