Osmanthus and Coconut Snow Skin Mooncakes

Elaboración

Prepare osmanthus syrup.

1. In a saucepan, add the sugar and water, place over medium-high heat and bring to boil.
2. Once it comes to boil, cook for 15-20 seconds and remove from the heat.
3. Leave to stand for 10 minutes in the saucepan.
4. Pour the syrup into a glass container, preferably a sterilised glass jar, and add the dried osmanthus flowers.
5. Mix with a teaspoon to ensure that all the flowers are properly soaked.
6. Allow to cool completely at room temperature and then refrigerate for 2-3 days.
7. This resting time will help the syrup to become very aromatic.
8. NOTE: Before using the syrup to make the coconut filling, I advise you to temper it for 2-3 hours before using it. It is possible that the top may crystallise slightly, just stir it with a spoon.

FIRST DAY

Prepare the osmanthus flower infused milk.

1. Heat the milk in a saucepan and bring to boil.
2. Remove from the heat and add the osmanthus flowers, mixing with a spoon to help all the flowers soak in. Leave to stand while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, about 3-4 minutes.

Prepare "snow skin" dough for mooncakes.

1. In a bowl add all the ingredients except the milk.
2. Strain the infused milk to remove the flowers. Press the osmanthus flowers well because they absorb a lot of milk. You should get 280 g of infused milk, if you are short of milk, add more until you reach the specified amount.
3. Add the infused milk, which will still be warm/warm, to the rest of the ingredients in the bowl. Mix with a whisk until homogenised.
4. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove and break up any lumps that may have formed. You will obtain a very smooth and silky mixture.
5. Pour the mixture into a container that can withstand steaming or one suitable for use in the microwave. Cover the bowl with cling film and pierce the surface.
6. You can cook the mixture in two ways; place the pot on medium-low heat and steam (in my case I used the fast cooker with the steam tray) for 35 minutes. Or in the microwave, at maximum temperature for 5-10 minutes.
7. You will know the mixture is ready when there is no liquid left in the middle. To do this, insert a knife and it should come out clean and without any liquid mixture. In the case of the steamer, check the state of the dough after 25 minutes and, from this point onwards, keep checking. In the case of the microwave, do it in batches and check the state of the dough after 4 minutes.
8. Remember that the shape of the container has an influence, if it is uniform, if it has areas where there is more dough...
9. Take the bowl out of the steamer or microwave and transfer it to a dough mixer.
10. Mix with the help of the hook, at speed 1-2, for 8-10 minutes.
11. You must knead very well to achieve a soft, smooth, homogeneous and elastic dough. The better it is kneaded, the less sticky it will be.
12. If you wish, you can do this process by hand. Last year I showed you how to do it in this post.
13. Once the dough is ready, flatten, wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate, preferably, for 12-24 hours or a minimum of 2 hours.

Prepare the osmanthus and coconut filling.

1. In a large bowl, add the eggs together with the condensed milk, the melted and cooled butter and the osmanthus flower syrup. Mix with a whisk until smooth.
2. Add the grated coconut together with the rice flour and the osmanthus flower, mix again until smooth.

Cook the osmanthus and coconut mixture.

1. Cook at medium heat (my glass ceramic hob has a range of 1-9 and I cooked it at 5 and 1/2) stirring constantly as it is a filling that sticks easily.
2. You should cook it for about 8-10 minutes. I recommend using a thermometer to know the temperature of the filling, it should reach 158ºF/70ºC. This step is important as it contains egg and, once it reaches this temperature, it will be safe for conservation and later consumption.
3. Transfer the filling mixture to a large bowl, spread out to allow it to cool first, cover with cling film and leave to cool completely.

Shape balls of the filling mixture for the mooncakes.

1. Depending on the mooncake mould or moulds you are going to use, you will have to form the filling pieces in one size or another. Remember that the mooncake should have half the weight of the filling and half the weight of the outer dough.
2. In my case I used 50 g and 75 g moulds, so I formed 13 balls of 25 g and 5 balls of 38 g.
3. Once they are formed, place in a bowl, cover with film and refrigerate.
4. I advise you to keep the filling balls cold if you are not very good at forming mooncakes. As the filling is firm, it makes the forming process much easier.
5. NOTE: If you use the cold filling to cover it with the dough, once you have formed the balls of dough and filling, you must let the filling return to temper so that you can shape them with the mooncake mould.

