Many legends and customs surround this much celebrated festival. Who hasn’t heard the story of the beautiful Chang’e flying to the moon, or the one of the adorable rabbit who sacrificed his own flesh to feed a hungry old man?

Photo by Shutterbug Gal

The most popular tradition is undoubtedly the eating of mooncakes. There are several variations of the history behind it. One that I particularly like is the story of the Chinese overthrowing their Mongolian rulers by coordinating a rebellion through mooncakes with specially hidden messages.

Here’s a list of all the Chinese mooncakes I have featured over the years for your festive enjoyment :)

Mooncakes in Singapore

Raffles Hotel: Snow-skin Mooncake with Champagne Truffle & Ganache
Raffles Hotel Mooncakes 2009 – Have You Ordered Yours Yet?
Kia Hiang Restaurant – Mooncakes Packed with Tradition & Innovation
12 Mooncakes You Don’t Want to Miss in 2009
12 More Mooncakes You Don’t Want to Miss in 2009 – A Remix!

Mooncakes around the world

Mooncakes with a Difference! (Part 1)
Mooncakes with a Difference! (Part 2)

Mid-Autumn Festival greeting card

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Mid-autumn, mooncake

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If you have enjoyed my compilation of the 12 most interesting mooncakes you can find in Singapore, you may find this remix selection of 12 spanking new mooncakes useful, too.

One cannot help but notice that the seasonal dessert has evolved into increasingly exotic and tantalising variations. So, here are 12 more mooncakes you don’t want to miss in 2009!

Enjoy your mooncakes, everyone!

1. Meritus Mandarin

To suit various palates, over a dozen mooncake flavors have been launched at meritus mandarin’s Pine Court restaurant.

Of these, the oh-so-pretty osmanthus snowskin mooncake stands out effortlessly, thanks to its unusual dual-colored osmanthus-scented skin. Osmanthus is known as “gui hua” in Chinese.

The skin is a pastel yellow with rosy hues. This delicate snack is not only attractive on the outside, it has substance, too! The filling is a mixture of black bean paste, egg yolks, pine nuts, macadamia nuts and melon seeds. If you like having something crunchy to munch on, this one’s for you. ($25+ for 2)

Speaking of multi-colored mooncakes, have you seen these rainbow-colored ones?

The lavish set of “fortune dragon” mooncakes is guaranteed to impress. Crafted on five separate blocks is an intricate celestial dragon that simply screams of royalty.

All five pieces boast different flavors:
- lotus paste with double yolks
- lotus paste with macadamia nuts
- pandan custard
- assorted nuts and jinhua ham
- green tea paste
($118+ for the set)

2. COVA Pasticceria

Looking to grab a slice of the lucrative mooncake market is COVA Pasticceria, an Italian café at Paragon.

What do you get when you cross Western cakes with lotus paste?

Ta-da! Sponge mooncakes! These come in four flavors:

- chocolate and lotus paste
- mango and lotus paste
- rose and vanilla
- peanut and chocolate

One highlight is the peanut and chocolate sponge cake. It’s the combination of a chocolate feuilletine layer plus a peanut butter cream layer. Comes complete with bits of peanuts, too! Go nuts over this dessert. It sure gives new meaning to the phrase “delicious sin”. Yum!

Don’t forget the lovely rose and vanilla sponge cake. It is layered with chocolate and pastry cream, enfolded by a rose-infused snowskin.

To sample all flavors happily, grab the box of four assorted flavors at $36+.

3. Hilton

While we’re on that game… What do you get when you cross cheesecakes with mooncakes?

The best of both worlds — cheese mooncakes! Imagine the yummilicious flavors like peanut caramel, strawberry with white chocolate and vanilla, cranberry and raspberry, and mango and pecan — all with cheese! Get these at the Hilton. These babies are some of the richest and most satisfying treats you would find this Mid-Autumn Festival. ($38 for four)

Have I mentioned that the elegant fabric packaging is gorgeous, too?

4. Häagen-Dazs

When we think of ice cream mooncakes, swensen’s is probably the first name that comes to mind. Do you know that they aren’t the sole player in the ice cream mooncake business?

Check out häagen-dazs’ range of Mid-Autumn delights!

