Using a classic Asian flavor combination, these matcha red bean mooncakes are a modern take on traditional mooncakes. A matcha flavored mooncake skin is filled with a rich red bean paste, and baked to perfection. In this blog post, learn how to save time by using store-bought fillings, how to adjust your ingredients for different mooncake molds, and how to achieve consistent results every time.

Matcha red bean mooncakes on a white table.

One of my favorite combinations is matcha and red bean. It’s such a classic Asian flavor combination and for good reason! The bitterness in the matcha balances out the sweetness in the red bean so well. The colors of both also look so good together. Given how well these two ingredients go together, I thought it would be cool to create matcha red bean mooncakes just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival. A matcha flavored mooncake skin filled with a rich, decadent red bean paste. Not only is this mooncake recipe beautiful to look at, it is just so good.

Matcha red bean mooncakes on a baking sheet after they have been baked.

How my family celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival

My family doesn’t do anything big for the Mid-Autumn Festival. We essentially just buy and eat mooncakes. The traditional mooncakes I get are a rich cake filled with a sweet paste traditionally made with lotus seeds and a salted egg (typically a salted duck egg). However, they have evolved over the years and include unique fillings as well as no bake variations like snow skin mooncakes. Over the years I’ve come to love the more modern variations because I love new, unique flavor combinations. Some that I’ve made include Dubai Chocolate Mooncakes and Fig and Pecan Mooncakes that taste like fig newtons! These matcha red bean mooncakes would be considered one of the more modern mooncake flavors.

Matcha red bean mooncakes on a baking sheet before they are baked.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

  • Vegetable oil – Any kind of neutral oil will work. A good substitute is grapeseed oil.
  • Matcha powder – This provides the green color and matcha flavor to the mooncakes. I personally love using Aiya culinary grade matcha powder. I debated a lot how much matcha powder to put in these mooncakes. I tested 7 grams and 13 grams and found that while more matcha had more flavor, it distorted the design on top. The green color was also too intense for me. That’s why I reduced it to 7 grams. If it’s more important for you to have more matcha flavor, use up to 13 grams.
  • Red bean paste – You can either buy pre-made red bean paste from the store or make your own at home. To save time, I like to buy mine pre-made. It can be found at Asian grocery stores or on Amazon.

Equipment you will need

The equipment is essential to this recipe! You will need:

  • Mooncake molds – These will stamp the pretty designs on top of the mooncakes. You can use either 50g or 100g molds. I used 50g molds. This recipe makes 12 50g mooncakes. Here I linked the exact mooncake molds I used for this recipe.
  • Kitchen scale – DO NOT skip out on a kitchen scale. Mooncakes are made in either 50g or 100g molds, so it is important the weight of the ingredients equal the weight of your molds. This helps you get uniform mooncakes every time.

How to make matcha red bean mooncakes

Wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Add all the wet ingredients for the dough to a bowl.
Matcha dough in a mixing bowl.
Add the dry ingredients and combine into a dough. Rest for 30 minutes.
Red bean paste rolled into balls on a white plate.
Separate red bean paste into 12 30-gram balls.

Prepping your mooncake skin and filling

First, make the dough for your mooncake skin. Combine 84 g of golden syrup, 25 g of vegetable oil, 7 g lye water, 120 g of all purpose flour, and 7 g of matcha powder in a bowl. Mix together until a soft dough forms. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, divide 360 g of red bean paste into 12 30-gram balls. Set aside.

Tip #1: Make sure to use a kitchen scale for the most consistent results!

Matcha dough rolled into a ball on parchment paper.
Measure out 20 grams of matcha dough. Roll into a ball.
Matcha dough flattened between 2 pieces of parchment paper.
Sandwich the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll out into a disc.
Red bean paste in the center of matcha dough.
Place a red bean paste ball in the center.
Red bean paste enveloped in matcha dough.
Envelop the red bean paste ball with the dough.
Matcha red bean mooncake dough ball.
Roll between your palms until a uniform ball forms.

Forming your mooncakes

Once rested, measure out 20 grams of the matcha dough. Next, roll the mooncake skin into a ball and flatten it into a thin disk. I like to use 2 pieces of parchment paper to roll out my dough (see pictures above for reference). I found it prevents the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and it rolls out easier.

Enclose the filling with the skin. The disk won’t completely enclose the filling, so you’ll need to gently press the outside of the ball to stretch the skin over the filling. The motion you want to make is similar to how you would put a rubber band onto a ball or a cylinder. You roll your fingers over the rubber band until it reaches the position you’re aiming for. Once you get skin around the filling, roll between your hands to form a smooth ball.