SECOND DAY

Cook the glutinous rice flour to coat the mooncakes.

1. In a large frying pan, add the glutinous rice flour and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl and allow to cool completely.

Divide the dough to form the mooncakes.

1. To form this type of mooncakes, you need the same amount of batter as filling. This step must be adjusted to your moulds. In my case I used.
   If you divide the dough  50 g and 75 g moulds, so I formed 13 balls of 25 g and 5 balls of  38 g.
2. If you divide the dough into pieces, remember to place them in the centre of the piece, bring the ends of the dough to the centre and roll it between both hands. You will get a smooth, soft and shiny piece.
3. Roll the piece in cooked glutinous rice flour, remove the excess and place on a tray.
4. Repeat the same process with the remaining pieces.
5. Once formed, cover with cling film to prevent them from drying out.

Shaping mooncakes.

1. Roll a piece over a bowl of cooked glutinous rice flour, remove the excess.
2. Place the mooncake mould over the piece and press down firmly 2-3 times.
3. Remove the mooncake from the mould, pressing down in the same way as if you were going to mark the cake and place on the tray.
4. Repeat the same process with the rest of the pieces.
5. NOTE: Keep in mind that some moulds have a shape that is not rounded. In this case, you will have to carefully shape the piece to ensure that it has a similar appearance and that when you place the mould on the piece, it does not rub against any part of the piece as it could crack or damage it. In the video you can watch it in detail.
   

Decorate, if you wish.

1. Before painting or serving the mooncake, if you do not paint it, you must remove any excess rice flour that may remain on the surface or base. To do this, use a pastry brush.
2. With the help of a pastry brush, paint the highest parts of the mooncake with gold food colouring powder. Don't try too hard, just add details.
3. Serve. If refrigerated, I recommend tempering them for 1 hour so that the filling acquires the right consistency, tender and moist.
4. NOTE: These mooncakes should ideally be eaten the same day they are made. They can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. After this time, the outer coating will start to dry out and they will not be as good. They can be frozen, tightly wrapped in film, for 3 months.
   

Notes

• Neither glutinous rice flour nor rice flour can be substituted for any other variety. Both must be used for optimum results.
• Corn starch can be substituted for another variety of starch if you wish; potato, tapioca...
• When we cook the dough, either steamed or in the microwave, it is completely normal for it to have a greasy appearance. We will have to knead very well to integrate all the ingredients and achieve a smooth and silky finish.
• If you wish, you can dye the batter for a coloured mooncake.
• To make the osmanthus syrup, use dried osmanthus flowers. If you prefer, you can use honey and incorporate the flowers into it. Remember that it must also stand for 2-3 days to infuse and acquire the wonderful aroma of this flower.
• The original recipe for the filling contains coconut milk, in my case I omitted it as the filling is too runny.
  
• The filling we use for this type of cake must be moldable and not contain too much moisture. Otherwise it would spoil the final result. We can use ankoor lian rong, for example, in case you don´t like the filling I share today.
• This filling can also be used for baked versions of mooncakes. I remind you of this post and this post where I show you how to make mooncakes with baked dough.
• To cover both the outer dough and the filling, and to be able to handle it, we must use glutinous rice flour previously cooked or toasted, not raw.
• It is very important to roll the piece in cooked glutinous rice flour to shape it with the mold, otherwise there is a high risk that the dough will stick to the mold. To remove the excess we will use a pastry brush.
• To make these mooncakes I have used various moulds; 50 g mooncake moulds and 75 g mooncake moulds.
• It is very important to weigh both the dough and the filling. The combined weight of both cannot exceed the amount of dough your pan can tolerate. The amount of filling and dough, for this variety, should be the same.
• If we use fresh fruit inside the mooncake, I do not recommend freezing it. The fruit changes its texture and it is common for it to release water, which would spoil the final result of the product.
• They can be stored, refrigerated, in an airtight container and without stacking the pieces for up to 72 hours. After this time, the outside will begin to dry out and change from a tender texture to a hard, dry one. They can also be frozen, placed in a single layer in an airtight container. Once completely frozen, they can be individually wrapped with cling film or stored in airtight bags for up to 3 months in this case.
• If you freeze them, let them thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours. This will give them their tender texture.
  

Archivado en

• Condensed milk
• Dried coconut
• Glutinous rice flour
• Osmanthus flower
• Rice flour