Pretty Mochi Mooncakes with Creamy Custard: See How I Made Them From Scratch!

October 1, 2020. Sunny and cool. Mochi Mooncakes with Creamy Custard.

Jump to Recipe

Today I had so much fun putting together these Mochi Mooncakes with Creamy Custard. I always wondered how difficult it would be to create such an iconic Asian traditional celebration cake. I like this modern twist on the elegant and reliable Harvest festival round cakes. It also helps that my kids love mochi ice cream and all the ingredients are similar!

I am such a nerd and love my kitchen gadgets! 😊 I bought this mooncake stamp mold back in the spring with the vague idea of making mooncakes someday. Well, that someday is today!

I started to search for a recipe for something that doesn’t take days to put together and landed on this one by omnivorecookbook.com. The instructions were clear and there were no difficult-to-find ingredients on the list. I was sold!

There are 4 essential steps to these cute mochi mooncakes: first, we make the custard filling; second, we make the mochi outer wrapper; third, we assemble the dough with filling; fourth we mold the cakes into fun shapes. That’s it. The key thing is to make sure you are patient and let things cool down or rest before proceeding to the next step.

Without further ado, let’s get to it!

Ingredients

The items are listed in roughly the order they are used. The first group has the ingredients for the delicious creamy custard. Next come the items for the outer mochi rice flour wrapper.

Custard Filling
6 Tbs (40 g) cornstarch
2 tsp (5 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (112 g) granulated sugar
5 large egg yolks
2 cups (480 g) whole milk
2 Tbs (30 g) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mooncake Dough
1 cup (120 g) glutinous rice flour
1 cup (120 g) rice flour
½ cup (60 g) cornstarch, extra for dusting
¾ cup (100 g) confectioners icing sugar
1½ cup (350 g) whole milk
⅓ cup (55 g) vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
a few drops of gel food coloring, red and green

You will need a small mooncake mold and a large steamer for this recipe.

Making Mochi Mooncakes with Creamy Custard from Scratch

Making Creamy Custard

In a small saucepan, add milk and a quarter cup of sugar. Heat and stir over medium low heat. Cook until it reaches about 120°F/ 49°C (no more than 150°F / 65°C). Do not overheat.

• 

• 

Next, mix the cornstarch, all-purpose flour, and a quarter cup of sugar in a large bowl. In a small bowl, add the egg yolks and stir a few times to mix. After that, pour the yolks into the dry mixture. Mix well.

• 

• 

• 

Next, add warm milk to the egg yolk mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time. Whisk constantly until the milk is fully incorporated and the mixture is thin and smooth. Pour the thin mixture back into the saucepan (the one you used to heat the milk).

• 

• 

• 

Place the saucepan on a burner at medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens (about 5 minutes). Keep a close eye on the mixture as it thickens suddenly. When that happens, give it a few more stirs and quickly remove from stove. Stir in the butter, vanilla extract and mix well.

• 

• 

Chilling the Custard

Next, line a large deep plate (a casserole dish is perfect for this) with plastic wrap. Place a large mesh strainer on top. Strain the custard into the lined plate and press with a spatula to remove lumps. Cover the custard with plastic cling wrap. Press the wrap against the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Chill the custard in the fridge for about 1 hour. You may also speed things up by popping it into the freezer for 30 minutes.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Making Mochi Wrapper

While the custard is chilling, let’s prepare the mooncake mochi dough.
Prepare a large bowl (an oven-proof glass bowl works well) that can fit into your steamer. Set aside. Prepare your steamer by adding water and heating on medium low.

• 

In a medium bowl, add the glutinous rice flour, rice flour, and cornstarch. Mix well with a fork. Sift in confectioner’s icing sugar and press the sugar to break any lumps. In a small bowl mix milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Gradually add the wet mixture into the well. Stir until everything is well combined and a watery batter is formed. When ready, carefully strain this batter into the large prepared bowl to remove any lumps.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Steaming Mochi Dough

When ready, carefully place the bowl with the batter into the prepared steamer – the water should be bubbling and steaming. (Be vigilant not to get burned by the hot steam!) Cover and steam until the batter is cooked completely, about 20 minutes. After 15 minutes, examine the dough by inserting a spoon into the middle. If needed, scrape the middle to expose any uncooked dough and cook a little longer. It is done when the dough is stiff and the spoon comes out clean.