The mooncakes are handcrafted and coated in a layer of dark chocolate. This isn’t just another all-sweet-and-nothing-else dessert. Nestled within the chocolate and vanilla ice cream is a delightful mango sorbet core. To experience a burst of fruity flavor amidst the sweet frozen bliss certainly comes as a nice surprise! ($32+ for 2, $56+ for 4)

5. Crystal Jade

When it comes to Chinese cuisine, Crystal Jade is never too far away. The chain of Chinese restaurants has put together a myriad of dazzling creations, ranging from the classic to the “nouvelle”.

A new item is the bak kwa mooncake with mixed nuts ($42 for 4). Kia Hiang Restaurant introduced a bak kwa mixed nuts mooncake this year, too. Are we looking at a new trend here?

More artful creations abound in these agar-agar/gelatin lookalikes. They come in four tempting flavors:

- tiramisu
- chocolate with marshmallows
- mango with nata de coco
- green tea with red bean

You can purchase these at $19.80 for 4 at the Crystal Jade my bread outlets.

To please the coffee fanatics amongst you, there is a snowskin mooncake with coffee and black sesame paste. ($32 for 8)

Lending a little cute are these colorful cupcakes. I know they aren’t mooncakes… But look, how kawaii! They are adorned with festival icons like adorable bunnies and moons to spread some cheer. ($9.90 for 6)

Pair these with the Hello Kitty mooncakes from polar puffs and make any kid the happiest child in the world!

6. Rendezvous Hotel

A star buy at Rendezvous Hotel’s Straits Café is the black forest mooncake with cherry chocolate truffle, a signature item on the menu.

Photo by sgdessert

This gorgeous morsel is packed with the wholesome goodness of pistachio nuts, cashew nuts and chocolate sauce. Perfect for people that prefer cakes more than mooncakes, but wanna indulge in the festivities anyway. ($45 for 8)

For better variety, the 8-piece set comprising four flavors — durian, coffee, peach and raspberry cheese — is available at the same price.

(Aside: I happen to love the buffet dinner at Rendezvous Hotel. I have dined there a few times. So far they have yet to disappoint.)

7. Starbucks

Do mooncakes complement coffee? Starbucks says aye. That is why you find the café chain baking up a storm every Mid-Autumn Festival.

You can immediately recognise a Starbucks mooncake from the famous mermaid logo that fits nicely on the round surface.

This year, however, the pastries take on a whole new swirly design.

The signature flavor here is the espresso roast almond truffle that totally ties in with the coffee theme. Made using espresso roast coffee, with a chocolate and almond truffle tucked within the white lotus paste, this is naturally a hit with coffee lovers. For completeness, order a cup of joe to go along and you have yourself a fuzzy little Mid-Autumn breakfast!

If you prefer something non-caffeinated, go for the white chocolate macadamia truffle. It comprises white lotus paste with pieces of macadamia nuts and a white chocolate truffle center. ($5.90 apiece, $23.60 for a box of 4, $21.25 for purchases of 10 boxes or more)

8. St. Regis

Over at St. Regis, they have unveiled the ultra-posh almond snowskin with premium bird’s nest and custard. A touch of class!

While the most innovative mooncakes today tend to contain truffle fillings the likes of chocolate, caramel, and perhaps even champagne, this one trumps the rest by featuring a bird’s nest core! We’re talking oodles of the golden strands.

Obviously, this fine delicacy doesn’t come cheap; it costs a cool $246 for 8 pieces.

Fancy some posh nosh that wouldn’t blow a hole in your pocket? There’s the seven perfumes snowskin with martell cordon bleu cognac truffle. ($72 for 8)

One flavor that I must highlight is the inventive ginger-infused milk snowskin mooncake with century egg and custard. Yes, you read that right. Pieces of century egg hidden amidst the custard paste. Talk about novelties, this one takes the cake! ($46 for 8)

9. Emicakes

Durian, love it or hate it, it is here to stay. The pungent fruit has found its way into mooncakes as well as the hearts of mooncake lovers. Durian devotees would be happy to know that several mooncake merchants are selling durian flavors this year.

Local bakery Emicakes has rolled out the durian snowskin mooncake in both big and mini sizes:

- ultimate 8 = 2 regular + 6 mini – $58
- golden 4 = 4 regular – $59.60
- fortune 10 = 10 mini – $47

These come with ample fillings of durian. Best eaten well-chilled!

10. Holiday Inn Atrium

Blue isn’t a color you would normally associate with food. And that’s exactly how Holiday Inn Atrium shines with their impressive take on the durian mooncake.

