Soft and slightly chewy snow skin filled with creamy custard and a fresh tangy strawberry. These no-bake strawberry snow skin mooncakes are perfect for this mid-autumn festival!
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What is a mooncake?
Mooncakes are a traditional Chinese treat prepared and eaten during the mid-autumn festival each year.
The mid-autumn festival occurs on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month when the moon is fullest and brightest. During these times families come together to celebrate the mid-autumn harvest and watch the full moon. An essential part of these activities also includes eating mooncakes!
There are so many different kinds of mooncakes, each originating from different provinces of China.
I've uploaded a traditional baked mooncake recipe that originates from Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. This style is characterized by a soft, shiny, and fragrant crust with a sweet filling, most commonly lotus seed paste and salted duck egg yolks.
Other mooncakes include savory mooncakes filled with pork mince, flaky mooncakes with an oil-based buttery crust, or snow skin mooncakes filled with sweet custards and ice cream!
Last year I uploaded a matcha and coconut custard snow skin mooncake, and this year I'm bringing you a strawberry custard mooncake filled with a whole strawberry!
What is snow skin mooncake?
Snow skin mooncakes are more of a modern take on the classic mooncake. There is no baking required and the skin is a soft mochi-like consistency. The filling can range from bean pastes and custards to cheesecake and ice cream!
On top of that, these are so much easier to make than traditional baked mooncakes as there is no baking! If you haven't made mooncakes before, and are a little intimidated by the steps required to make baked mooncakes, I highly recommend these!
Traditionally snow skin mooncakes are made from a flour called gao fen (糕粉) aka cooked glutinous rice flour. As this flour has been cooked, it's fragrant and can be eaten raw. When eaten it almost has a melt-in-your-mouth consistency.
When using gao fen in snow skin mooncakes the process is a lot simpler and requires fewer ingredients. However, it's can be really hard to find in countries other than Asia.
Instead of using gao fen this recipe uses glutinous rice flour to create a steamed mochi dough. This is a little more complicated, however, the texture is soft and slightly chewy and perfect for any kind of filling!
Substituting different fillings
Like I said earlier snow skin mooncakes are extremely versatile and suit a whole range of fillings. This time I have created a fresh fruit and custard filling, but feel free to substitute it with store-bought red bean paste, lotus paste, or even ice cream.
If you want to change up the flavors of your custard that is possible too! Simply separate out some of the custard and add a little matcha or cocoa powder for a matcha or chocolate filling. You can also use freeze-dried fruit powders to create a fruity custard filling without using any real fruits.
Tips on shaping the perfect mooncake
Shaping mooncakes isn't too hard when you have a mold, however, there are a couple of tips that can help make your life easier.
Make sure the snow skin has cooled
If the snow skin is still warm, it will be quite sticky and difficult to handle. Once it has cooled completely it'll be easier to form into balls and roll out. It'll also retain the mooncake shape better when formed
Lightly dust your mooncake molds
It is important to lightly dust your mold with cornstarch in between shaping mooncakes. When making mooncakes it is easy for the skin to catch in the crevices of the mold, not only deforming the mooncake you are currently making but also jeopardizing the next mooncake you make, as it will stick to the mold.
A light dusting of flour in between each shaping will prevent this from happening. However, it is important that this is just a light dusting. Too much flour in the mold can blur the pattern pressed onto the snow skin.
Lightly dust your snow skin ball
Dusting both the mold and the snow skin with cornstarch prevents any chances of it catching on the mold and ruining your beautiful pattern!
Hold the base of your mold firmly as you press down
A firm hold on the mold is important to prevent the mooncake from oozing out of the bottom of the mold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is snow skin mooncake the same as mochi?
While snow skin mooncakes look very similar to mochi and are also made from glutinous rice flour, they are different from mochi.
Mochi has a softer and chewier texture, while snow skin mooncakes have a firmer, tender texture. The snow skin should also be firm enough to be molded into its characteristic shape, and therefore it can't be too soft.
Mochi is typically made with a sweet rice flour called mochiko, while snow skin mooncakes are made from a mix of regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour.
What mooncake mold should I use?
For this recipe, I used a 100g mooncake mold purchased off eBay.
They are pretty common and I highly recommend finding one with the pushing mechanism at the top. This helps the mooncake pop out easily.
It also has interchangeable plates so you can make mooncakes with a variety of patterns.
Can I use a 50g mold instead?
Yes, you can! If you are using a 50g mold you can make 10 small mooncakes. Try and find the smallest strawberries that fit into your mold easily. Then all you need to do is divide the portions of dough and custard into 10 portions instead of 5.
How to eat snow skin mooncake?
Snowskin mooncake is enjoyed chilled straight from the fridge. They are typically served cut into quarters or eighths and enjoyed with some tea!
How long do these last in the fridge?
