The origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival go back some 3,000 years, and mooncakes are so-named as these baked treats were meant to be eaten while gazing at the moon. Folklore suggests that mooncakes were used during the Ming revolution, when secret messages of rebellion against the reigning Mongol empire were smuggled within the baked goods. Today, instead of revolutionary messages, these tasty treats harbour everything from alcohol to chocolate.
Besides rolling out stunning mooncake boxes perfect for gifting this Mid-Autumn Festival, chefs and hotels have also introduced a plethora of new flavours spanning both traditional and snowskin mooncakes.
You might be a fan of the more traditional baked-skin cake with lotus paste and a salted egg core, but don’t turn your nose up at the new offerings. Strong showings from pastry chefs include those with a playful alcoholic twist, as well as the incorporation of local flavours such as teh tarik. Below, 15 mooncakes to try this season.
https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/gourmet-travel/mid-autumn-festival-2018-15-mooncakes-with-unusual-flavours/
Mooncakes with unusual flavours 2018
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01 Açaí berry and chia seeds snowskin mooncake | Raffles Hotel Singapore
The new snowskin offering from the Raffles Hotel has a lotus paste filling, and a core of Greek yoghurt with açaí berry and chia seeds, known to be superfoods that are rich in anti-oxidants. The core has a refreshing, tangy taste that balances out the sweetness of the lotus paste. A sinful and indulgent treat, but one with a big nutritional punch thanks to some wholesome ingredients.
Price: S$72 for a box of 8
Availability: 1 June – 16 September (online), 3 August – 24 September (hotel lobby)
Raffles Hotel Singapore, 1 Beach Rd, Singapore 189673. Tel: 6412 1122
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02 Barrel-aged Sazerac six-year-old rye with coffee and chocolate mooncake | Regent Hotel Singapore
The absolute must-try from this hotel is the Barrel-aged Sazerac 6 year-old Rye with Coffee and Chocolate Mooncake. A collaboration between Summer Palace dim sum chef Leong Kwok Sing and Manhattan bar manager Philip Bischoff, this exquisite snowskin mooncake exuded the spicy smell of the American whiskey the moment we broke into the cake. What’s special is the fact that the whiskey in the mooncake has been further aged for 25 days at the Regent’s unique Rickhouse. There, the whiskey matures in port-washed oak barrels, a process that gives the whiskey a intensely sweeter and aromatic flavour. When eaten, what comes to the fore are the nutty notes of the dense chocolate-and-coffee paste. Overall, this mooncake has a pleasing, tiramisu-like flavour, making it quite the conversation-starter if you’re eating this in a group.
Price: S$73 for a box of 8
Availability: 1 August – 24 September (online), 20 August – 24 September (in Summer Palace Restaurant)
Regent Hotel Singapore, Summer Palace, Level 3, 1 Cuscaden Rd, Singapore 249715. Tel: 6725 3288/9
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03 Barrel-aged La Louisiane cocktail with yuzu and green bean paste mooncake | Regent Hotel Singapore
The other new flavour from the Regent is another play on alcohol. This time, it’s all found in the very core of the cake. The snowskin cake is a mostly green bean paste concoction, but there’s a surprise in the centre — one that contains the very spirit of a Creole cocktail. The core itself is encased in a chocolate shell. Inside is a yuzu filling infused with a “cocktail” mix of High West’s OMG Pure Rye whiskey, Mancino Rosso vermouth and Dom Benedictine liqueur. This mixture is poured into barrels in the Regent’s Rickhouse and are aged for a month before they’re used in the mooncake. The maturation process helps infuse the flavours and leaves the mix with a sweet, sharp taste that’s all a contrast to the traditional green bean flavour.
Price: S$73 for a box of 8
Availability: 1 August – 24 September (online), 20 August – 24 September (in Summer Palace Restaurant)
Regent Hotel Singapore, Summer Palace, Level 3, 1 Cuscaden Rd, Singapore 249715. Opens 12pm – 2.30pm and 6.30pm – 10.30pm, Tel: 6725 3288/9
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04 Blueberry with vintage hua diao wine mooncake | Hua Ting Restaurant, Orchard Hotel
When Hua Ting Restaurant released its Blueberry with Vintage Hua Diao Wine Mooncake in 2016, it became a best-seller. The luscious lilac-hued snowskin mooncake features the tart taste of blueberries (the inner layers of the cake are speckled with generous bits of the berry), and each bite is punctuated with definitive hints of 30-year-old Chen Nian Hua Tiao (Vintage Rice Wine).