The most interesting thing about this Peranakan mooncake is its stunning color: a deep purplish blue derived from blue pea flower. The coloring also gives the skin a sweetened tang.

Enveloped within is a rich and silky smooth durian purée. Durian fans, this one may just send you to the moon! ($42 for 6)

11. Taipan

Hong Kong mooncake specialist, taipan, has brought their pioneered “snowy” mooncakes to town. Blast-frozen to minus 18 degrees Celsius, these are literally the coolest desserts around (with an equally cool name).

With over 40 flavors, some of the most skilful creations include (clockwise from top left):

- foie gras (!!!), cheese and bean paste
- cheese with chocolate chips
- caramel coffee and bean paste
- sesame and white bean paste

The fusion mini snowy mooncakes contain buttery and moist bean paste filling and cost $42 for 8 pieces.

If you wanna indulge in bird’s nest mooncakes but find St. Regis’ rendition too pricey, taipan offers the same item at a more affordable $52 (elite bird’s nest) or $63 (premium bird’s nest).

12. Mandarin Oriental

The good peeps from mandarin oriental have also churned out some highly appealing mooncakes. There’s even one with soya bean snowskin, egg white custard and crunchy chocolate pearls! Anything with soya bean scores brownie points with me.

The pale green snowskin mooncake with green tea and cherry blossom bears a subtle fragrance. One cannot help but wonder if this is indeed made in the namesake of cherry garden, the restaurant that created it. ($48 for 8)

Bonus: Chop Tai Chong Kok (Da Zhong Guo 大中囯)

Snowskin mooncakes have taken center stage so far. If you’re thinking: what about the traditional baked skin mooncake? Surely it deserves a place here, too? About time you feature it! Well, here it is!

When it comes to crowning the best classic mooncake, one name that always comes up is the long established tai chong kok, better known by its Chinese name “大中囯”. This humble shop along sago street in Chinatown has been around since the 1930s! Clearly, the business has stood through the test of time, with a recipe that has been handed down through the generations.

Photo by Camemberu

I love the fact that the baked skin is not oily and of the perfect thickness. It is filled with a creamy smooth lotus paste that is fragrant and not overtly sweet — just the way I like it. As for the yolks, they are moist and non-flaky.

Photo by sgpix

There is something very endearing about these humble brown paper bags. That’s what they use to hold the boxes of mooncakes here. We hardly get to see such carriers these days!

Note: there’s another Chinatown tai chong kok confectionery that is more commercialised and makes mooncakes, too. The two are unrelated.

And that’s it for my mooncake countdown! What is your favorite mooncake this season?

Just in case you haven’t had enough…

Want more mooncakes?

Don’t miss my original list of 12 mooncakes that sparked off this remix!

If you have found this photographic tour of the various mooncakes on the market useful, feel free to pass it on to your friends!

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | holiday food, Mid-autumn, mooncake, pastry

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To aid you in your mooncake selection, I have compiled a list of 12 mooncakes you don’t want to miss in 2009.

So gather your family and pets ’round the computer, and let’s count down the 12 most interesting and delicious mooncakes you can find in Singapore this year!

1. Tung Lok

These gorgeous mooncakes belong to the new royale series from Tung Lok. When it is made by the Tung Lok group, you know it’s got to be good!

The pastry is first baked, before being chilled, a process that gives the skin a crunchy texture. Sounds intriguing? This marks the debut of the first baked-and-chilled mooncakes in Singapore!

They come in three flavors:
- green tea with chestnut lotus ($42.80 for 8)
- Hokkaido milk with mocha ($42.80 for 8)
- custard ($44.94 for 8)

I must also highlight the adorable bite-size mooncakes that are even smaller than your usual mini mooncakes. They come in eight flavors such as pomelo white lotus, strawberry, purple potato and longan red date. ($47.08 for 16; two of each flavor)

Besides the convenience, I think that these dainty pastries may actually help reduce overeating! Well, unless people start popping them like popcorn, of course.

2. Peony Jade

Fruits have made a foray into our favorite pastry this time of the year. Durian, the king of fruits, is undoubtedly the most commonly used fruit. Almost every merchant has a d24 durian mooncake on its menu.

Now, it looks like the “lesser” fruits are putting up a good fight, too! Check out the range of fruity mooncakes by peony jade restaurant.

