Mooncakes with Coconut Filling (Banh Trung Thu / Banh Nuong Nhan Dua)

Every year when the Mid-Autumn Festival season approaches, I get giddy thinking about making mooncakes.  First, I love to bake.  Second, I love the artistry of making these cakes.  The entire process from making the filling and dough, rolling and stamping the cakes is such a wonderfully creative process.  Once done, each cake is unique and truly a work of art!

This post shares the recipe for mooncakes with a sweet filling made of shredded coconut, sunflower and sesame seeds–a classic and popular combination.  My recipe is a healthier version using less oil and sugar so you can feel good about making these treats and sharing them with your family and friends.  These mooncakes are so scrumptious and so much fun to make, you’ll definitely want to give this recipe a try.  Happy Mooncake-making!

Notes on the Mooncake with Coconut Filling Recipe, Tips and Tricks

It’s best to use fresh or frozen coconut.  If using dried, unsweetened coconut, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup water along with the sugar.

If using raw sesame seeds, toast them in a skillet just like the sunflower seeds until they are lightly golden. Check out my post on how to roast sesame seeds for more details.

The cooked glutinous rice flour is a binder and helps the filling to stick together.  If you don’t have this ingredient, it’s okay.  If you work with the filling while it’s warm, you shouldn’t have any problems forming the balls.

If you don’t like peanut oil or have allergies, substitute with a mild-tasting vegetable oil like soybean or canola.

Instead of making the syrup from scratch–very time consuming and difficult to get right, I use breakfast syrup.  Nothing fancy, it’s the Von’s/Safeway brand.  They have two varieties, breakfast Original Syrup and Old-Fashioned Syrup (has molasses and brown sugar) and both are good.  Any variety will work, provided it’s nice and thick.  I also like Lyle’s Golden Syrup which is meant for baking and cooking.  It has a really nice distinct flavor.

I am using stamp molds to make these mooncakes. Each mold holds approximately 2 2/3 ounces or 75 grams. (You can purchase these stamp molds online using the link I’ve provided.) For these mooncakes, the ratio of filling to dough is 2:1. That means when measuring the filling and dough, the weight of the filling is twice as much as the weight of the dough. To fill a 75 gram mooncake mold completely, the filling ball should weigh 1 3/4 ounces or 50 grams and the dough should weigh 7/8 ounces or 25 grams.

If the dough is dry, add more peanut oil, a little bit at a time.  The dough should be soft and pliable and slightly sticky.

The below recipe is generous and allows for a margin of imperfection.  If everything goes well, it actually yields 13 mooncakes.

It’s best if the mooncakes are not eaten right away.  Let them rest for 24 hours and the cakes will improve in color, taste and texture.

After the second day, store the cakes in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm them up in the microwave on Low power for 30 seconds.

Freeze the cakes for up to 3 months.  To serve, allow to thaw at room temperature and then warm in the microwave if desired.

I bought these little car and fish molds at the Japanese grocery store.  They are used for pressing rice balls and hard-boiled eggs into cute shapes.  They are so precious and perfect for making fun mooncakes the kiddies will adore! These molds are much smaller than the mooncake stamp molds and so the measurements for the filling and dough are as follows: 

Mooncakes using Egg Molds
Each cake:  1 1/8 ounces or 30 grams
Dough:  1/3 ounces or 10 grams
Filling:  3/4 ounces or 20 grams

The trick to using these molds is to coat with a generous amount of flour otherwise, it’s very difficult to remove the cake from the mold. Use a small brush to remove the excess flour before baking.

Watch the video below for instructions.

Mooncakes with Coconut Filling (Banh Trung Thu / Banh Nuong Nhan Dua)

Ingredients

for the Filling
14 oz frozen shredded coconut, thawed
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup roasted sesame seeds
3 Tbsp cooked glutinous rice flour
3 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp pomelo essence

for the Dough
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
1/3 cup breakfast syrup or Lyle's Golden Syrup
2 Tbsp peanut oil
1 egg yolk

for Rolling the Cakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

for the Egg Wash
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Mooncake stamp molds 75 grams

Each cake:  2 2/3 oz or 75 grams
Dough:  7/8 oz or 25 grams
Filling:  1 3/4 oz or 50 grams

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the shredded coconut and sugar.  Cover the bowl and let rest for 2 hours.

Use scissors and cut the coconut into shorter strands.

Toast the sunflower seeds in a skillet over Low heat until golden, approximately 7-8 minutes.

In a large skillet over Medium Low heat, add the coconut mixture and cook for 6-7 minutes stirring frequently.  Add the sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cooked glutinous rice flour and water.  Mix together combining well.  Add the pomelo essence and toss together again.  Remove from the heat.

Use a food scale and weigh the filling for one ball.  Roll into a firmly-packed ball.  (See the video for my trick to making perfectly shaped balls.)  Continue until all the filling is used.

Sift together the all-purpose flour and cake flour.  In a small bowl or cup, add the syrup, peanut oil and egg yolk.  Mix together until evenly blended.  Make a well in the flour and pour in the syrup mixture. (Be sure to scrape out all the syrup from the measuring cup.)  Using a fork, combine the flour and syrup mixture together by stirring in circles from the edge of the bowl to the center.  Continue stirring until all the dry flour is worked into the dough.  After a few minutes, a soft dough forms.  Gently knead the dough a few times with your hands.  (Don’t overwork the dough.)  Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Line a baking tray with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or parchment paper.

Sift the remaining 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. (This is used to dust the molds and make the cakes.)

Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and knead the dough gently for 1-2 minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap so the dough doesn’t dry out.

Assemble the mooncake mold with the desired plate and then coat with flour.  Tap the mold to remove the excess flour.

Use a food scale and weigh the dough needed for one cake.  Roll the dough into a ball.  Using a rolling pin, flatten into a 3-inch circle.  Place a filling ball in the center and then gently work the dough around the filling covering it completely.  Pinch the dough together to seal the edges.  Roll between your palms until smooth.

Place the ball in the mold.  Pressing gently, work the ball down and into the mold.  Use your palm and fingers to press the cake evenly into the mold.  Prick a few holes in the cake using a toothpick to allow the steam to escape when baking.  Place the mold down on the work surface.  Press down on the plunger for a few seconds.  Lift the mold off the work surface and then push down on the plunger to release the cake.  Transfer the cakes to the baking tray.  Continue until all cakes are made.

Use a small pastry brush to remove the excess flour from the cakes.

Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (191 C).

Bake the cakes for 10 minutes.

Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Spritz each cake with water.

To make the egg wash, combine egg yolk, water and sesame oil.  Strain the mixture.  Brush each cake with the egg wash, coating it evenly.

Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F (218 C).  Return the cakes to oven and bake for 7-8 minutes or until the tops are just golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Store in an air-tight container.

Enjoy the mooncakes the following day! (Reminder: the mooncakes improve in color, taste and texture after resting for 24 hours.)

After the second day, store the mooncakes in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Yields: 12 mooncakes

If you enjoyed this Mooncakes with Coconut Filling (Banh Trung Thu / Banh Nuong Nhan Dua) recipe, you may also like:

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