Chocolate Mooncakes
Traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, we are giving these mooncakes an upgrade with Valrhona Manjari 64% dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Showcasing the best flavours of Single Origin Grand Cru chocolate, they are perfect to share with the connoisseur in your life.
Equipment
- Traditional mooncake moulds to shape the cakes
Ingredients
Manjari 64% chocolate filling with salted egg yolk
- 100g Meander Valley Dairy Crème Fraîche
- 200g Valrhona Manjari 64% Chocolate Feves
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 packet salted egg yolks cured yolks, found in the refrigerator aisle of your local asian grocers
Pastry Crust
- 2&1/2 cups plain flour plus extra for dusting
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate soda
- 2 tbsp Valrhona Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 cup Dorset Maple Reserve Pure Amber Syrup
- 1/4 cup Le Blanc Grapeseed Oil
- 1/2 tsp Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1/2 tsp alkaline liquid found in your local asian grocers
- 2 egg yolks discard whites
Glaze for Pastry
- 1 egg yolk whisked with a little water for the glaze
Instructions
NOTES:
- This recipe is best made in advance 2-3 days before eating to allow the mooncake skins to soften.
- We made two batches of the mooncakes. One with Valrhona Cocoa Powder dough and one without for a more traditional pastry.
Manjari 64% chocolate filling
- Heat cream in a saucepan over gentle heat, until warm.
- Add chocolate feves, along with a pinch of salt and slowly warm until chocolate has melted and is combined with the cream.
- Gently stir in the flour and mix together until the filling has thickened and the flour is full incorporated. Rest Manjari filling in refrigerator until it is required.
Pastry Crust
- Line a large tray with baking paper and preheat oven to 170C
- Mix flour, bicarb soda and cocoa powder together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the syrup, vanilla paste, oil, alkaline liquid and egg yolk until combined.
- Combine wet & dry ingredients until a smooth dough forms, adjust with a little extra flour if required until dough is pliable.
- Rest dough for a 1/2 hour in the fridge.
- Once the dough has rested for a sufficient time, roll into a log and divide dough into balls approximately 20g each in size for consistency and uniformity.
- Roll out each ball into a flat disc. Use cling wrap between the rolling pin and dough as it might be a little sticky, dust sparingly with a little flour if needed.
- Spoon a little of the Manjari filling into the disc and add a salted egg yolk in the middle (if using). Some bakers prefer to wrap the salted egg yolk individually in extra dough to keep the shape of the yolk, which is personal preference.
- Shape the pastry disc into a neat ball, dust ball sparingly with flour.
- Gently press the ball into the mooncake mould and remove, arrange cake on a baking tray and repeat the process until all the dough and filling is used.
- Bake mooncakes at 170C for 10-15 minutes and remove tray from the oven. Mix the egg yolk with some water and brush over mooncakes. Return tray to the oven and continue to bake again for 10 minutes until cakes are golden brown.