Fancy tucking into these wild strawberry ($42 for 4) and banana ($40 for 4) mooncakes? They contain smooth, rich low fat yoghurt. Notice that chunks of fruits are present, too!

The alcoholic lychee-tini and ganache flavor really takes the cake! This is a limited edition offering that features a liquorice truffle at its core, filled with the taste of what happens to be my favorite cocktail, the lychee martini! ($45 for 9)

3. InterContinental Singapore

Man fu yuan Chinese restaurant at the intercontinental Singapore has a range of beautiful and meticulously-created mooncakes. Back by popular demand is their mini snowskin mooncake filled with Japanese sweet potato paste and champagne chocolate. ($42.80 for 8)

What’s new this year?

Snowskin mooncakes filled with cempedak, or avocado and mango mousse. Another fruit-inspired creation! The fresh fruits are blended and made into a paste, with mini cubes and pulp of the fruits thrown in for good measure.

The whole pastry is entirely made of fruity goodness with no extra additives. Oh, except for the fact that chocolate pearls are included, too. Good stuff! ($42.80 for 8; four of each flavor)

4. The Fullerton

From the ultra posh Fullerton Hotel, we would expect nothing less. Aside from their bestselling chocolate baileys snowskin mooncake ($52 for 4), they also have the 15 treasures premium gift set.

This lavish set contains 14 blocks of assorted baked mooncakes, all with varying fillings. What’s the 15th treasure, you ask? Well, it’s the centerpiece of a 6-inch-wide mooncake with 8 yolks. 8 yolks! Now, THAT is a full moon. ($168)

Then, they also have these milky-colored snowskin mooncakes.

Do not mistake them for bars of soap. Available in cranberry, blueberry and green apple flavors, these mooncakes are the hotel’s new offerings for 2009. The shape looks really exquisite, too, especially with that depression in the middle. ($52 for 4)

5. Kia Hiang Restaurant

Not to be outdone by the east-meets-west creations of the big players, the more than 30 year old Kia Hiang Restaurant has whipped up several creative new flavors. Bak kwa mooncake, anyone? Yep, yep, they have it.

More tantalising flavors include durian, chocolate with rum and raisin, green tea, and the creamy blueberry and cheese. For more, check out my full review of Kia Hiang mooncakes with pictures, ratings and prices.

6. Carlton Hotel

Carlton hotel has introduced three new snowskin mooncakes: lavender, wheatgrass & melon seed, and hazelnut & nata de coco ($47.08 for 8). Of these, lavender has got to stir the most curiosity!

Photo by sgdessert

When I think of lavender, aromatherapy and air fresheners come to mind. Having this floral scent in a mooncake is definitely unusual! In this case, the aroma is subtle, infused perfectly with the white lotus paste. Any stronger, I’m not sure if it could remain as appetising.

7. Fairmont Singapore

Year after year, szechuan court at fairmont Singapore never fails to wow its fans. This year, the restaurant continues its tradition of bringing impressive flavors to the table with the new pretty in pink feuilletine-hazelnut mooncake with wafer crunch nuts.

In place of the usual lotus paste, you get a velvety smooth hazelnut filling. At its center is a white chocolate ball filled with Swiss chocolate and bits of wafer and hazelnut nuts. Looks like this little beauty is all good on the inside, too! ($45 for 8)

Like Raffles Hotel, szechuan court has a champagne truffle and ganache mooncake ($48 for 8). Peony jade also has it this year. Does anyone know who first came up with this bestselling flavor?

Other flavors featuring liquor to bring a little high are rum and raisin chocolate truffle and baileys chocolate. What takes my breath away is the latter. That truffle simply screams of seduction! ($46 for 8)

8. Concorde Hotel

For Muslim friends, check out the mooncakes of concorde hotel (formerly Le Meridien). They are all halal certified!

Like Kia Hiang, the hotel has specially baked low sugar mooncakes that come with white lotus filling and yolk. Great for the health-conscious :) ($39/40 for 4)

If you’re not too concerned about the calories, go for the sumptuous chocolate omochi. With the soft and chewy mochi and all the rich chocolaty deliciousness, it’s hard to resist this one! ($38 for 4)

9. Polar Puffs & Cakes

Bet you didn’t expect to see this one here. The bakery chain of polar puffs & cakes continues its unique offering of cakes made in the shapes of cartoon characters.

