Mooncakes are traditional pastries made to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, which takes place on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. These cakes are an essential part of the festival, symbolizing reunion, togetherness, and appreciation for a bountiful harvest. Let’s explore with Kamereo the most popular and delicious types of mooncakes available today!
Popular and Delicious Types of Mooncakes
Mooncakes are not only traditional treats but also symbols of family bonds, affection, and joy during the autumn festival. Therefore, different mooncake varieties and designs vary by time and region. Here are a few popular types available in the market:
Baked Mooncakes
Traditional Mixed-Flavor Baked Mooncakes
Traditional mixed-flavor baked mooncakes generally consist of two parts: the crust and the filling. The crust is made from wheat flour, baking powder, sugar syrup, and cooking oil. The filling is a blend of various ingredients such as sausage, tangerine peel, nuts, candied winter melon, pork fat, lotus seeds, sesame seeds, dried shredded pork, barbecued pork, and more, depending on the brand.
Nowadays, mixed-flavor baked mooncakes have been innovated with special fillings like abalone and shark fin to cater to diverse consumer tastes.
Price Range:
- 1 egg yolk 150g: 65,000 – 75,000 VND/cake
- 2 egg yolks 180g – 200g: 90,000 – 110,000 VND/cake
- No egg yolk 150g: 45,000 – 60,000 VND/cake
Roasted Chicken Baked Mooncakes
Roasted chicken baked mooncakes feature a savory filling similar to traditional mixed-flavor mooncakes. However, the filling is made with seasoned and roasted chicken breast, shredded to replace dried shredded pork and barbecued pork. Moreover, this mooncake is distinguished by its fragrant aroma from lime leaves, creating a delicious and appealing flavor.
Price Range:
- 1 egg yolk 150g: 70,000 – 80,000 VND/cake
- 2 egg yolks 180g – 200g: 100,000 – 120,000 VND/cake
- No egg yolk 150g: 55,000 – 65,000 VND/cake
Mung Bean Paste Baked Mooncakes
Mung bean paste baked mooncakes have a lower fat content compared to the previous two types. However, this type of mooncake is still favored for its rich and mildly sweet taste.
The filling is made from finely ground mung beans, cooked with sugar and flour, often accompanied by salted egg yolks. This mooncake is a perfect choice to enjoy with a hot cup of tea in the crisp autumn air.
Price Range:
- 1 egg yolk 150g: 55,000 – 65,000 VND/cake
- 2 egg yolks 180g – 200g: 70,000 – 85,000 VND/cake
- No egg yolk 130g – 150g: 40,000 – 55,000 VND/cake
Lotus Seed Paste Baked Mooncakes
When it comes to mooncakes, lotus seed paste baked mooncakes cannot be overlooked. This type is typically made from a combination of lotus seeds and ground mung beans, offering a rich and mildly sweet flavor. It’s an ideal choice for loved ones, providing high nutritional value from lotus seeds and a lower oil content than mixed-flavor mooncakes.
Price Range:
- 1 egg yolk 150g: 55,000 – 65,000 VND/cake
- 2 egg yolks 180g – 200g: 70,000 – 85,000 VND/cake
- No egg yolk 130g – 150g: 40,000 – 55,000 VND/cake
Matcha Baked Mooncakes
Matcha baked mooncakes have become increasingly popular in recent years. The unique appeal of these mooncakes lies in the distinctive flavor of Japanese matcha powder. The slight bitterness of matcha helps balance the sweetness of the mooncake, making it less cloying to enjoy.
The ingredients for matcha baked mooncakes typically include almonds (or walnuts), matcha powder, and salted egg yolks. Additionally, black tea or jasmine tea powder is also used in the filling to enhance the flavor.
