Spiral Yam Mooncakes

I promised myself I won't spend money to buy mooncakes this year. I broke it. I promised myself I won't bake mooncakes this year. I broke it. So what is it that I kept my promise about mooncakes? None. I bought snow skin mooncakes for my spouse from Kia Hiang when they came to my company for the corporate sales. It tasted pretty good though and it's cheaper than others. We finished it within two days. I baked the Spiral Yam Mooncakes. I've tried Jo's recipe since two years ago, and I found the details really easy to understand and follow. This year is no exception.

The only exception this year was, I made the yam paste from scratch. You can say I have lots of time, or nothing better to do. I think I agree with either one of these. Being naive, I thought it would be easy to make the yam from scratch. However, it wasn't as easy as I thought.
Here's sharing with you exactly how I made. The steps are extracted directly from Jo's Deli. You can hop by to view her step by step pictures.
Spiral Yam Mooncakes, modified to my version.
Makes 32 mini (2" x 2") mooncakes

Ingredients:
Yam Paste:
960g Steamed and mashed yam
130g Sugar
150g Shallot oil
1/4 tsp Salt
30g Melon seeds, toasted

Water dough @ 100g:
460g Plain flour
56g Icing sugar
150g Rice bran oil
140g Water

Oil dough @ 67g:
350g Top flour
186g Shortening
1 tsp Violet colouring

Method:
To make yam paste:
1. Place mashed yam in a wok. Add salt, sugar and oil gradually into yam paste, a small portion at a time. Keep stirring at all times. Cook until the paste leaves the sides of the wok clean when stirred. Set aside to cool.

Weigh the yam paste:
2. Measure approximately 33-34g of the cooled yam paste. You should have 32pcs. Add approximately 10 melon seeds to each roll and mix well. Roll into a ball.

To prepare water dough:
3. Sift flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and gradually pour in the corn oil and water. Mix well and lightly knead for about one minute until a non-sticky dough is formed. Leave the dough aside and go on to prepare oil dough.

To prepare oil dough:
4. Sift flour into another mixing bowl. Mix shortening with flour well. Add violet colouring. Do not knead this dough.

To make the mooncakes:
5. Divide water and oil dough into 8 portions. Each water dough should weigh 100g while each oil dough should weigh 67g.

6. Roll out a water dough. Wrap an oil dough with this water dough to form a ball.

7. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough in Step 6. Roll as swiss-roll. Give the dough a quarter turn and roll out the dough length wise again. Roll as swiss-roll again. Divide it into 4 equal portions.

8. Repeat the same procedure for the remaining water and oil doughs. These pastry skins are ready to be used.

9. With the cut side face down, roll out the dough such that the edges are thinner than the centre. Wrap yam paste ball and seal the edges. Repeat the above steps to the remaining mooncakes.

10. Place mooncakes on a baking tray. Bake in a preheated fan oven at 160C for 20 mins at the centre rack. Then placed it in the lowest rack and bake for a further 10mins. 

11. Transfer mooncakes to a wire rack and let cool.
Notes:
~ I didn't add a lot of sugar. The yam paste tasted a little sweet only. It tasted a lot more like yam than "sweetness". Get what I mean?
~ I measure out the yam paste then add in the melon seeds.
~ I realised that when I floured my worktop, the dough became very dry when I rolled them out. Since they don't stick to the worktop, I prefer not to flour them.
~ My violet colouring wasn't evenly mixed in the oil dough. I should have omitted the colourings.
~ I realised that my mooncake base was very thick and didn't cook thoroughly. So I put them back into the oven at the lowest rack to bake again.
Somehow, I have problem wrapping up the yam paste with the rounded dough. I get folds or "bums" on my mooncake base. Can someone teach me how to wrap it nicely? It'll be very much appreciated. :)

13 comments:

ReeseKitchen said...
September 11, 2010 at 6:47 PM

Hey Jane, your mooncakes looks nice. Is it only 1 that has the "bum"..heehee! I see all were so nice here leh. Anyway, I've answered your question in my post. Mine was not that nice though, but I try to wrapped the fillings on the table to make sure my foldings were in the center and round them up with both palms on the table too. Hope this help..:)

Passionate About Baking said...
September 11, 2010 at 9:12 PM

Hi Reese,
Thanks very much for your info. Oh no, all my mooncakes are like humans, they have unnecessary "bums". What you see is the front side, the bum is at the "backside". Heehee...

Bakericious said...
September 12, 2010 at 9:56 AM

Jane, the mooncakes look nice to me. I dun even dare to attempt as I know my failure rate is super high :P.

Edith said...
September 12, 2010 at 1:36 PM

This season I kept thinking about this teochew mooncake but am too lazy to brave the crowd to get a box. Will I attempt it myself, nah i doubt so. Just too much work just to make that batch of yam filling. you are really hardworking.

Anonymous said...
September 12, 2010 at 2:35 PM

sorry, what you mean by "Give the dough a quarter turn" ? thank you

Passionate About Baking said...
September 12, 2010 at 8:04 PM

Hi Jess,
I'm sure you can make it once you try it. I was skeptical at first too. However, I took up the challenge, tried it and it was okay! You should really try it.

Hi Edith,
I didn't have time to go out to buy instant yam paste, so I had to do it myself. It was like...no other choice. :p You should try it too, I'm sure it will turn out well for you!

Hi Anonymous,
After rolling it up like swiss roll, it's like a horizontal "--". Then a quarter turn will become a vertical "|". Get what I mean?

thecoffeesnob said...
September 12, 2010 at 10:27 PM

I've never tried yam mooncakes but I imagine they would be really delicious! I love the swirls on your mooncakes- so pretty!

Kitchen Corner said...
September 13, 2010 at 1:09 PM

Hey Jane, that's good you didn't keep your promise so that I might able to have a piece of this mooncake :P There look really pretty!

Angel @ Cook.Bake.Love said...
September 13, 2010 at 2:38 PM

Ur yum mooncake is very pretty. I really salute u to make from scratch.

Passionate About Baking said...
September 13, 2010 at 5:14 PM

Hi Laureen,
I can't believe you've not tried yam mooncakes? Oh my. It is my favourite. Gee, you don't know what you've been missing! :p

Hi Grace,
Ah, you just reminded me. I have more than enough. I shall freeze them for you. :)

Hi Angel,
Thanks. Aw, I regretted making from scratch actually. Hahaha...I should have bought ready made yam paste. Save more time. :) You should try making if you like yam mooncakes.

Passionate About Baking said...
May 19, 2011 at 5:49 PM

Hi Laureen,
I can't believe you've not tried yam mooncakes? Oh my. It is my favourite. Gee, you don't know what you've been missing! :p

Hi Grace,
Ah, you just reminded me. I have more than enough. I shall freeze them for you. :)

Hi Angel,
Thanks. Aw, I regretted making from scratch actually. Hahaha...I should have bought ready made yam paste. Save more time. :) You should try making if you like yam mooncakes.

Cook.Bake.Love said...
May 19, 2011 at 5:49 PM

Ur yum mooncake is very pretty. I really salute u to make from scratch.

thecoffeesnob said...
May 19, 2011 at 5:49 PM

I've never tried yam mooncakes but I imagine they would be really delicious! I love the swirls on your mooncakes- so pretty!

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