Say hello to Hello Kitty!

Ahhh! Aren’t these the sweetest things? Perfect for families with little girls. Even older girls. Okay, girls. Hello Kitty comes in four flavors: white lotus, pumpkin taro, yam and white chocolate cheese. Everybody say yum yum! ($30.80 for 6)

Just when you thought that things can’t get any cuter, they even give you a free Hello Kitty lantern with every purchase of a box of kitty mooncakes! I think snowy would like that. Meow!

Oh yes, a reader highlighted that the bakery chain is also halal certified :)

10. Goodwood Park Hotel

Obviously, when we’re on the topic of the best mooncakes, the good name of goodwood park hotel always comes up. The hotel is famed for its tropical fruit mooncakes like mango with pomelo, durian, and cempedak.

This year, goodwood park fans can welcome another new fruity flavor — soursop! We’re talking silky smooth puree and juicy pulp made from the freshest soursops. The tangy taste may not be everyone’s cup of tea, though, especially in a pastry that is traditionally sweet. But I know some adventurous people would take a liking to it.

All four flavors are available at $22 for two pieces and $40 for four pieces, except for durian that costs $26 for two pieces and $48 for four pieces.

11. Bakerzin

Have you ever seen a black mooncake? Homegrown café chain Bakerzin has created the fascinating midnight-colored mooncake, the sesame truffle.

This quirky mooncake gets its skin color from bamboo charcoal powder. The filling is a combination of lotus paste and black sesame paste. In the midst of the dark filling is a ball of white chocolate ganache. What does that resemble? (hint: look out the window!) ($36 for 8)

If black isn’t your color, go for lighter pastels. They have brandied cherry truffle, rum and raisin, pink champagne truffle, and malt whiskey truffle. ($36 for 8)

As you indulge in these exotic mooncakes, you may feel good about the fact that you are doing charity at the same time. For every box of mooncakes sold, Bakerzin will donate $1 to the Singapore make-a-wish foundation.

12. Raffles Hotel

Having raved about Raffles Hotel’s legendary snowskin mooncake with champagne truffle and ganache again and again, you know it will make it to this list somehow.

Photo by mehmeh

When friends seek my opinion for the best mooncakes to buy, this is the first that I would recommend. ’nuff said.

And oh, here’s my review on raffles’ delectable mooncakes.

Bonus: Godiva

Look! Godiva chocolatier has launched a Mid-Autumn collection, too!

These Belgian chocolates are packaged like mooncakes, with 4 large pieces to a box. They are filled with classic praline and crispy bits of roasted hazelnut. I can live with that :)

What a kaleidoscope of colors and flavors! These are, of course, my personal picks. I’m sure I have missed out many other excellent choices! Add your own picks in the comments and we can all share!

So, have you bought your mooncakes yet?

Want more mooncakes?

Bet you thought this was the end, didn’t you? Nope, not quite :)

There is now a “remix” of this list! Yes, after doing more mooncake scouting, I uncovered more Mid-Autumn gems! I have compiled a list of 12 more mooncakes you don’t want to miss.

Check them out!

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | holiday food, Mid-autumn, mooncake, pastry

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Kia Hiang Restaurant, in particular, have been the first to introduce several innovative and exciting mooncake flavors. Chocolate, durian purée and bak kwa (sweet barbecued pork) are just a few ingredients that have crept into the mooncakes of this traditional yet innovative Chinese restaurant.

Intrigued?

Classic lotus paste mooncakes (large)
Red lotus paste: $19 (2 pieces), $36 (4 pieces)
White lotus paste: $20 (2 pieces), $38 (4 pieces)
Double yolk, red lotus paste: $22 (2 pieces), $41 (4 pieces)
Double yolk, white lotus paste: $23 (2 pieces), $44 (4 pieces)

The distinctiveness of Kia Hiang’s classic mooncakes is that they are low in sugar and thus not overtly sweet. They use peanut oil instead of lard, too. So, if the thought of consuming 1,000 calorie mooncakes worries you, go for the restaurant’s range of low sugar mooncakes.

Not only are the mooncakes healthier, they still remain delicious. The crust is thin and light with a nice fragrance. Even for the double-yolk mooncakes that I normally shun, I find that the salted yolks are fresh and moist with just enough flavor. I’m a convert!