Price Range:
- 1 egg yolk 150g: 55,000 – 65,000 VND/cake
- 2 egg yolks 180g – 200g: 70,000 – 85,000 VND/cake
- No egg yolk 130g – 150g: 40,000 – 55,000 VND/cake
Tiramisu Baked Mooncakes
Tiramisu is a traditional Italian dessert with a special meaning related to maternal love. Combining Asian and European culinary traditions, Tiramisu mooncakes feature a unique filling made from mung beans, cream cheese, and cocoa or coffee powder. This creates a distinctive and appealing flavor for those seeking novelty.
Price Range:
- 150g – 180g: 100,000 – 130,000 VND/cake
- 200g – 250g: 150,000 – 165,000 VND/cake
Dried Fruit Baked Mooncakes
Dried fruit baked mooncakes have gained popularity in recent years as they cater to the growing demand for healthier food options.
Popular ingredients for the filling include almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. Additionally, the filling is combined with dried fruits like raisins and raspberries. The rich taste of the nuts, combined with the mild sweetness of dried fruits, creates a mooncake that is not only flavorful but also lower in oil and healthier.
Price Range:
- 130g – 150g: 55,000 – 65,000 VND/cake
- 180g – 200g: 70,000 – 85,000 VND/cake
Black Sesame Baked Mooncakes
Like other baked mooncakes, black sesame mooncakes have a glossy brown crust and a soft, sweet texture. However, the black sesame filling inside is rich, aromatic, and attractively nutty.
The highlight of black sesame mooncakes is the golden salted egg yolk nestled in the filling, enhancing both flavor and appearance, resembling a beautiful full moon.
Price Range:
- 1 egg yolk 150g: 55,000 – 65,000 VND/cake
- 2 egg yolks 180g – 200g: 70,000 – 85,000 VND/cake
- No egg yolk 130g – 150g: 40,000 – 55,000 VND/cake
Black Garlic Baked Mooncakes
Black garlic mooncakes are distinguished by their crust made from finely ground black garlic, resulting in a soft and chewy texture. The filling is made from select black garlic cloves combined with black beans, mung beans, mixed flavors, roasted chicken, shark fin, and various other ingredients.
Black garlic, known for its outstanding health benefits, makes these mooncakes an excellent gift choice for grandparents and parents.
Price Range:
- Sweet filling, 2 yolks: 225,000 – 240,000 VND/cake
- Savory filling, 2 yolks: 305,000 – 355,000 VND/cake
Salted Egg Yolk Lava Mooncakes
Although new to the market, salted egg yolk lava mooncakes have quickly become a favorite during the Mid-Autumn Festival. These mooncakes are also popular as gifts for loved ones. Additionally, many families make them together to strengthen family bonds.
These small, cute lava mooncakes have a moist, soft crust and a rich, molten salted egg yolk filling that melts in your mouth, creating an irresistible taste from the first bite.
Price Range:
- Imported Hong Kong box of 8: 800,000 – 1,100,000 VND/box
- Kinh Do box of 6: 480,000 VND/box
- Single 60g cake: 65,000 – 100,000 VND/cake
Milk Tea Mooncakes
For bubble tea enthusiasts, these creamy mooncakes are the perfect choice for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Milk tea mooncakes usually have a traditional baked crust combined with a filling that carries the familiar milk tea flavor. These make excellent gifts for young bubble tea lovers or a refreshing change for the entire family during the festival.
Price Range:
- 55g – 60g: 45,000 – 50,000 VND/cake
- 85g – 100g: 60,000 – 70,000 VND/cake
Mooncakes
Traditional Snow Skin Mooncakes with Mung Bean Filling
Traditional snow skin mooncakes with mung bean filling are also a popular choice for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The highlight of this mooncake is its crust, made from finely ground glutinous rice flour, combined with sugar syrup and pomelo flower essence, giving it a rich aroma.
Additionally, the soft and chewy crust encases a traditional mung bean filling, which is carefully prepared. When you take a bite, you’ll experience the sweet, delightful flavor and the pleasant softness of the cake. Enjoying a snow skin mooncake with mung bean filling along with a hot pot of tea during the Mid-Autumn Festival is an unmissable experience.