Price: $69 for a box of 8
Availability: 16 August – 24 September (hotel lobby)
Hua Ting Restaurant @ Orchard Hotel, 442 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238879, available for sale from 12pm – 8pm at Hotel Lobby Kiosk, Tel: 6739 6577
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05 Sea salt caramel with taro and shredded coconut mooncake | Cherry Garden Restaurant, Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Cherry Garden Restaurant’s newly released Sea Salt Caramel with Taro and Shredded Coconut Mooncake is a creative mix of Chinese and western ingredients. The baked skin features delicious sea salt caramel, while the inner core of taro contains fine shreds of coconut, set in lotus paste with sea salt. It’s an explosion on the palate, with the sweet taro and coconut taking centre stage.
Price: S$82 for a box of 4
Availability: 16 August – 24 September (in-store and hotel lobby)
Cherry Garden Restaurant @ Mandarin Oriental Singapore, 5 Raffles Ave, Singapore 039797, Opens 12pm – 230pm and 630pm – 1030pm, Tel: 6885 3081
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06 Chicken bak-kwa baked with assorted nuts mooncake | Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
If you’re into savoury mooncakes, this one from Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel is for you. The Chicken Bak-Kwa Baked with Assorted Nuts Mooncake puts the chicken bak kwa at front-and-centre, with chunky pieces found in the filling. Sesame paste and sweet rice flour bind together a medley of nutrient-rich ingredients — melon seeds, American almonds, sesame seeds, macadamia nuts, melon candy and kumquat. A very rich and crunchy treat.
Price: S$70 for a box of 4
Availability: 20 August – 24 September (hotel lobby)
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, 320 Orchard Road, Singapore 238865, Tel: 6831 4708
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07 Teh tarik with chocolate truffle snowskin mooncake | Grand Hyatt Hotel
Local tea, anyone? Grand Hyatt’s new Teh Tarik with Chocolate Truffle Snowskin Mooncake has captured our attention. Expect rich flavours, and an intense creaminess that comes from an indulgent chocolate and teh tarik truffle core — an unexpected but perfect complement to the mooncake’s lotus paste.
Price: S$78 for a box of 8
Availability: 1 August – 24 September (online), 17 August – 24 September (Lobby Shop at hotel’s ground floor)
Grand Hyatt Hotel, 10 Scotts Road, Singapore 228211. Opens 11am – 10.30pm, Tel: 6887 5492
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08 Milo dinosaur snowskin mooncake | The Fullerton Hotel Singapore
The Fullerton’s decidedly local take on mooncakes leans on plenty of nostalgia. We particularly like the Milo Dinosaur Snowskin Mooncake that features supple snowskin on the outside, and smooth, milk lotus seed paste and crispy Milo bits on the inside. Another equally delectable option is the Yuzu with Chia Seeds Snowskin Mooncake, with a tangy paste. A crowd favourite is the Pandan with Gula Melaka Snow Skin Mooncake — a harmonious blend of aromatic pandan and palm sugar.
Price: S$61 for a box of 4
Availability: 11 August – 24 September (online and in-store)
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, The Fullerton Cake Boutique, 1 Fullerton Square, Singapore 049178. Opens 10am – 8pm, Tel: 6877 8943
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09 Salted yolk hae bee hiam mooncake | Antoinette
It’s spicy, it’s sweet, it’s salty, and features a huge burst of flavour of of Hae Bee Hiam from the first bite. Created by Antoinette’s owner Chef Pang Kok Keong, the Salted Yolk Hae Bee Hiam Mooncake is one that caters to the everyday Singaporean who loves a little spiciness in everything they eat. This is the first mooncake, to our knowledge, that features Hae Bee Hiam. It’s worked in with the salted egg yolk, and encrusted in the middle of the lotus seed paste studded with pumpkin seeds. Chef Pang also took a “less sugar added” approach for the paste, which led to a very balanced — and we must say — addictive offering.
Price: S$60 for a box of 4
Availability: From 16 July, while stocks last (pre-orders online, via email or phone calls), From 13 August, while stocks last (in-store)
Antoinette, Mandarin Gallery, 333A Orchard Road, #02-33/34, Singapore 238897. Opens 11am – 10pm, Tel: 6293 3121, Email: sweets@sugardaddy.com.sg
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10 The Awfully Chocolate mooncake collection | Awfully Chocolate
We wish life was like a box of… mooncakes. At least, when Awfully Chocolate is involved. The presentation is lovely, and so is the selection. Note-worthy in this presentation are the Chocolate Brownie with Melon Seed, which is a moist, textured bite; and the Crunchy Hazelnut Croquant, with chocolate lotus paste and hazelnuts wrapped in a chocolate skin.