Bak Kwa (barbecued pork) & selected nuts mooncake
Mini: $25 (6 pieces), $36 (9 pieces)
Large: $22 (2 pieces), $41 (4 pieces)

The newest innovation this year is the bak kwa mooncake, the result of over 200 man-hours of brainstorming, experimenting and testing. It combines bits of bak kwa that the Chinese so love with coarsely chopped almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and winter melon.

You can clearly see that the pastry is tightly compressed with the various ingredients. So each bite is extra crunchy and packed with flavor!

Check out the colorful snowskin mooncakes. Not only are they pretty to look at, they are also extremely delectable!

The snowskin selection comes in four flavors:

• yellow – durian
• brown – chocolate with rum and raisin
• green – green tea lotus paste
• purple – blueberry and cheese

Just by looking at the list alone, I know that at least 3 of the 4 are guaranteed to be big hits.

Chocolate with rum and raisin snowskin mooncake
SGD28 (6 pieces), $40 (9 pieces)

Marry chocolate with mooncake and you get a yummy hybrid of a dessert that is similar to a chocolate fondant. That’s not all.

Sprinkled within the rich chocolate custard are californian raisins. The taste of jamaican rum is evident, too. chocolate with liquor is always a welcome combination in my books. This is the kind of food that your doctors warn you to stay away from but you know you don’t wanna. Mmm… Delicious sin.

Durian snowskin mooncake
Mini: $28 (6 pieces), $40 (9 pieces)
Large: $26 (2 pieces), $48 (4 pieces)

If you’re a durian lover, the durian snowskin mooncake is pure heaven. This isn’t simply one of those durian-flavored paste-filled mooncakes. It’s pure silky smooth D24 durian pulp, or in other words, the real stuff!

The restaurant is also famous for its durian mochi. That, I must and will blog about in an upcoming post. It is a dessert to die for.

Classic lotus paste mooncakes (mini)
Red lotus paste: $24 (6 pieces), $34 (9 pieces)
White lotus paste: $25 (6 pieces), $36 (9 pieces)

When you buy a box of Kia Hiang mooncakes, you may be surprised by the heavyweight packaging. Instead of the usual tin or cardboard boxes, the mooncakes are packaged in traditional wooden boxes. While they’re not terribly environmentally-friendly, I’m sure, they do impress as gifts.

Many thanks to Kia Hiang Restaurant for sending me their mooncakes for sampling. My family are, honestly, utterly enjoying the savory pastries. Get a piece at the locations below or via their website.

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | Chinese, holiday food, Mid-autumn, mooncake, pastry

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The other is the Raffles Hotel mooncakes. More specifically, the legendary snow-skin mooncakes with champagne truffle and ganache. It’s a big hit with the fans.

The online orders for 2009 are already open. Have you ordered yours yet? Take note of the early bird, credit card and bulk order discounts!

This year, the mooncakes are packaged in a gorgeous lilac-colored box. I love it! The box color changes yearly and has become quite the collector’s item! However this is the first time they are reusing the same box from the previous year’s.

Snow-skin mooncake with champagne truffle & Ganache
SGD52 for a box of 8

That’s the aforementioned champagne truffle and ganache mooncake. Read my detailed review on why this delectable nosh is the best-seller year after year.

Click to enlarge

A new addition to the 2009 menu is the snow-skin apricot mooncake with popping candy. It’s an innovative creation with pieces of crackling candy tucked within the truffle.

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on October 3 this year. Get yours fast!

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | holiday food, Mid-autumn, mooncake, pastry, Raffles Hotel

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Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, guys and gals! may your day be filled with lots of yummilicious mooncake, bright candles and colorful lanterns! Love you all!

Much love,
Veron

Posted by Veron in Holidays, Web Design category | eCard, Mid-autumn

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Photo by Oranje

In a collaboration with Starbucks, Nokia released a set of 4 mooncakes, modeled after their l’amour series of glamorous-looking mobile phones. Ever seen mooncakes that are shaped like mobile phones? No? Read on!

Ta-da! I must say, these mooncakes don’t look very tasty or even edible, do they? I wouldn’t feel like biting into one. But they sure are among the most unusual mooncakes I have seen!

Each mooncake is shaped like an actual Nokia l’amour phone, complete with the Nokia brand name (of course) and pretty florals!