• 

• 

Carefully transfer the bowl to a trivet and cool for 5-10 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape the dough from the bowl and knead it until most of the dough sticks together.

Kneading and Dividing Dough

When the dough has cooled, tip it onto a clean working surface. I find using a pastry mat works well. Do not add flour or oil to the work surface. Knead the dough until it is soft and smooth, about 5 minutes.

• 

• 

To make the mooncakes the same size, use a kitchen scale when dividing the dough. Divide the dough into 3 pieces and roll them into balls. Wrap one ball with plastic cling wrap and set aside. For the remaining 2 balls, add a few drops of food coloring (adjust to preference) to each and knead the dough until the color is well incorporated. When ready, cover with plastic cling wrap. Transfer all 3 balls into the fridge, and chill for 30 minutes.

Assembling the Mochi Mooncakes with Creamy Custard

Take out the chilled custard to form little balls. Using a measuring spoon, scoop a tablespoon of custard and roll into a ball. If weighing, each ball should be approx 25 grams. Keeping the custard cold helps manage the stickiness. Transfer the formed custard balls into a container, cover with plastic cling wrap and return to fridge for another 30 minutes.

Next, form the mooncake dough into balls. Similar to the custard, measure 25 grams of dough, or measure one tablespoon of rounded dough and form into a ball with your hands. Place the dough balls into a container (I used a cookie sheet), and cover with plastic cling wrap. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or so.

• 

• 

Putting the Custard and Dough Together

Start assembly by placing the plate with the dough balls next to your clean work surface. Cut out 2 pieces of plastic cling wrap. This is used to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface and rolling pin. Place one dough ball on top of the cling wrap. Then place the second one on top. Use a rolling pin to roll into an even, thin, round disc about 4”to 5″ (9 to 10 cm) in diameter.

For the next step, you can assemble the mooncakes on your hands or on the work surface. Either way works. I’ve shared pictures to show both ways below:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Place a custard ball in the center of the wrapper. Gather the wrapper onto the top of the custard filling. Press the edges firmly together to form a little round purse. Pinch off the extra dough at the top. Once done, place the mooncake pleated-side-down onto a tray. Cover loosely with plastic cling wrap to prevent drying out. Repeat until all the custard fillings are wrapped.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Shaping and Molding

Select and install the pattern plate into the mooncake mold. Dust the mooncake with a thin layer of cornstarch. Use your fingers to gently spread the cornstarch over the surface. This prevents the mooncake from sticking to the mold press.

• 

• 

• 

Next, carefully place the wrapped mooncake balls into the mold, with the smooth surface facing against the pattern plate. Then, place the mold press onto a clean, flat surface. Gently press the lever, until you can feel the mooncake pressed up against the plate and work surface. Hold the press down for 30 seconds. Release and push the mooncake out of the mold. You’ve just made your first mooncake! Repeat until all the mooncakes are imprinted and molded.

• 

• 

• 

Notes on Mochi Mooncakes with Creamy Custard

Mochi mooncakes taste best when eaten the same day they are made. Uneaten mooncakes can be stored in airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Simply remove chilled mooncake from the fridge and thaw to room temperature (20 minutes) before eating. Do not freeze. 

For folks new to mochi, I’ve found a fun read about mochi: https://sweetsofjapan.com/mochi/what-is-mochi-a-beginners-guide-to-mochi/

This recipe was adapted from https://omnivorescookbook.com/snow-skin-mooncake-custard/

More Fab Food Ideas:

Have you seen all these vintage cakes that are making a comeback? I made this beautiful retro upside down citrus cake and my family loved it. Check it out here => Unique Retro Upside Down Four Citrus Cake

Look at this cute pumpkin shaped whole wheat bread I made! I took my husband’s favorite whole wheat bread and turned it from drab to fab => How to make Whole Wheat Bread Pretty!

Have you ever made these cute Taiyaki? Japanese filled pancakes that are shaped like fish? See how I made them here => How to make Fun Festive Japanese Fish-Shaped Pancakes!