Peninsula Moon Cake

So I am exactly one week late on this.  To be honest, my shipment was late, so that'll be my excuse

 What is this???  I had Moon Cake shipped from Hong Kong for the Mid-Autum Festival.  Most Asian countries has the beautifully packaged moon cake packages, from the individual cake, to the box, to the gift back.

 As you can see above, the bag matches, the box.  Traditionally, they are to be stored in tin box, mainly because moon cake traditionally are made in the summer time, and in order for them to last from summer to late August/September in the heat, folks used tins to keep the freshness.  That's why so many Asian parents has all those tin boxes.  But, as technology advances, that is less and less, and allowed for more the look appeal.

 The hotel is very proud to tell you that they're the one who revolutionized the moon cake by putting a custard egg inside the moon cake.  Mainly because the yolk is very much like the moon, that's why.

The box comes in 8, and they're very dainty.  I love that they're individually wrapped and easy to take with you on the go.  That said, each cake is 150 cal which is pretty awesome, given that most moon cakes are pretty rich in the filling.  Many news stories had broke down the cal on the various combination of ingredients, fillings, and size.  

That said, the cake has very thin outer layer (aka the skin), and the filling inside, are usually lotus seed paste or red bean (adzuki) paste filling.  So, imagine the past plus a custard yolk, that's very very rich of a dessert.  This one in particular wasn't rich, since most of the filling was taken up by the yolk which is typically salty.  But, the salty taste wasn't over empowering, and as a matter of fact, it's pretty light in comparison of the traditional ones.  

These days and age, it is easier for people to make these at home, though it's still nice to buy with the nice packaging and what not.  That said, they do have the 'iced skin' which is a nice jelly texture to envelope the pastry instead of the baked dough ones.  There's alot more creativity into the process and ingredients.  That said, having a traditional one every once in a while it's nice too.

Apparently each Peninsula Hotels across US do accept orders for Moon Cakes, but since the season is over, better luck next year!

Peninsula Hotel

Chicago: https://www.peninsula.com/en/chicago/special-offers/dining/mooncakes

Boutique in Hong Kong: https://www.peninsulaboutique.com/hk/en/