Price Range:
- 1 yolk, 150g: 55,000 – 60,000 VND/cake
- No yolk, 180g: 40,000 – 50,000 VND/cake
Mixed-Filling Snow Skin Mooncakes
It would be a big miss to mention Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes, especially snow skin mooncakes, without including mixed-filling ones. These mooncakes are a diverse combination of ingredients with both savory and sweet flavors.
The soft and sweet crust envelops a rich filling that includes candied winter melon, candied orange peel, sugar-coated lard, chicken, pork floss, Chinese sausage, and barbecue pork. Moreover, to achieve the best flavor, the filling includes various nuts like pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, and sesame seeds.
Price Range:
- 1 yolk, 180g – 200g: 50,000 – 70,000 VND/cake
- No yolk, 150g – 180g: 40,000 – 60,000 VND/cake
Jelly Mooncakes
Jelly mooncakes are different from traditional Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes with their crust made from flour and sugar syrup. This type of mooncake stands out with its jiggly, cool jelly crust. Therefore, jelly mooncakes are not only easy to eat but also easy to make at home, without requiring much time or special equipment. You can make jelly mooncakes with fillings of your choice, such as flan, green tea, mung bean, durian, etc., with a very simple process.
Price Range:
- Flan filling, 130g – 150g: 35,000 – 50,000 VND/cake
- Mung bean or red bean filling, 130g – 150g: 35,000 – 50,000 VND/cake
- Cheese filling, 130g – 150g: 60,000 – 85,000 VND/cake
Modern Mooncakes
Fresh Mooncakes
Fresh mooncakes are a new twist compared to traditional Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes. These cakes are usually handmade and consumed within 1-2 days. Notably, fresh mooncakes contain fewer additives, so their shelf life is short, ranging from 5 to 7 days.
Despite this, fresh mooncakes still offer a variety of fillings and shapes. You can find savory fillings like roasted chicken or barbecue pork, or sweet fillings such as mung bean, red bean, or taro, depending on personal preference.
Flower Pattern Mooncakes
Flower pattern mooncakes will captivate you at first sight with their colorful crust and intricate 3D floral designs. The filling usually consists of popular sweet fillings like mung bean, lotus seed, or red bean. Therefore, flower pattern mooncakes are not only visually appealing but also easy to eat, suiting various tastes.
Price Range:
Savory filling:
- 1 yolk, 150g: 65,000 – 75,000 VND/cake
- 2 yolks, 180g – 200g: 90,000 – 110,000 VND/cake
- No yolk, 150g: 45,000 – 60,000 VND/cake
Sweet filling:
- 1 yolk, 150g: 55,000 – 65,000 VND/cake
- 2 yolks, 180g – 200g: 70,000 – 85,000 VND/cake
- No yolk, 130g – 150g: 40,000 – 55,000 VND/cake
Prices may vary depending on the complexity of the floral designs on the crust.
Charcoal Powder Baked Mooncakes
Charcoal powder baked mooncakes follow a similar recipe to traditional mooncakes. However, these mooncakes include charcoal powder to provide additional health benefits. The filling usually consists of familiar ingredients such as salted egg yolk, lotus seed, or mung bean.
Although charcoal powder baked mooncakes don’t stand out much in terms of flavor, when combined with the filling, the crust creates a unique experience, with less sweetness but still very appealing.
Price Range:
- 80g: 55,000 – 65,000 VND/cake
- 150g: 85,000 – 95,000 VND/cake
Taiwanese Thousand-Layer Mooncakes
Taiwanese thousand-layer mooncakes are known for their multiple layers of crispy crust. Additionally, the chewy mochi filling, combined with salted egg yolk and sweet runny yolk, create a harmonious and delicious blend. These components come together to create a new and tasty experience. Taiwanese thousand-layer mooncakes are an interesting choice if you want to try something different this Mid-Autumn Festival.