These mooncakes don't last as long as traditional mooncakes due to their custard filling. I recommend eating them within 3 days and keeping them stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can I freeze snow skin mooncakes?
Mooncakes are also perfect for freezing, however, if you plan on freezing your mooncakes I would recommend leaving out the fresh strawberry, and filling it with custard only.
Frozen fruits don't do very well when defrosted in a dessert as they release a lot of moisture. Store them in an airtight container and allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight when consumed.
Let's Get Baking!
Now that you have both a traditional baked mooncake recipe and a snow skin mooncake recipe you're set for this year's mid-autumn festival!
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went.
Also, don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your desserts. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and TikTok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!
Print📖 Recipe
Strawberry Snow Skin Mooncakes
Soft and slightly chewy snowskin filled with creamy custard and a fresh tangy strawberry. Perfect for this mid-autumn festival!
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 Large Mooncakes 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Intermediate
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
Snow skin
- 40g Glutinous rice flour (⅓ cup)
- 40g Rice flour (⅓ cup)
- 20g Wheat starch/corn starch (2 tbsp 2 tsp)
- 20g White sugar (1 tbsp 1 tsp)
- 150g Milk (½ cup 2 tbsp)
- 20g Vegetable oil (1 tbsp 1 tsp)
- Colouring/flavouring of your choice, I used 1 tablespoon freeze-dried raspberry powder
Custard
- 45g Milk powder (⅓ cup 2 tsp)
- 22g Cornstarch (3 tbsp)
- 100g Milk (⅓ cup 4 tsp)
- 2 Eggs
- 50g Sugar (¼ cup)
- 40g Unsalted butter (2 tbsp 2 tsp)
Assembly
- Cornstarch, for dusting
- 5 Small strawberries
Instructions
Custard
- Combine the milk powder, cornstarch, milk, eggs and sugar together in a bowl and whisk to combine
- Pour the custard base into a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk continuously until the mixture begins to thicken
- Using a rubber spatula continue to mix the custard until it thickens enough to form a ball
- Remove from the heat and add the butter
- Mix the custard until the butter is fully incorporated
- Wrap the custard in clingwrap and place it in the fridge to cool completely
- Meanwhile prepare the snowskin
Snow skin
- Combine the rice flours, wheat/corn starch, white sugar and milk, whisk together until smooth
- Cover the mixture and steam for 20 minutes, or until the centre is fully set
- Remove from the heat and add the oil
- Roughly mix the mixture and allow it to cool completely
- Using your hands knead the dough until the oil is completely absorbed
- Remove one-third of the dough and knead in your desired colouring/flavouring, I used freeze-dried raspberry powder but you can use food colouring
- Divide the white dough and pink dough into 5 equal parts
- Combine the pink and white dough together to form 5 balls and set aside
Assembly
- Once the custard has cooled divide it into 5 equal portions (each should weight ~50g)
- Wrap a whole strawberry in each portion and form into a balls
- Lightly coat a ball of snowskin in cornstarch and dust the mooncake mould (I used a 100g mould)
- Flatten the ball and roll it out with a rolling pin to form a circle
- Place a ball of custard in the centre and pull the sides of the snowskin in to enclose the custard
- Smoothen the surface of the dough and shape it into a mooncake using the dusted mould
- Repeat with the remaining custard and dough
- Refrigerate for 1-2 hours to set before serving
Keywords: mooncake, snowskin, mid-autumn festival, chinese dessert, yue bing, custard, strawberry, mochi, rice flour, glutinous rice flour
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Where did you find this pretty mold?
How long does the skin stay soft? Do you steam on medium or high heat? Thanks
Best texture on the day it's made, but it stays soft for 2-3 days!
Hi
Do I need to keep them in the fridge for the next 2 days for consumption
Because mine become hard the next day when I kept in the fridge
Thank you very much
Hi Joline, Yes I would keep them in the fridge as the custard needs to be refrigerated. They shouldn't become too hard due to the oils in the skin- but if they get stale quickly the best option would be to freeze them and thaw when needed. This preserves the texture of the skin!
Loved the custard and strawberry filling! It tasted like a big and soft mochi. The only thing I'd change is the sugar level in the filling. It's a little too sweet for my family and I.
★★★★
Hi Nghi, Glad you liked it!
How long does it generally take the custard to thicken in the saucepan?
Hi Noura, it shouldn't take too long.I can't remember exactly but I'd say anywhere from 5-8 mins 😊
Hi strawberries snow skin mooncake very pretty. May I know how long can keep the custard in the fridge? Thank you!
★★★★★
These will keep for about 2-3 days!
This looks beautiful! Do you know if I can use a premixed snow-skin mooncake flour? I have a pack in my pantry and I'd like to use it up.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Flo, yes you definitely can!
which brand milk powder did you use? i can't seem to find any in my local stores. Is there an alternative that I can use?
I used the supermarket homebrand milk powder, but any kind will work!