How to Make Traditional Shanghai Mooncakes

This recipe for traditional Shanghai mooncakes uses lotus seed paste as the filling’s main ingredient. Add nuts for extra texture or try the red azuki bean paste on its own. This recipe departs from tradition by using only one kind of flaky dough, rather than layering the cakes with water-based and shortening-based doughs. If you don’t have a rolling pin, use an empty soda bottle to roll the dough.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 1/4 cup nuts
• 2 cups flour
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Crisco or other vegetable shortening, chilled
• pastry blender
• 1 egg yolk
• Plastic wrap
• All-purpose flour for dusting work surface
• Rolling pin or empty soda bottle
• 1 cup lotus seed paste
• Baking sheet
• Heavy cream
• Cooling rack

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the nuts on a cookie sheet and put the cookie sheet in the oven for eight minutes. Then coarsely chop the nuts and set them aside.
2. Sift flour, salt and sugar into a medium bowl. Add shortening. Use a pastry blender to blend shortening into the flour mixture. Blend until the mixture looks like tiny peas.
3. Use a fork to fluff the mixture slightly. Lightly beat the egg yolk and add it to the dough mixture. Gently stir until well blended.
4. Pull the dough together into a ball with your hands. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for one hour or until it's well-chilled and no longer sticky.
5. Divide dough into eight smaller pieces. Dust the work surface with some flour. Roll each piece of dough into a circle about 4 inches in diameter.
6. Fill each circle with 2 Tbsp. lotus seed paste and 1 tsp. of nuts. Fold dough over filling at the top and press down to seal the traditional Shanghai mooncakes.
7. Place the traditional Shanghai mooncakes on ungreased baking sheet. Drizzle heavy cream over each one. Bake 20 minutes or until browned. Cool completely on a rack before serving.