Snow Skin Mooncake

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Snow skin mooncakes are popular during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a modern and refreshing twist on the traditional baked mooncake. These delicate treats have a soft, chewy texture similar to red bean mochi or pan fried sticky rice cake. Also, snow skin mooncakes are often chilled before serving and can come in a variety of vibrant flavors and colors. From classic fillings like sweet red bean paste, sweet purple potato paste and taro paste to modern options like custard, fruit purées, and even ice cream. Enjoy this Chinese custard filling snow skin mooncake recipe! Let’s learn how to make snow skin mooncakes with step by step photos, tips and a video.

Love Asian food? Check out these Korean strawberry milk, cream bun, guava cheesecake, tomato fish, California roll, taiyaki, homemade ho fun noodles, and Taiwanese pineapple cake recipes.

snow skin mooncake with custard filling cut open half

What is a snow skin mooncake?

Snow skin mooncakes originated in Hong Kong in the 1960s. It is known as bing pei jyut beng (冰皮月餅) in Cantonese or bing pi yue bing (冰皮月饼) in Mandarin. Also, it is modern and an alternative to the traditional baked mooncake, usually enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Unlike traditional baked mooncakes, snow skin mooncakes are lighter and less oily. They are made with a soft, chewy, and slightly translucent outer layer. It is made from glutinous rice flour which gives them a mochi-like texture.

Often, snow skin mooncakes are chilled before eating. However, it can be eaten right away after making it. Over time, snow skin mooncakes have gained popularity across Asia and are a staple during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

What is the difference between traditional and snow skin mooncakes?

Traditional mooncakes have a baked golden brown pastry crust. Usually it is filled with lotus seed paste or red bean paste and with a salted egg yolk.

On the other hand, snow skin mooncakes are non-baked. The "snow skin" is made from glutinous rice flour. The texture is similar to Japanese mochi.

The dough is often mixed with sugar, vegetable oil, water or milk. The name "snow skin" comes from its pale, white appearance. However, it can be tinted with food coloring to create a variety of colors.

Also, they usually serve cold. Besides, the fillings can vary from classic flavors like red bean and custard to more modern options like matcha, chocolate, fruit purées or even ice cream. Typically, snow skin mooncakes are smaller and lighter than traditional baked mooncakes.

What does snow skin mooncake taste like?

Snow skin mooncakes have a unique taste that combines the soft, chewy texture of the outer layer with the rich, flavorful filling inside. The snow skin itself is mildly sweet, with a smooth, mochi-like consistency. It’s cool and refreshing, especially when you serve it chilled.

The flavor of the mooncake depends largely on the filling. Traditional fillings like sweet red bean paste or lotus seed paste offer a rich and earthy sweetness. While the modern fillings such as matcha, fruit purées, chocolate and custard have a diverse range of tastes from earthy and slightly bitter to fruity and creamy.

In this Chinese snow skin mooncake recipe, I like to use custard filling because of the creamy, sweet, rich, and luxurious taste. The combination of sweetness from the snow skin and the filling create a balanced and delightful taste.

What is the most common filling for mooncakes?

Popular fillings for mooncakes are sweet red bean paste, lotus seed paste, mung bean paste, custard, matcha, black sesame paste, taro paste, sweet purple potato paste and chocolate. But, you can experiment with modern fillings like fruit purées, cream cheese, or even ice cream.

What is snow skin made of?

In this Chinese snow skin mooncake recipe, the key ingredients for snow skin are glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, rice flour, sugar, vegetable oil, condensed milk and milk for the dough. The dough is soft and chewy like a mochi texture.

glutinous rice flour wheat starch and rice flour in packages top view

Equipment or tool:

In order to make beautiful snow skin mooncakes, I highly recommend using a mooncake mold. It is because it shapes the snow skin mooncakes and imprints decorative patterns on them.

