likebyregina I am going to make Tiramisu Snow Skin Mooncakes for this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival. A coffee jelly (almost like a gummy texture) is wrapped with mascarpone cheese filling. You can expect the perfect balance of espresso and chocolate, ending with a subtle rum flavour. No cooking is needed, and the espresso snow skin can maintain chewy, soft, and mochi-like after 3-4 days in the freezer.
When is Mid-Autumn Festival?
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the year, which is a full moon day. It is usually in September or early October on the Gregorian calendar. For 2022, it will be on September 10.
What is Snow Skin Mooncake?
Snow skin mooncake is a modern twist on traditional mooncakes. The skin has a soft, chewy mochi-like texture. You can get creative with the filling, which can range from mung bean paste, custard, and cream cheese, to ice cream. Moreover, there’s no baking required, making the process much easier than traditional mooncakes. Therefore, I highly recommend trying your hand at them, especially if you’ve never made mooncakes before.
The key ingredient in snow skin mooncakes is a mixture of glutinous rice flour and rice flour. Despite their similar names, these are two distinct ingredients with unique textures and uses. While rice flour gives a stretchy, cake-like texture when cooked, glutinous rice flour yields a sticky and chewy consistency. Rice flour also imparts a subtle glow to the final product. By combining both flours, the snow skin dough maintains a chewy texture without becoming overly soft or sticky during handling.”
Different Options on Snow Skin Mooncake Fillings
As mentioned earlier, there’s room for creativity when it comes to the fillings. While mung bean paste is a popular option, it does require time and patience to prepare. Personally, I lean towards uncomplicated yet scrumptious fillings that require minimal preparation. Here’s a glimpse of some of the mooncakes I’ve crafted over the years:
- Snow Skin Mooncakes with Shredded Coconut & Purple Yam Lava
- Purple Yam Snow Skin Mooncakes
- Taro Mochi Swirl Mooncakes
This year, I was inspired by my favourite dessert, tiramisu, and created a mascarpone cheese and coffee jelly filling. It tastes just like tiramisu, with a combination of espresso and chocolate flavour, ending with a subtle liqueur flavour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where to Get the Mooncake Mould Press?
For all my mooncake recipes, I use a 50g mooncake mould press, which is commonly found on Amazon. One pack usually comes in multiple styles and patterns. You can simply put the dough in the press and easily create a photogenic snow skin mooncake.
Where to Get the Filling Mould for Mooncakes?
A filling mold isn’t necessary when crafting fillings that can be effortlessly rolled into a ball shape, like custards and mung bean paste. However, for lava or gummy-like fillings (like the one in this recipe), a silicone mini ice ball mold is recommended. Each ball measures 5g and can be utilized to shape not only ice balls but also ball-shaped fillings. You can find these molds on Amazon; that’s where I got mine.
Tips on Shaping the Perfect Snow Skin Mooncakes
Snow Skin must be cooled
It is important to have cooled snow skin before assembling the mooncakes. If the snow skin is still warm, it will be sticky and too soft to handle. In this recipe, you’ll need to wrap the snow skin in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour before use. This process ensures that the dough becomes firmer, stretchier, and less sticky.
Cooked Glutinous Rice Flour is needed
Cooked glutinous rice flour is used for coating. While some recipes suggest using corn starch as a coating, I find it tends to cling a bit too much to the dough. This can cause the dough to dry out faster than usual, resulting in less sharp patterns due to excessive corn starch usage. Making cooked glutinous rice flour is easy – simply microwave glutinous rice flour for 15 seconds or until it warms up. If you don’t have a microwave, you can lightly pan-fry it over low heat until it turns slightly yellow in color.
Make sure the mooncake mould is lightly dusted
Remember, the word ‘lightly’ is key here. If the mooncake mold has an excess of flour, the pattern won’t appear as sharp and clear. However, if you skip the flour entirely, the dough might adhere too much to the mooncake mold. So, it’s vital to gently dust the dough as well.