Price: S$88 for a box of 4 (1 flavour each)
Availability: 22 August – 24 September (online and in-store)
Awfully Chocolate, Available in all 16 stores, Opens 10am – 10pm, Tel: 6345 8212
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11 Lychee and soursop mooncake | Hai Tien Lou, Pan Pacific Singapore
Palate-cleansing and refreshing — that’s what this Lychee & Soursop Mooncake from Pan Pacific’s Hai Tien Lou is. You’re first struck by the pretty, jade-green hue, and when you take a bite, you find the light fruitiness to be utterly delicious. Prepare yourself for a contrast of flavours, as the sweet, lychee paste is complemented by zesty bits of soursop. Then, there’s the delightful, herbaceous after-taste that makes this cake very more-ish.
Price: S$68.80 for a box of 4
Availability: 23 July – 24 September (online)
Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square, Mooncake Booth at Level 1, Hai Tien Lo at Level 3, Singapore 039595, Opens 11am to 9pm, Tel: 9009 5936
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12 White lotus paste and charcoal black sesame paste with pine nuts mooncake | Peach Blossoms, Marina Mandarin Singapore
Peach Blossoms celebrates this Mid-Autumn festival with its new White Lotus Paste and Charcoal Black Sesame Paste with Pine Nuts Mooncake. When we tried this one, we were struck by the delightful fragrance of black sesame and crunch from the pine nuts. Another offering is the classic Charcoal Black Sesame Paste with Melon Seeds and Gold Dust Mooncake, which is topped off with a sprinkle of gold dust for a luxe little extra.
Price: S$68.80 for a box of 4
Availability: 16 August – 24 September (online and in-store)
Marina Mandarin Singapore, 6 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square, Singapore 039594. Purchase from Cafe Mocha (Level 1), open from 10am – 7pm; and Peach Blossoms (Level 5), open from 7pm – 10pm. Tel: 6845 1118
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13 Black truffle sea salt dark chocolate with white lotus seed paste mooncake | Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant, Sheraton Towers Singapore
Chefs at Li Bai bring a touch of opulence to mini snowskin mooncakes with the new Black Truffle Sea Salt Dark Chocolate with White Lotus Seed Paste Mooncake. The bittersweet dark chocolate works well with the touch of saltiness from the sea salt. There’s a pleasant aftertaste and lingering, earthy fragrance of truffle that makes this mooncake one not to miss. On the other end of the flavour spectrum is the refreshing Lemon and Lemongrass with White Lotus Seed Paste Mooncake that melds citrusy and lemony flavours with sweet lotus paste.
Price: S$62 for a box of 8
Availability: 22 August – 24 September (in-store and hotel lobby)
Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant, Sheraton Towers Singapore, 39 Scotts Rd, Singapore 228230. Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant opens from 11.30am – 10.30pm. Also purchase the mooncakes from the Hotel Lobby, from 11am – 9.30pm. Tel: 6839 5636
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14 Honeydew dry gin, strawberry vodka, orange whiskey and yuzu sake mooncakes | The Marmalade Pantry
The Cocktail Collection comprises four alcohol-infused flavours from The Marmalade Pantry, and are a good mix of pleasantly sharp and sweet tastes. The Pantry’s first attempt at snowskin mooncakes is, to us, a huge success. The Honeydew Dry Gin Mooncake is packed with fruity, punchy honeydew flavour and bold-tasting dry gin, whereas the Strawberry Vodka Mooncake is a flavour sensation with its strawberry paste and a slightly heavier vodka truffle. The Orange Whiskey Mooncake has a tangy orange paste and a luxurious Macallan 12 Year Old Whisky-inflused truffle. Finally, the Yuzu Sake Mooncake is a mix of zesty flavours of yuzu and deep tones of the sake.
Price: S$68 for a box of 8 (2 pieces per flavour)
Availability: 1 August – 24 September (online & in-stores)
The Marmalade Pantry @ Novena, Oasia Hotel Novena, 8 Sinaran Drive, #01-02/04, Singapore 307470. Check with the store on mooncake pick-up timings. Tel: 6664 0348
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15 Mini golden lava mooncake | Blue Lotus Restaurant
Blue Lotus Restaurant’s Mini Golden Lava Mooncake ought to be served warm, as the soft and buttery baked skin mooncake comprises a delectable golden salted egg yolk and molten custard filling that oozes out as you bite in. It’s deliciously similar to a molten lava bun. We love the old-school, four-tier tingkat tin box that the mooncakes come in.
Price: S$78 for a box of 8
Availability: Available now for online pre-orders, while stocks last. In-store from 26 August.
The Blue Lotus, 31 Ocean Way, #01-13 Quayside Isle, Singapore 098375, Opens 6pm – 10pm (Mondays to Fridays) 11.30am – 3pm and 6pm – 10pm (Weekends), Tel: 6816 0880
(Related: 2018’s best-looking mooncake boxes for gifting)