The mooncake molds come in various shapes (commonly square and circle ), sizes (50g, 75g, 100g) and designs. Typically, they are made from plastic or wood which give a traditional mooncake look.

mooncake molds with square and circle shape

Personally, I like to use a circle shaped mooncake mold because it resembles a moon and has a traditional mooncake look. Also, I choose 50g mooncake molds that are not too big, small enough for a bite size.

What are the ingredients for snow skin mooncake?

In this snow skin mooncake recipe, it has two main parts: the dough and filling. The ingredients are glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, rice flour, sugar, sweet condensed milk, milk, vegetable oil, eggs, custard powder and unsalted butter.

snow skin mooncake with custard filling ingredients top view

Substitution or Variation:

Can I substitute wheat starch?

In snow skin mooncakes, wheat starch is used to lighten the dough and give it a smooth, chewy, and soft texture. It helps balance the stickiness of the glutinous rice flour which makes the dough easier to work with and less sticky.

If you replace the wheat starch, the texture will be slightly different. However, you can replace it with cornstarch or tapioca starch or potato starch.

Cornstarch provides a similar lightening effect in the dough and helps prevent stickiness. However, the texture might be slightly softer compared to using wheat starch. You can use the same amount as wheat starch when substituting with cornstarch.

Tapioca starch/ potato starch is another common substitute and can give the dough a slightly chewy texture. It might add a little more elasticity than wheat starch. You can use the same amount as wheat starch in the recipe.

Can I add food coloring to the dough?

Yes, you can add food coloring or natural food color to the snow skin mooncake dough to create vibrant and colorful mooncakes.

Is it ok to replace the milk?

You can use water or any plant-based milk such as coconut milk, soy, or oat milk instead of dairy milk to make the recipe suitable for vegans or those who are lactose intolerant.

Can I use other fillings?

Sure, you can use other fillings such as sweet red bean paste, taro paste, matcha, fruit flavors, and chocolate.

Storage:

How to store and how long does snow skin mooncake last?

After making the snow skin mooncakes, wrap each of the mooncakes tightly in plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss and drying out. This also prevents them from absorbing any odors from the fridge. Then, place the wrapped mooncakes in an airtight container to maintain freshness and protect them from condensation. They can last for 3 to 5 days for the best freshness and texture.

Can I freeze snow skin mooncakes?

Yes, you can freeze, wrap each mooncake tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freezing prevents the growth of bacteria and helps preserve the texture. It can freeze for up to 2 months.

When you are ready to eat, take the mooncakes out of the freezer. Then, allow them to thaw in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Avoid defrosting at room temperature to prevent condensation from making the skin soggy.

Cooking tips for how to make snow skin mooncakes:

Ingredients and preparation:

Use the right flour and choose high-quality glutinous rice flour, wheat starch and rice flour for a smooth, soft, and chewy snow skin.
Sift the flour, starch and mix the dry ingredients well. Then, add liquid and keep stirring to avoid lumps and ensure a smooth dough.
Steam the flour mixture until it is fully cooked. This step is important for achieving the right texture in the snow skin.
Let the dough cool off a little after steaming. It’s hot, so wait until the flour mixture is warm and knead it into the dough.
After mixing the dough, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. It is because chilling can firm up the dough and make it easier to handle and shape.

Fillings:

Let the filling cool off. This makes it easier to shape into balls and prevents it from sticking to the snow skin.
Use a kitchen scale to ensure even portions of dough and filling because you don’t want mooncakes to look uneven or won’t fit into the mold. The mooncake mold that I used was 50g. Therefore, the dough is 25g and the filling is 25g. The mooncakes will be uniform, consistent thickness and size.

Assemble:

Lightly dust your work surface, hands and mooncake mold inside with cooked glutinous rice flour to prevent sticking when rolling out the dough and shaping the mooncakes.
Place the wrapped mooncake into a lightly dusted mooncake mold, then press gently to shape and imprint a design. Release and tap the mooncake mold.