The Thickness of the Snow Skin
To achieve a well-defined pattern on your final product, aim for a thicker center and thinner edges as you roll out the snow skin dough. Begin by rolling out the dough into a disk shape, then gradually roll outward from the center towards the edges.
Tiramisu Snow Skin Mooncakes
Equipment
- Mooncake Mould 50g
- Sieve
Ingredients
Snow Skin
- 34 g glutinous rice flour
- 34 g rice flour
- 20 g corn starch
- 20 g sugar
- 34 g evaporated milk can sub 1:1 whipping cream
- 20 g vegetable oil
- 85 g milk
- 49 g espresso approx. 1 shot
Coffee Jelly
- 1 cup espresso
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp gelatin powder or 3 packages
Mascarpone Cheese Filling
- 2 large egg yolk
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 335 g mascarpone cheese
- 2 tbsp rum or coffee liqueur
- 30 g milk chocolate crispearls
Coffee Jelly
- ¼ cup glutinous rice flour cooked
Cooked Glutinous Rice Flour (for coating)
- ¼ cup glutinous rice flour
Instructions
To prepare mascarpone cheese filling:
- In a metal bowl, add egg yolks, powdered sugar, and rum. Whisk until combined.
- Place it on top of a bowl of hot water. Continue to whisk until the mixture is pale and thick. This process allows for pasteurization of the egg yolk and takes around 5 minutes.
- Remove the yolk mixture from the hot water bath, and add mascarpone cheese.
- Whisk the mascarpone mixture until creamy and soft. Put in the fridge to chill.
To prepare coffee gummy:
- In a saucepan, add the espresso and sugar. Heat until the sugar is melted and the mixture is warm.
- Add the gelatin to the mixture (1 tbsp at a time). Whisk until the gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Use a dropper or carefully pour the mixture into the mini ice ball silicon mould.
- Place it in the fridge for at least an hour or until solid.
To prepare snow skin:
- Sift rice flour, glutinous rice flour, and corn starch in a mixing bowl. Add sugar and mix well.
- Add whipping cream, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix well until no clumps.
- Drain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in it. Steam it for 15-20 minutes over medium-high heat, or until no liquid.
- After the mixture is cooked, use a fork to mash it. Set it aside to cool down. If you would like to fasten the process, put it in the freezer for 5 minutes or until lukewarm.
- Once cool down, knead the snow skin dough to smooth. This will take 5-10 minutes.
- Wrap the snow skins with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
To prepare cooked glutinous rice flour:
- Place the glutinous rice flour in a microwavable bowl. Heat for 15 seconds or until the flour is warm.
- If you don't have a microwave, you can add the glutinous rice flour to a frying pan. Stir-fry it over low heat until cooked. The colour of the flour will turn light yellow.
To assemble snow skin mooncakes:
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment lining that can fit your freezer. Transfer the mascarpone cheese filling into a piping bag. Remove the coffee gummy from the mould.
- On the baking sheet, pipe 10g mascarpone cheese filling. Add the coffee gummy in the center, and pipe another 15g mascarpone cheese filling on top. Please ensure the coffee gummy is fully covered by the cheese filling. If not, you can wear a glove to fix it. Repeat this step for the remaining ingredients.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Divide the snow skin dough, each in 20 grams. Roll it into a ball.
- Sprinkle some cooked glutinous flour onto the dough and flatten it. Make sure the dough is thicker in the center and thinner on the edge.
- Remove one cheese filling at a time from the freezer (especially in the summer!). Wrap it with the snow skin dough and seal the edges tightly.
- Lightly coat it with cooked glutinous rice flour and shake away the excess.
- Sprinkle some cooked glutinous flour onto the moon cake mould.
- Put the filled dough into the mold to create a pattern on it.
- Put the snow skin mooncakes into an airtight container. Chill in the freezer overnight.
- Transfer the mooncakes to the fridge for 1 hour before serving for a better texture. Or leave at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before consuming.
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