Best mooncakes?

Where can I find the best mooncakes in the Chicagoland area (city or suburbs)? I prefer the variety which does not contain egg yolk. Since Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up, mooncake should be easy to find at this time of year.

I like the ones at Chiu Quon (2 locations). They make both standard and miniature mooncakes. Most of the time I get the minis, which are of course yolkless, but my recollection is that the regular ones are too.

You can find good mooncakes in most Chinese grocery stores. Some are imported from famous Hong Kong bakeries. Just have to ask.

Although, mooncake is not a mooncake without the yolk. Either you get the small ones or the ones filled with five nuts. (my least favorite). This year, I am going to attempt to make jelly mooncake with yolk made from spherification.

http://www.what2seeonline.com/2007/08/jelly-mooncakes/

eat a duck i must wrote:You can find good mooncakes in most Chinese grocery stores. Some are imported from famous Hong Kong bakeries. Just have to ask.

Although, mooncake is not a mooncake without the yolk. Either you get the small ones or the ones filled with five nuts. (my least favorite). This year, I am going to attempt to make jelly mooncake with yolk made from spherification.

http://www.what2seeonline.com/2007/08/jelly-mooncakes/

Ok. I'll get some mooncake with yolk. I wanted my kids to try them. I have never seen jelly mooncakes. It looks pretty interesting. Where do you buy your mooncake molds?

Not sure where I can find the mold yet, since I have not started looking for it. Most mooncake comes with a plastic tray then wrapped in plastic. Worst comes to worst, I will use the plastic tray. Just have to find a round one. If anyone else knows, please let me know.

eat a duck i must wrote:Not sure where I can find the mold yet, since I have not started looking for it. Most mooncake comes with a plastic tray then wrapped in plastic. Worst comes to worst, I will use the plastic tray. Just have to find a round one. If anyone else knows, please let me know.

Woks 'n' Things sells nice carved wooden mooncake molds.

Woks 'n' Things
2234 S Wentworth Av
Chicago
312-842-0701

Thanks Rene G. I might stop by after work tonight

Hi,

I have a mooncake mold I bought at Woks 'n' Things long ago. I have never used it, though it already has a crack.

If you do make mooncakes, could you take pictures of how it was prepared and used? My reluctance to use it is not knowing the method. I'd hate to pack a lot in there, then not have it release. The thought of cleaning it out later doesn't paint a pretty picture in my mind.

Regards,

Just thought I'd chime in with a "ditto" for Chiu Quon. It's become our go-to bakery on Argyle; though we will occasionally relapse and try one of the others, Chiu Quon has been the winner, consistently, for most things. Including mooncakes.

Gypsy Boy wrote:Just thought I'd chime in with a "ditto" for Chiu Quon. It's become our go-to bakery on Argyle; though we will occasionally relapse and try one of the others, Chiu Quon has been the winner, consistently, for most things. Including mooncakes.

Chiu Quon is very good, and another contender is St. Anna's Bakery in the Chinatown Mall.

St. Anna's Bakery
2158 S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 225-3168

Here is info on the Moon Festival (2009) in Chinatown if anyone is interested. The event is in Chinatown Square on Sept. 26 (Sat.).

I did not post this in the events area since I was not sure if this constituted a food event.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I have a mooncake mold I bought at Woks 'n' Things long ago. I have never used it, though it already has a crack.

If you do make mooncakes, could you take pictures of how it was prepared and used? My reluctance to use it is not knowing the method. I'd hate to pack a lot in there, then not have it release. The thought of cleaning it out later doesn't paint a pretty picture in my mind.

Regards,

I found a blog which contains information on making moon cakes. See the Sept. 22, 2009 entry in the My Wok Life blog.

Note: I ended up buying a box of 6 small assorted mooncakes from a Chinese grocery store since I did not want to attempt to make mooncakes. The brand was Sheng Kee.

Check out these gorgeous mooncakes - mostly in Singapore but some you can order:

http://sparklette.net/food/mooncakes-2009/

http://www.soshiok.com/articles/13300

I'm going to have to make or buy some mooncakes this weekend. I'm drooling a little just looking at those.

Just wondering how everyone's homemade mooncakes turned out, as per this old thread? New types of materials for mooncake molds have been introduced since 2009, maybe you have experimented with some of them.

This guy makes it look easy. Can't tell if he used the egg yolks though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_3j9zGCaRs

I ended up making Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes (square shape) instead of mooncakes.

Shorty, never heard of those but they sound interesting. A recipe I found says they are each baked in a mold, did you do that with a mooncake mold?

I did not have the square pineapple tart molds. I formed the pineapple shortcakes/tarts by hand.