Looking for a modern, decadent twist on the traditional salted egg yolk mooncake? If you love chocolate, this Ferrero Rocher mooncake recipe is the ultimate game-changer to elevate your Mid-Autumn Festival baking lineup.
Traditionally, mooncakes feature a rich, salted egg yolk at the center to symbolize the full moon. This recipe flips the script by swapping the yolk for a whole Ferrero Rocher chocolate. It perfectly mimics the look of a golden yolk while adding an unexpected, spectacular hazelnut crunch to every single bite.
Why This Recipe Works
- The Ultimate Shortcut: No messy egg yolk curing or prep required.
- Textural Contrast: Soft mooncake skin meets a crisp, crunchy hazelnut shell.
- Crowd Pleaser: Younger generations, kids, and chocolate lovers absolutely adore it.
The Perfect Filling Balance
While you can use almost any filling you like, getting the flavor balance right is key to preventing chocolate fatigue:
- Red Bean Paste (Top Choice): The natural, earthy sweetness of red bean cuts through the heavy chocolate perfectly. It creates a beautiful, well-balanced flavor harmony.
- Lotus Seed Paste (Alternative): A smooth, classic, and subtle option that lets the hazelnut center take center stage.
- Pro Tip (What to Avoid): Skip the chocolate paste filling. Pairing a chocolate paste base with a Ferrero Rocher core makes the mooncake overwhelmingly rich and heavy.
Ferrero Rocher Mooncake
Makes about 12 mooncakes
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 70 g peanut oil
- 200 g golden syrup
- 5 ml lye water
- 150 g Hong Kong flour
- 170 g plain flour
FILLING
- 1.2 kg red bean paste
- 12 Ferrero Rocher
FOR EGG WASH
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 egg white
- 3/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
DOUGH
- Mix Hong Kong flour and plain flour together in a bowl.
- In another small bowl, add oil, golden syrup and lye water and mix everything well.
- Slowly add the golden syrup mixture to the flour mixture and mix evenly until it forms a dough.
- Cover the dough and set aside to rest for at least 1 hour.
FILLING
- Roll red bean paste into a ball and set aside.
ASSEMBLY
- Weigh portions of dough of 50 g each.
- For the red bean paste, weigh portions of 100 g each.
- Make a depression in the red bean paste, insert a Ferrero Rocher, wrap and roll into a ball.
- Roll a piece of dough flat and place the red bean paste ball in the center. Wrap the filling completely by slowly pushing the dough up the sides. Gently roll into a ball and flour it lightly.
- Press the ball into a lightly floured mooncake mould. Press the mould plunger firmly (holding the base) and gently lift it up to release the mooncake.
- For wooden or plastic mould, place the ball into the cavity, level it and press firmly. Gently knock the mould to release the mooncake.
- Spray water all over the mooncakes to prevent the dough from cracking. (Edit: I have tested and found that it is better to leave out this step. You can prevent dough from cracking by lengthening cooling time to 10 to 15 minutes).
- Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Brush the mooncakes with egg wash.
- Bake again for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Place on a wire rack to cool completely before storing in airtight containers.
Notes
- Let the mooncakes rest for 2-3 days after baking to get a richer colour, texture and flavour. The skin will turn soft, shiny and moist as the oil from the mooncake is released.
- When storing, do not place parchment paper under the mooncakes as that will slow down the maturing process.
- Amount of filling depends on the size of mould.
- Reduce the amount of melon seeds to 100 g or 120 g, if you do not like so many seeds in the filling.