Photo by lynn.wabbit

Starbucks has their own mooncake too. I love the way the logo fits perfectly onto the face of the mooncake. Come to think of it, wouldn’t coffee go well with mooncake? I’m so craving for a cup of joe right now!

For those of you who aren’t huge fans of the traditional mooncake, opt for a jelly one! It’s purple too! Pretty, pretty. It even has an egg yolk at its center.

Photo by Isidora.M

And for the rest of you who don’t eat mooncakes at all, maybe you might hug one instead, such as a cuddly plush toy! Meet Mr. Mooncake!

Photo by skitts-skitts

Then there are the animal-shaped ones of course. A cute bunny-shaped mooncake, perhaps to honor chang’e?

Photo by Seet Ying

Last but not least, my personal favorite — a Hello Kitty-shaped mooncake biscuit! Ahhh! I miss japan all over again!

So, what’s the most unusual mooncake you have had this Mid-Autumn Festival?

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | Chinese, holiday food, Mid-autumn, mooncake, pastry

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Since then, mooncakes never really did quite stay the same. Merchants strive to outdo each other in concocting the most unusual and delicious mooncake recipes. Here are some of the more unique and innovative modern mooncakes.

Photo by Scuzzi

Well-known for their attention to aesthetics, the Japanese have created some very beautiful mooncakes. These mooncakes from Japanese confectionery, minamoto kitchoan, are handmade with red or white bean paste. Aren’t these the sweetest?

Photo by bossacafez

Not to be outdone, local baker, bossacafez, has come out with a line of very colorful mooncakes made using unique recipes. I especially like the candy-colored ones on the left that are made with aerated mineral water. The green ones are pandan custard lotus snow-skin mooncakes.

Photo by bossacafez

More sweetness! Milky white snow-skin mooncakes filled with a mixture of cherries, desiccated and moist flaky coconut. Pretty!

What’s more, she has even made colorful apple-shaped mooncakes, complete with green leaves!

Photo by chockylit

Mooncake cupcakes! East meets west! The fusion of these two types of pastries is concocted by yet another talented baker, chockylit.

Photo by chockylit

Her mooncake cupcakes have date-pineapple cream cheese frosting and a red bean paste filling.

Photo by Triple-Y

Okay, I know these aren’t exactly real mooncakes… But look! How cute!

Photo by Triple-Y

I am a total sucker for all things miniature, and these wee little mooncakes are just too darn cute!

Photo by Triple-Y

Even babies love ‘em!

Photo by pastababe

Remember these adorable piggy-shaped mooncake biscuits? In Chinese, they are known as “猪仔饼”. I ate a lot of this when I was young. They tend to come in little colorful cages and hence they are also called “猪笼饼”. Eating this just brings back fond memories!

More creative mooncakes to follow tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | Chinese, cupcake, holiday food, Mid-autumn, mooncake, pastry

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We’ll start off with my most favorite mooncakes of all — champagne truffle and ganache snow-skin mooncakes from Raffles Hotel! Now, that’s a real mouthful ain’t it? And trust me, it really is.

Photo by mehmeh

The Raffles Hotel mooncakes are easily the most sinful and best-tasting mooncakes I’ve ever had! They sell out really quickly too!

These mooncakes come in boxes of 8. At more than $5 apiece, they certainly don’t come cheap. (but they are worth every penny because they’re so good!)

The tin box containing these cute mooncakes is decorated with a Shanghai-style artwork surrounded by swirls and florals. What is really unusual is the unconventional color used for the box — a very beautiful baby blue! How pretty!

The white snow-skin exterior looks innocently plain, but obviously, the best part of the mooncake lies at its chocolatey center…

Photo by mehmeh

The champagne truffle! Once you bite into the white chocolate shell, the inside is the soft and delicious ganache that fills your mouth. Ahhh… Pure bliss! It’s very, very satisfying too so eating just one at a time is already enough!

If this isn’t the most delectable mooncake dessert, I don’t know what is. What makes it even more sought after is that you can only have it just once in a year!

Photo by micamonkey

And that’s for this year. Every year, Raffles Hotel sells a different flavor of mooncakes, packed in a different-colored tin box. This year, it’s the baby blue one. I’m so looking forward to next year’s! (Update: it’s light purple!)

Posted by Veron in Food, Holidays category | Chinese, holiday food, Mid-autumn, mooncake, pastry, Raffles Hotel

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