Mooncakes on a parchment paper.
Place the dough ball into a mooncake mold and press it onto a baking sheet. Repeat this for all the dough balls.
Baked mooncakes on a baking sheet.
Bake for 5 minutes. Brush with egg wash and bake for 10 minutes more.

Repeat this process for every mooncake until you run out of filling or dough. Now it’s time to put them in the molds! Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper. Make sure to have your molds ready. Coat the mold with a light layer of flour. Shake out the excess. This will help the mooncake to release easily from the molds. Place each mooncake into the molds and press down firmly onto the baking sheet. Next, lift the mooncake a little bit and push it out of the molds. Repeat this for every mooncake. Let the mooncakes cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to an hour. I like to cool mine for an hour. The purpose of this step is to make sure the pattern on top holds in the oven.

Tip #2: Press the mooncake molds down for at least 10 seconds to better stamp the pattern into the mooncake.

Baking the mooncakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Bake the mooncakes for 5 minutes. Make the egg wash by combining 1 egg yolk and 3 tbsp of whole milk. Whisk until smooth. Take the mooncakes out and brush them lightly on top with the egg wash. Put them back in the oven and bake for another 7-9 minutes. Cool them for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then on a cooling rack to cool completely. For the best results, put them in the fridge to rest for 24 hours before eating.

Tip #3: Make sure to use a very light egg wash on the mooncakes. If you brush too much egg wash over the top, it will distort the pattern.

Filling to skin ratio

The filling to skin ratio I use is 30g of filling to 20g of skin. For a 100g mooncake, I use 60g of filling to 40g of skin. For a 75g mold, I would use 45g of filling to 30g of skin. It’s important to know this ratio so you can play with the amount of fillings you use. Remember, always use a kitchen scale for consistent results!

Matcha red bean mooncakes on a white table.

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Matcha red bean mooncakes on a white table.

Get the Recipe:
Rich & Decadent Matcha Red Bean Mooncakes

Prep: 2 hours
Cook: 15 minutes
Yield: 12 mooncakes
Author: Becca Du
A rich and decadent matcha red bean mooncake just in time for the Mid Autumn Festival.
5 from 2 ratings
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Ingredients
 
 

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Combine 84 g of golden syrup, 25 g of peanut oil, 7 g lye water, 120 g of all purpose flour, and 7 g of matcha powder in a bowl. Mix together until a soft dough forms. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
  • While the dough is resting, divide 360 g of red bean paste into 12 30-gram balls. Set aside.
  • Once rested, measure out 20 grams of the matcha dough.
  • Next, roll the mooncake skin into a ball and flatten it into a thin disk. I like to use 2 pieces of parchment paper to roll out my dough (see pictures above for reference). I found it prevents the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and it rolls out easier.
  • Enclose the filling with the skin. The disk won’t completely enclose the filling, so you’ll need to gently press the outside of the ball to stretch the skin over the filling. The motion you want to make is similar to how you would put a rubber band onto a ball or a cylinder. You roll your fingers over the rubber band until it reaches the position you’re aiming for. Once you get skin around the filling, roll between your hands to form a smooth ball.
  • Repeat this process for every mooncake until you run out of filling or dough. Now it’s time to put them in the molds! Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper. Make sure to have your molds ready.
  • Coat the mold with a light layer of flour. Shake out the excess. This will help the mooncake to release easily from the molds.
  • Place each mooncake into the molds and press down firmly onto the baking sheet. Next, lift the mooncake a little bit and push it out of the molds. Repeat this for every mooncake.
  • Let the mooncakes cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to an hour. I like to cool mine for an hour. The purpose of this step is to make sure the pattern on top holds in the oven.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
  • Bake the mooncakes for 5 minutes.
  • Make the egg wash by combining 1 egg yolk and 3 tbsp of whole milk. Whisk until smooth. Take the mooncakes out and brush them lightly on top with the egg wash. Put them back in the oven and bake for another 7-9 minutes.
  • Cool them for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then on a cooling rack to cool completely. For the best results, put them in the fridge to rest for 24 hours before eating.

Notes

  1. To save time, you can buy red bean paste pre-made from the store. It is also available on Amazon.
  2. This recipe makes 12 50-gram mooncakes or 6 100-gram mooncakes.
  3. Use a kitchen scale!! For the most consistent results, use a kitchen scale and measure every ingredient in grams.
  4. How do you store mooncakes? Mooncakes are best enjoyed after they have been refrigerated overnight. Store mooncakes in an airtight container for up to a month in the fridge.
Serving: 1mooncake, Calories: 169kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 2mg, Potassium: 18mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 57IU, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg
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