Chinese Suzhou Mooncakes are pale in appearance, with delicate, flaky layers encasing a rich, flavorful filling, traditionally finished with a signature red stamp on top.
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Suzhou mooncakes are a flaky, savory and/or sweet pastry traditionally enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Unlike the golden, tender Cantonese mooncakes most people are familiar with, Suzhou-style mooncakes feature crisp, flaky, multi-layered pastry traditionally filled with both savory and sweet fillings.
They're less sweet, and the shattering pastry makes them irresistible fresh from the oven.
Why you'll love this recipe
No need for mooncake mold: unlike Cantonese mooncakes, which get their signature design from a mold, these Suzhou style mooncakes don't require it.
Flaky layers: similar to puff pastry using a classic oil and water dough method, used in making Chinese wife cakes/sweetheart cakes, or BBQ pork pastry.
Customizable filling: whether it's traditional savory pork or sweet red bean paste, but you can adapt the filling to suit your taste. Change it up and add salted egg yolk, lotus seed paste, or black sesame paste.
Festive: these mooncakes are perfect for Mid-Autumn Festival.
Special equipment you'll need
- Chinese character stamp
- red food coloring
Ingredients you'll need
Water dough:
- all-purpose flour: regular plain flour
- pork lard: or coconut oil
- water
Oil dough:
- cake flour: has less gluten than regular all-purpose flour
- pork lard: or coconut oil
Filling:
- red bean paste: you can also use lotus seed paste (with salted egg yolk), mung bean paste, or black sesame paste
How to make Suzhou mooncakes
Make the water dough:
Knead ingredients into a smooth, elastic dough.
Cover and rest for 1 hour.
Make the oil dough:
Mix cake flour and lard into a dough.
Cover with plastic wrap.
Prepare the filling:
Divide red bean paste into 60g balls.
Make the pastry:
Roll water dough into a disk.
Wrap oil dough inside. Form a smooth dough.
Roll into a rectangle. Fold into thirds. Rest 20 minutes.
Repeat roll and fold once more. Rest 20 minutes.
Roll into a rectangle. Coil into a log.
Cut into 8 pieces, about 50g each.
Assemble:
Flatten dough into a 5.5" disc.
Place filling in center. Seal into a ball.
Shape with a cookie cutter and flatten to 1" thick.
Rest pastries for 30 minutes.
Bake:
Preheat oven to 325°F/163°C.
Dip stamp in red food coloring. Stamp the tops.
Bake for 25 minutes until slightly puffed.
Cool on a wire rack.
How to serve & store mooncakes
Suzhou mooncakes are best eaten fresh, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Reheat in a 300°F/150°C oven to crisp up the layers.
Pair the mooncakes with your favorite Chinese tea for a delicious afternoon snack.
Expert tips
Keep dough covered to prevent drying.
Pork lard gives the most authentic flaky texture, but coconut oil works too.
These Suzhou mooncakes are best enjoyed on the same day as made, where the layers are extra crisp, similar to other Chinese bakery pastries such as Wife Cakes and BBQ pork pastry.
For a traditional savory flavor, try a pork and scallion filling.
Other mid-Autumn recipes you may like
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Suzhou-Style Mooncakes
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For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Water dough:
- 134 g all-purpose flour
- 26 ml pork lard or coconut oil
- 58 ml water
Oil dough:
- 134 g cake flour
- 58 ml pork lard or coconut oil
Filling:
- 480 g red bean paste or lotus seed paste, black sesame paste
- salted egg yolk optional
Instructions
Make the water dough:
- Knead all together into smooth and elastic form of dough.
- Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour.
Make the oil dough:
- Mix together cake flour and lard into a dough. Cover with plastic wrap.
Make the filling:
- Divide and form the red bean paste into balls, about 60g per filling.
- (Note: if using salted egg yolk -- form paste into a ball, make a divot in the center with your thumb, and place salted egg yolk into the divot. Wrap and seal the yolk, rolling into a smooth ball).
- Repeat with the remaining paste and salted egg yolks.
Make the pastry:
- Roll to flatten the water dough into a large disk.
- Place the oil dough in the center of the water dough, encasing the oil dough inside. Form into a large smooth dough.
- Roll to flatten the dough into a large rectangle and fold the dough into thirds, like a book. Cover and rest the dough for 20 minutes.
- Repeat the same step by rolling into a large rectangle, and then folding the dough into thirds. Rest for another 20 minutes.
- Roll to flatten the dough into a large rectangle.
- Coil up the dough into a long log.
- Cut the log into 8 even portions, about 50g each.
Assemble:
- Flatten the piece of dough into a disc about 5.5" wide.
- Place the filling in the center and encase it to form a ball.
- If it's too dry, dab a little water to help seal the edges.
- Take a 2.5" round cookie cutter, shape the pastry and flatten it to about 1" thick, using the bottom of a ¼ C measuring cup.
- Let the pastries rest for 30 minutes before baking.
Bake:
- Preheat oven to 325°F/163°C.
- Place a few drops of red food coloring into a small dish.
- Use a 1" square piece of paper towel as an ink pad.
- Stamp the pastries in the red food coloring with the Chinese blessing character stamp.
- Bake mooncake pastries at 325°F/163°C for 25 minutes until they puff slightly.
- Note: Suzhou mooncakes are suppose to retain their pale color after baking.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Dawn
I would love to give these mooncakes a try, Michelle! They look beautiful. Plus, love the name! Great suggestion to serve them with tea...I could definitely go for a snack right about now. 🙂
Michelle
Thanks Dawn, the mooncakes are so delicious with a pot of tea! 🙂
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
These mooncakes look beautiful; read stamp such a beautiful, signature touch.
Michelle
Thanks Ben, the stamp is indeed a nice signature touch! It also helps to distinguish fillings in certain pastries and buns 🙂
Raymund | angsarap.net
These Suzhou mooncakes look absolutely stunning perfect for the Mid-Autumn Festival
Michelle
Thanks Raymund, getting myself ready for all the mooncakes! 😀
Healthy World Cuisine
Suzhou style mooncakes are our favorite due to the irresistible flaky crust! Love your simple directions. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Michelle
Hi Bobbi, happy to hear that Suzhou mooncakes are your favorite! It's definitely an underrated style of mooncake, happy Mid-Autumn festival to you too! 🙂