Directions

1. In a big mixing bowl, combine the following ingredients: 135 grams of invert syrup, 50 grams of vegetable oil, 13 grams of lay water, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Give them a really good stir. Then add 250 grams of cake flour.

2. Use a rubber spatula and mix everything until it becomes a soft, playable, and nonstick dough. This will take 3-5 minutes.
3. Wrap the dough with a plastic film. Let it sit at room temperature for 3 hours.
4. Soak 155 g of dried lotus seed 1 day ahead. Drain it and check the seeds to remove the green sprout in the center, which is extremely bitter.
5. Add the lotus seeds and 500 g of water to an instant pot. Set it at porridge mold and time it for 30 minutes. You can also use a regular pot to simmer them but it will take hours until the seeds to get soft. Once it is done, the seeds should be very soft and creamy.
6. Blend the lotus seed into a puree. Pour the puree into a non-stick frying pan. Add 80g of vegetable oil in 3 batches. Stir until the oil is absorbed.
7. Mix 2 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water. Add it to the puree in 3 batches.
8. Add 130g of sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir over low heat for 20-30 minutes until it turns into a paste.
9. Transfer the lotus paste into a bowl. Let it cool and divide it into 12 even pieces (Each one should be about 42-43g)
10. Bake 24 pieces of salted egg yolk in a 300 F oven for 6 minutes. Set it aside.
11. The wrapper dough is rested for 3 hours. Divide it into 12 even pieces (each one should be 35g).
12. Now, we have everything ready, let’s wrap the mooncake.
13. Take 1 portion of the lotus seed paste. Flatten it in your hand. Put 2 pieces of the salted egg yolk in the middle. Carefully wrap them.
14. Next, take 1 portion of the wrapper dough. Flatten it in your hand as well. Don’t use a rolling pin because it will stick to it. Once the wrapper is about 4-5 inches in diameter, place the filling in the middle and wrap it carefully. Roll it into a smooth ball.
15. Lightly cover the ball with some cake flour. Carefully put it into the mooncake mold. Press it down until you feel that you can not go any lower. Stay there for 15 seconds to establish the shape. Then release it.
16. Preheat your oven to 335 F. Spray some water onto the mooncake before you put it in the oven. Let it bake for 8 minutes.
17. While waiting, quickly mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tbsp of water. Take the mooncakes out of the oven. Brush the egg yolk mixture onto the surface.
18. Stick it back into the oven. The same temperature, bake for another 8 minutes. Take it out again. We gonna brush the second layer of egg yolk.
19. Put it back into the oven for another 6-10 minutes. Every oven is different. You should stay next to the oven and keep an eye on it. The filling is already cooked so you just go by the color. Mine took about 7 minutes.
20. Put the mooncakes in a sealed container at room temperature and wait for at least 2 days. During this time, the skin will become soft, moist, and shiny. The lye water will change the color, make it darker, and much prettier. The aroma will become stronger and smells better.