Before serving:

Allow the mooncakes to rest in the refrigerator and chill for a few hours or overnight. This helps the flavors meld and the snow skin to firm up slightly, making them more enjoyable to eat. It has a refreshing and smooth texture when you serve them straight from the refrigerator.

FAQs:

Can I make snow skin mooncakes without a mooncake mold?

Yes, a mooncake mold gives the cakes their traditional shape and decorative patterns. But, you can still make snow skin mooncakes without one. Simply shape the dough and filling into a round ball and flatten it slightly to create a basic circle shape.

How do I prevent the snow skin dough from sticking?

You can lightly dust your work surface, hands, and mooncake mold with cooked glutinous rice flour. This will help you handle the dough more easily and create smooth, non-sticky mooncakes.

Can I make snow skin mooncakes vegan?

Yes, snow skin mooncakes can easily be made vegan by using plant-based milk instead of dairy. Also, you can use vegetable shortening instead of butter. You can use other fillings such as sweet red bean paste, lotus seed paste or taro paste.

Why is my snow skin dough too sticky or too dry?

If your snow skin dough is too sticky, you can add a bit more cooked glutinous rice flour while kneading. If it’s too dry, you can try adding a small amount of water or milk gradually until you achieve the right consistency. It’s important to measure ingredients carefully and adjust it based on the texture.

Instructions for how to make snow skin mooncakes:

Dough:

1. Put ⅓ cup of glutinous rice flour, ⅓ cup of rice flour and 3 tablespoons of wheat starch into the bowl.

2. Add 3 tablespoons of sugar into the bowl and mix it well.

sweet condensed milk and flour in the bowl top view

3. Next, add 2 tablespoons of sweet condensed milk.

4. Pour ⅔ cup of milk and 1.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the bowl.

flour mixture with a whisk in the bowl top view

5. Mix it well and make sure no lumps.

6. Cover the flour mixture with a foil.

water and a rack into the instant pot top view

7. Then, pour 1 cup of water into the instant pot and add a rack. (You can steam over the stove by adding 5 cups of water into the pot or wok.)

flour mixture cover with foil in the instant pot top view

8. The following step, put the covered flour mixture from step 6 into the instant pot. Close the lid and vent. Push the manual button and adjust time for 20 minutes at high pressure. Then, naturally release the pressure. (If you steam it over the stove, steam it for 30-40 minutes.)

Custard filling:

9. Meanwhile, working on the filling. Crack 3 eggs into a pot.

10. After that, pour ½ cup of milk into the pot.

11. Then, add ½ cup of sugar.

flour custard powder eggs milk in the pot top view

12. After, add ¼ of wheat starch (you can use cornstarch) and 2 tablespoons of custard powder.

custard mixture in the pot with whisk top view

13. Stir the mixture very well and make sure no lumps.

butter in the pot with custard mixture top view

14. Place the mixture over the stove, turn on a small fire. Then, add 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

custard filling cooking in the pot over the stove

15. Keep stirring and until the custard filling thickens. (Be careful not to burn it.)

custard filling roll into 14 balls top view

16. Let the custard filling cool off a little bit, then weigh 25g of custard filling and roll them into a ball. (You can make around 14.)

Knead and roll the dough:

17. When the flour dough is ready, take it out and unwrap it. Use a spatula to mix the dough a little bit.

dough divide into 14 pieces and roll into a ball top view

18. Let the flour dough cool off a little, warm but not hot to handle it. Wear gloves and knead the steamed flour mixture into a dough. Then, divide them into 14 pieces, each one is 25g.

stir fry glutinous rice flour in the pan over the stove

19. Put 2 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour into a pan and stir fry with a small fire for 2-3 minutes. Do not burn it.

20. Assemble the mooncake mold and make sure the pattern cap is secured. Brush some cooked glutinous rice flour into the mooncake mold and dust off the extra flour.