These snow skin mooncakes are soft and sweet, filled with a ginger-infused purple sweet potato paste and toasted walnuts.
This recipe was created in September 25, 2020. The photos were updated on September 19th, 2021.
In Malaysia, brightly coloured lanterns and festive Chinese music herald the coming of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The most obvious sign though, is when small stores appear out of nowhere, selling mooncake!
Lotus seed, red bean paste, salted egg yolk, even the much loved durian! You can find mooncake in any shape, size and flavour nowadays. But let’s be real, mooncakes are soOO expensive. A traditional baked mooncake may cost at least RM20. And although you’re not supposed to eat more than one small slice, who actually sticks to that? I know I can’t resist them LOL
Anyway, snow skin mooncakes are my go-to because they’re extremely easy to make compared to Cantonese baked mooncakes. The skin is soft and slightly translucent (thanks to wheat starch), and when chilled, reminds me of mochi ice cream.
The purple sweet potato filling
I set up a poll in my Instagram stories, asking ya’ll to choose which filling I should make and it came down to: purple sweet potato! I’m so happy with how these turned out – I think the purple sweet potato mooncake has a unique flavour compared to the usual pastes. Sweet potato and ginger is actually a classic combination, the most well-known Chinese dish being Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup. I also added in some toasted walnuts for crunch and aroma.
The ratio of dough to filling in a snow skin mooncake is 1:1. To find out how much your mould can hold, fill it with water and measure the weight. My wooden mould can take 150g, so I used 75g of filling and 75g of dough. This produced 5 mooncakes in total.
Commercial mooncake pastes contain a lot of sugar and oil to produce a smooth filling that lasts very long. Oil is necessary, but I found that it’s still possible to produce a smooth filling using a small amount. The paste is ready once it can hold its shape when you fold it over itself. The whole cooking process on the stove shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes.
Notes when making snow skin mooncakes
- Wheat starch makes the skin slightly translucent, but you can sub for cornstarch.
- The dough should not be too sticky, but firm enough to knead. If it is too soft, it won’t hold its shape well.
- It’s easier to work with cold dough and filling, so you should prepare them in advance or even the day before.
- Coat both the mould and dough with cornstarch to prevent sticking. Press firmly into the mould, then remove immediately. Don’t let the mooncake sit in the mould for too long, as that’ll make it harder to come out.
- I only have the traditional wooden mould, but plastic moulds are a lot easier.
These purple sweet potato mooncakes are delicious, so so pretty and surprisingly easy to make! They are also very light, I can literally eat a whole cake by myself. My family thoroughly enjoyed this dessert, and I hope you do too.
If you liked this recipe, here are some other Asian desserts I know you’ll love:
- Vegan Mochi Waffles
- Chinese Pumpkin Cakes/南瓜饼 (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
- Hee Pan 喜板 (Hakka Steamed Rice Cake)
- Ondeh-Ondeh (Pandan Glutinous Rice Balls With Coconut Palm Sugar)
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Snow Skin Mooncakes w/ Purple Sweet Potato Filling 紫薯冰皮月饼
Ingredients
Snow skin dough
- 60 g glutinous rice flour
- 40 g rice flour
- 40 g wheat starch sub for cornstarch
- 200 g coconut milk or other plant milk
- 30 g white sugar
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- cornstarch for dusting
Purple sweet potato filling
- 250 g purple sweet potato peeled and chopped
- 200 g water divided
- 20 g young ginger sliced thinly
- 30 g walnuts toasted and chopped roughly
- 40 g white sugar
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the dough
- Prepare a steamer.
- In a medium heat-proof bowl, sift in the dry ingredients. Add milk and oil, whisking to combine. Steam for 20 minutes (I covered it with a cloth to prevent water from entering the bowl).
- Once the dough is cool to touch, transfer to a working surface dusted with cornstarch. Knead for 1 minute, until a smooth dough forms. Place in an air-tight container/bag in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling
- Steam sweet potatoes for 10 minutes until soft. Add to a blender along with half of the water and blend to get a smooth paste.
- In a large pan over medium heat, combine sugar, remaining water and ginger. Let simmer for 5 minutes before adding in the sweet potato paste. Cook for a minute before adding oil. Lower the heat and, stirring constantly, cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the paste becomes thick and foldable. Stir in toasted walnuts.
- Remove from the heat and let cool slightly before refrigerating.
Assemble
- Once the dough and filling are completely cool, divide them into equal parts depending on the size of your mould.
- On a working surface dusted with cornstarch, roll the dough into a round, making sure that the edges are thinner than the center. Place a ball of filling in the center and gently fold the dough over it, pinching the edges together to secure it.
- Dust the dough and mooncake mould generously with cornstarch. Press the dough firmly into the mould, making sure to press down the edges as well. Smack the back of the mould a few times to remove the mooncake, then remove the excess cornstarch with a small brush.
- Serve immediately OR if it's still warm, refrigerate for 30 minutes first.
Notes
- Wheat starch makes the skin slightly translucent, but you can sub for cornstarch.
- The dough should not be too sticky, but firm enough to knead. If it is too soft, it won’t hold its shape well.
- It’s easier to work with cold dough and filling, so you should prepare them in advance or even the day before.
- Coat both the mould and dough with cornstarch to prevent sticking. Press firmly into the mould, then remove immediately. Don’t let the mooncake sit in the mould for too long, as that’ll make it harder to come out.
- I only have the traditional wooden mould, but plastic moulds are a lot easier.