Description
Delight in the delicate sweetness of Snow Skin Mooncakes, a luscious no-bake treat featuring a creamy custard filling wrapped in soft, colorful, glutinous rice flour skin. Perfect for special occasions, these mooncakes are light, subtly fragrant with vanilla, and visually stunning with customizable colors.
Ingredients
Scale
Custard Filling:
- 2/3 cup (90g) milk powder
- 1/3 cup (45g) cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (50g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (200g) milk
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons (40g) condensed milk
- 3 tablespoons (40g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Snow Skin Dough:
- 1 cup (120g) rice flour
- 1 cup (120g) glutinous rice flour
- 1/2 cup (60g) wheat starch
- 1 cup (100g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cup (350g) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (55g) vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cornstarch (for dusting)
- Food coloring or flavoring of your choice
Instructions
- Prepare Custard Filling: Mix the dry ingredients (milk powder, cornstarch, powdered sugar, salt) in a medium bowl until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, egg yolks, and condensed milk. Combine the wet and dry mixtures thoroughly.
- Cook the Custard: Pour the custard mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes until thickened. Add unsalted butter and vanilla extract, folding continuously until it becomes a solid paste. Remove from heat once the custard holds shape and is smooth, avoiding lumps.
- Chill the Custard: Transfer the custard to a shallow bowl, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent skin formation, and chill in the refrigerator for one hour or freezer for 20 minutes.
- Portion Custard: After chilling, divide and roll the custard into small balls based on mold size—approximately 25g for 50g mold, 37g for 75g mold, or 50g for 100g mold. Keep these chilled until assembling.
- Prepare Snow Skin Dough Dry Mix: Sift rice flour, glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, and powdered sugar into a large bowl. Whisk to combine evenly.
- Mix Wet Ingredients for Dough: In a separate bowl, combine whole milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract, stirring to blend.
- Combine Dough Ingredients: Make a well in the dry mix and gradually add 2-3 tablespoons of wet mixture at a time, stirring until fully incorporated before adding more. Continue until all wet ingredients are combined, resulting in a thin, runny batter.
- Strain Batter: Pass the batter through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl to remove lumps, ensuring a smooth texture.
- Steam Dough: Prepare steamer and bring water to a boil. Steam the batter over medium-high heat for 18-20 minutes or until a spoon inserted in the center comes out clean and dough is firm. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Knead the Dough: Using food-safe gloves, knead the cooled dough on a clean surface for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Chill Dough: Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Dough can be stored up to 2 hours.
- Color the Dough: Divide dough into portions and knead in chosen food coloring or flavorings. Commonly, dough is divided into three parts colored light pink, dark pink, and white, or as desired.
- Prepare for Assembly: Combine colored dough pieces and roll into a large ball. The dough-to-filling ratio is roughly 1:1 corresponding to mold size (e.g., 25g dough + 25g filling for 50g mold).
- Shape Mooncakes: On a clean surface dusted with cornstarch, roll dough into a thin, even disc about 4 inches in diameter. Place custard ball in center, then wrap dough around and pinch to seal. Lightly dust the filled ball with cornstarch.
- Mold the Mooncakes: Lightly dust the inside of mooncake mold with cornstarch. Place the filled ball inside, press firmly for 10-15 seconds, then release the shaped mooncake by pushing the lever. Repeat for all balls.
- Serve or Chill: Serve mooncakes immediately or place in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour to set before serving.
Notes
- Use gloves when kneading the dough to prevent sticking and keep hands clean.
- Adjust custard and dough portions depending on your mooncake mold size for best results.
- Press plastic wrap directly onto the custard to avoid skin forming during chilling.
- Ensure batter is steamed properly; undercooked dough will not hold shape.
- Mooncakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Experiment with food colorings and flavorings to customize the skin appearance and taste.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-bake custard filling with steamed dough, molded
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mooncake (50g)
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
Keywords: Snow Skin Mooncakes, custard mooncakes, no-bake mooncakes, Chinese dessert, glutinous rice skin mooncake, festive dessert
