Mooncakes

Mooncakes are traditional Chinese cakes eaten during the Mid-Autumn festival (also called Moon festival). This year Moon festival was celebrated on September 25th because it is believed that the moon is supposed to be fullest on this day.

And it is reason enough to celebrate it with you family and of course some mooncakes. This year I was lucky enough to experience Moon festival here in China.

Mooncakes are made in traditional molds and on the top of each one it says what they are filled with. Filling is surrounded by thin dough made of wheat flour. I bought a box of moon cakes that had 12 pieces with 6 different fillings.

Up from the left: coconut, red bean, mung bean
Down from the left: lotus, papaya, nuts and kernels

They are soft cakes, sweet but definitely not too sweet. One of the goals during my stay here in China is to find a good moon cake recipe and to buy moon cake-molds. Which is not quite simple as it sounds, as most Chinese people around here are buying moon cakes already done. My Chinese friend told me that today you can even buy a European version of the moon cake. I kindly asked her what was exactly a European version of the moon cake, and she said: Moon cake filled with chocolate!

As soon as she said it I got a picture and I loved it! But then a true European woke up in me and said: “Moon cakes with Nutella”. I do not know if you would be able to call them moon cakes anymore but I am sure they would do an excellent cake.

I general I think people should dare to mess with traditional cakes a bit more. I would prefer a re-invented traditional cake than a copy of a cake. The Sacher cake is probably the most copied one and at the same time the worst copied cake of them all. Probably because Austrians are not willing to share the recipe but in any case I am tired of seeing all Sacher-copies.

Here in Shanghai I have seen:”Tiramisu with Green Tea”. I have not tried it yet but I love the idea. It is Tiramisu but the name let you know that you should not expect the traditional one. More of that please and let the world know!