Price Range: 120,000 – 140,000 VND/box of 6 pieces.
Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake Prices 2024 by Brand
Currently, there are many well-known mooncake brands on the market. Each brand offers a variety of different mooncakes with unique flavors and prices. Below are some price lists from popular mooncake brands:
Kinh Đô Mooncake Price List
Below is Kinh Do’s Mid-Autumn Festival price list in 2024:
Như Lan Mooncake Price List
Below is Nhu Lan’s Mid-Autumn Festival price list in 2024:
Girval Mooncake Price List
Below is Girval’s Mid-Autumn Festival price list in 2024:
Hữu Nghị Mooncake Price List
Below is Huu Nghi’s Mid-Autumn Festival price list in 2024:
Tips for Buying Delicious Mooncakes
Most of us buy mooncakes to enjoy or give as gifts. Therefore, choosing a quality, safe product is very important. Below are some tips to help you choose delicious mooncakes:
Choose a reputable, high-quality brand
The simplest way to ensure that your mooncake is both delicious and safe is to choose reputable brands with clear origins. You can check the packaging to ensure the mooncake has complete information such as the manufacturer’s name, production address, usage instructions, and storage guidelines.
Additionally, you should buy mooncakes from brands trusted by many people, authorized by relevant authorities, and with food safety certifications. Avoid being tempted by cheap prices and buying mooncakes of unclear origin, as there is a high risk of unsafe ingredients leading to food poisoning.
Observe the packaging
A safe mooncake should have intact packaging, with no tears or air leaks, as these can affect the cake’s quality. Moreover, the packaging should be clear, displaying all the necessary information such as product name, place of production, ingredients, weight, expiration date, and storage instructions. Each mooncake should have a separate moisture-absorbing packet to keep it fresh longer.
Avoid buying mooncakes with unclear origin or expired products. Also, if the packaging shows unusual signs like yellow, green, or white spots, do not purchase them as these may indicate spoilage or mold.
Check the expiration date of the mooncake
Mooncakes have a short shelf life, usually not exceeding 3 months, to ensure their quality, whether baked or snow skin.
Due to the high humidity in our climate, improper storage of mooncakes can cause them to spoil even before their expiration date. For the best experience, you should consume the mooncakes soon after purchase.
If you cannot use them immediately, follow the storage instructions on the packaging. Ensure the mooncakes are stored in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight.
Pay attention to the mooncake ingredients
You should pay attention to the ingredients when choosing mooncakes to suit your taste and needs, or those of the recipient. For example, if selecting mooncakes for someone with diabetes, opt for low-sugar mooncakes or those made with diabetic-friendly sugar substitutes.
Additionally, mooncakes made from fresh ingredients like mung beans, red beans, lotus seeds, or egg yolk tend to taste better and are healthier.
Observe the color of the mooncake
Delicious baked mooncakes usually have a moderate sheen, and when pressed, they should feel resilient and soft. For snow skin mooncakes, the surface will be dusted with a layer of flour, and when pressed, they should not be mushy or sticky.
When selecting mooncakes with eye-catching colors like green or purple, check whether the color is natural or artificial. Prioritize mooncakes using natural colorings from ingredients such as purple sweet potato, green tea, durian, and pandan leaves, and avoid those with excessive food coloring.
Check the filling
A delicious moon cake will have a soft crust and give off a unique aroma. Furthermore, the filling needs to be soft and smooth, with a rich and delicious flavor from ingredients such as melon seeds, ham, sausage, etc. For flexible cakes, you should feel the natural aroma of filling, like green beans, lotus seeds, or red beans.
Conclusion
Above are the most delicious and popular moon cakes on the market. Depending on your preferences and needs, you can choose the appropriate type of cake. Please follow F&B Business Experience for more useful information!
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