Vegan Mooncakes – The Best & Easiest Recipes
Get ready for the Mid-Autum festival!
While everyone is running around trying to find the best pastry shop for Vegan Mooncakes, why not learn how to make them at home?
We have selected just for you four, of the best vegan mooncakes recipes.
1. Nut filling and banana “eye yolk”
For The Pastry:
200 g All-Purpose Flour
120 g Golden Syrup
48 g Grape Seed Oil
1/2 tsp Lye Water
For The Filling:
200 g Pitted Dates
2 tbsp Peanut Butter
50 ml Oat Milk
50 g Cashew Nuts
For The ‘Egg’ Wash:
1/4 Mashed Banana
1-2 tbsp Room Temperature Water
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
For The Pastry: Whisk the wet ingredients together in a bowl. Sieve in the flour. Knead the pastry into dough and store in the fridge for 30 minutes using the beeswax wrap.
For The Filling: Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend and store in a container, in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Filling The Pastry: Roll the pastry into a long cylinder and divide it into 10 parts. Roll each pastry part into a ball, the size of your mould. I used a mould that was a smaller, 5cm in diameter, one. If your mould is larger, you may need to divide your pastry into 5 parts instead of 10. Scoop a tsp of date paste and roll that into a ball, a little smaller in size compared to your pastry ball. Using your hands, gently flatten your pastry into a circle, the size of your palm. In the center of the pastry, add the date paste ball and slowly surround the date paste with the pastry, covering the entire surface of the date paste. The warmth of your fingers can help push the pastry together, or ‘glue’ any tears. Be gentle, and use your clean, flat kitchen countertop to help roll it all up into a ball. Place your date-filled pastry into the mould and press into the mould 5-6 times, ensuring you get a beautiful engraving on the pastry.
For The ‘Egg’ Wash: In a small bowl, add the mashed banana and water. Mix. Using a silicone brush, gently brush the surface of your mooncakes 1-2 times ONLY. The more you brush, the design will fade. Be gentle.
Baking The Mooncakes: Line your baking tray with parchment paper and put your mooncakes. Bake your mooncakes for 15 minutes (or until golden brown)
2. Red bean paste and vegan salted egg yolk
For the red bean paste:
1 cup (200 grams) dried adzuki beans, soaked overnight or at least 4 hours
½ cup (100 grams) sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (28 grams) refined coconut oil
9 (10 grams each) vegan salted ‘egg yolks‘, prepared and chilled in advance
Make the red bean paste: Drain the soaked beans and place them in a small pot or Instant Pot pressure cooker. Add enough water to cover the top by 2 inches, then seal and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes, then let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. OR, bring to a boil on the stovetop and simmer for 60-90 minutes until they are soft and easily crushable between your fingers. Transfer the cooked beans to a food processor, with just enough liquid to puree.
In a thick-bottomed pan or non-stick pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the bean puree and the sugar, and cook down, stirring every couple of minutes, until the puree has thickened and pulled away from the pan, holding its shape (a rubber spatula should come out clean). This will take about 8-10 minutes. Taste and adjust sugar as desired. Transfer to a heat-proof container and cool completely in the refrigerator.
Take one 20g portion of chilled red bean paste, flatten it into a disc, place one 10g vegan egg yolk in the centre, and tuck and wrap the red bean paste around to enclose 30g balls. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
3. Chinese red date walnut and chocolate truffle filling
For the jujube paste:
3,5 ounces (100 grams) dried jujube/red dates
¼ cup (25 grams) shelled and halved walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon (8 grams) cornstarch or glutinous rice flour
1 tablespoon (14 grams) refined coconut oil
For the dark chocolate truffle center:
3,5 ounce bar (100 grams) dairy-free dark, very finely chopped
2 tablespoons (30 grams) full-fat coconut milk OR 2 tablespoons peanut butter
Make the red date walnut paste: Pit the dates. Place in a steamer and steam over boiling water on high heat until they’re softened and wrinkly, about 8-10 minutes. Add the dates to a food processor with the roasted walnuts and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cornstarch and coconut oil, then form into nine 20g balls. You will have date paste leftover; reserve it for another use. Transfer to a heat-proof container and cool completely in the refrigerator.
Make the chocolate truffles: Melt the chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, remove from heat and stir in the coconut milk or the nut butter until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a heat-proof container and cool completely in the refrigerator, then divide into 10g portions and shape into a round ‘truffles’.
Take a 20g portion of date walnut paste, flatten it into a disc, place the chocolate truffle in the center, and tuck and wrap the date paste around to enclose. The filling balls should be 30g each. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
4. Caramelized pineapple jam filling
1 (14-ounce) can of crushed pineapple, drained OR 1 medium pineapple, trimmed, flesh and core cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons (28 grams) vegan butter or refined coconut oil
½ cup (100 grams) brown or granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (8 grams) cornstarch, more if needed
Recipe:
If using fresh pineapple, pulse the chopped pineapple flesh in a food processor until it resembles crushed pineapple. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the vegan butter over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it foams and then forms light brown specks at the bottom and smells fragrant for about 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, crushed pineapple, and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated and the pineapple is thick and caramelized, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer to a heat-proof container and let cool.
No time to bake and craving any other vegan dessert? Come to Veda to enjoy our vegan dessert offer!