[Recipe] Ondeh-Ondeh Inspired Baked Mooncakes

September 12, 2019 The Hedgehog Knows 1 Comments A⁺ a^-

As some of you already know, I have been baking my own mooncakes for several years already. Being a little bored with the usual Lotus Paste Mooncakes, I have so far baked mooncakes using durian paste as well.

To push the boundaries a little further this year, I decided to bake ondeh ondeh inspired ones. Ondeh ondeh, a type of Peranakan kueh, is one of my favourite local desserts as I love how the gula melaka playfully squirts into my mouth as I bite into them.

In these fusion mooncakes, I make use of the various ingredients of the ondeh ondeh, such as gula melaka, desiccated coconut, pandan etc. Whilst this mooncake will look closest to the original kueh in snowskin form, I decided to keep to the baked form as I am wary of the (unhealthy) shortening used in snowskin mooncakes. Do note that I have also reduced the sugar content through my experimentations, so don't worry about needing to cut down further yourself. :)

So do you prefer mooncakes in traditional or fusion form? If you have used my recipe, share/tag your photos on my Facebook or Instagram and stand a chance to be featured!

Ondeh-Ondeh Inspired Baked Mooncakes

Yield: 15 mini mooncakes, 50g each

Ingredients

(A) Skin
120g top/ cake flour* (all purpose flour is ok)
50g golden syrup*

30g gula melaka
3/4 tsp alkaline water* (this helps to make the dough more stretchable and give the skin the golden-brown colour)
30g peanut oil (or any other types of oil)

1/2 tsp pandan paste

(B) Filling
480g pandan coconut paste*

40g desiccated coconut

* If you are in Singapore, these items can be purchased from Phoon Huat/ Kwong Cheong Thye (KCT). Click here for my review of KCT!

Directions

1. Mix together all (A) ingredients, except flour.

Tips: Remember to mix the gula melaka well, otherwise there will be (ugly) brown patches on your mooncakes skin.

2. In another bowl, sieve the flour and make a well in the centre. Pour ingredients from Step #1 into the sifted flour.

3. Combine the mixture with a spatula until it forms a soft dough. Wrap with cling wrap and place it in the fridge to rest overnight. This step is known as 醒面.

Tips: The longer you let the dough rest, the easier you can wrap the fillings later.

4. The next day, divide the dough into dough balls of 15g each. For this recipe, you will get 15 pieces of them, with some leftover for "patching" later - if needed. Return the dough balls back into the fridge and keep them chilled.

5. Next, mix together ingredients in (B).

6. Make 15 balls of fillings, each 33g.

7. It is now time to start making your mooncake balls. Remove 1 of the dough balls from the fridge and place it between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper. Press to flatten the dough ball and roll it out thinly into a flat circle.

Tips: Only remove dough balls from the fridge when you are about to use them. Warmed-up dough can become very sticky and difficult to work with!

8. Wrap the flattened dough around the filling and shape it into a mooncake ball. Ensure that there are no exposed parts. (Repeat to make next 14 mooncake balls.)

9. Place the mooncake balls, 1 at a time, into mooncake mould plunger. Press hard so that the impression can be properly made (this is my favourite part!). Release the plunger and gently place them onto a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Spray with water to prevent the mooncakes from cracking during baking later.

10. Preheat the airfryer at 160 degrees for 4 min. Bake the mooncakes at 160 degrees for 10 min.

11. Meanwhile, prepare the egg wash by mixing well 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp water. If you would like the egg wash to have a more even consistency, pass the egg wash through a sieve.

12. Remove the mooncakes from the airfryer and leave them to cool for at least 15 min (do not skip this step). Thereafter, glaze the top and sides of your mooncakes thinly and evenly with the egg wash.

13. Return the mooncakes to the airfryer. Continue to bake for another 4 - 6 min until golden brown.

14. Cool the mooncakes completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature for at least 3 days. This allows the mooncakes to 回油, so that the skin can soften. It will also produce a glossy and shiny surface, and the flavours can be better developed.

PS: If your kitchen is too warm, you can put it in the fridge sooner.

15. After 3 days, you will find that the mooncakes' surface will turn glossy. For optimal results, wait for up to 7 days. Keep in the fridge if your home is warm.

16. The mooncakes are now ready. Serve with hot Chinese tea and enjoy!