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    Home » Diet

    Fruit Jelly Mooncakes

    Oct 17, 2023 · 9 Comments

    October 17, 2023 by Beth 9 Comments

    2402 shares
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    close up of inside of mango jelly mooncake

    This Fruit Jelly Mooncakes recipe is a delicious and easy way to enjoy mooncakes and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

    fruit jelly mooncakes on white plate

    What are mooncakes?

    Mooncakes are beautiful pastries that are usually filled with red bean paste and egg yolks or nuts and seeds. The filling is thick and somewhat sweet. The pastries are always stamped with a beautiful design. Chinese desserts are never as sweet as American desserts. Given my American tastes, I find them to be surprisingly good. If you like Chinese desserts, try this Chinese Coconut Pudding recipe. It's also refined sugar free.

    My sister can make the traditional pastry mooncakes, but they contain gluten, sugar, beans, eggs, and dairy. All the things I can’t eat. I recently fell down the rabbit hole that is Pinterest and discovered snowy mooncakes and jelly mooncakes, which are made with mochi and agar agar. I’ve never seen these in stores, so I was excited to give it a try using ingredients that I can tolerate.

    fruit jelly mooncakes on white plate

    What is a traditional mooncake flavor?

    One of the most traditional flavors is the salted egg yolk. Yep, there’s a giant egg yolk in the center of the mooncake! For my American palate, it was a little shocking at first as I was expecting something much sweeter. But there are other popular flavors like red bean and nuts (it’s kind of like a pecan pie filling but less sweet). In recent years, snow skin mooncakes have become more popular. They are slightly sweeter and have a mochi exterior. Popular flavors include matcha and fruit. If you’d like to check out popular mooncake flavors here’s a great article.

    What are some non-traditional flavors of mooncakes?

    Chocolate, custard, ice cream and savory mooncakes are some unusual flavors that I’ve seen. Jelly mooncakes are still unusual but becoming more popular in the home. They are easy to make using agar agar and fruit.

    fruit jelly mooncake cut in half showing mango filled center

    What is agar agar?

    Agar agar is very similar to gelatin. However, it’s suitable for vegans as it’s made from seaweed. And handles differently than gelatin. One of the major differences is that it firms up rather quickly and at room temperature. I’ve never seen agar agar at my local grocery store. I’ve only found it at stores like Whole Foods, Ranch 99 (or other Asian markets) and online. It’s still considered a specialty item to American grocery stores but it’s gaining in popularity.

    You can’t use a traditional mooncake mold since this isn’t a pastry. It’s best to use a flexible mold to make removing the mooncake easy. I used this mold. Even though it’s not the traditional design, it still looks beautiful. It’s also made of food grade, bpa free plastic.

    close up of mango filled fruit jelly mooncakes

    Why do we eat mooncakes?

    Mooncakes are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although they can be eaten other times of the year like around the Lunar New Year (here's a great New Year's recipe). However, it will be hard to find outside of these holidays.

    The tradition of mooncakes came from ancient times where they were an offering to the moon. Round mooncakes are a reminder of the full moon during the fall. And a full moon and mooncakes have meaning in Chinese culture. Together they symbolize family and togetherness which is why families celebrate the mid-autumn festival together and share mooncakes. [Source]

    All cultures that use the lunar calendar celebrate the mid-autumn festival. And while everyone has a different way of celebrating the holiday, it seems like family, togetherness and mooncakes are all important. [Source]

    ingredients used for fruit jelly mooncakes

    Ingredients

    • Agar Agar Powder
    • Honey
    • Mango Puree: You’ll need about 2 mangoes.
    • Coconut Milk: Coconut milk in a can that has no gums or additives are preferred. Such as this brand.

    How to make Fruit Jelly Mooncakes

    1. To make the filling, combine the agar agar powder, honey and mango into a small saucepan over medium low heat and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 1 minute.  Then set aside. Take care to stir often and turn down the heat if necessary. This will help prevent the sugars from burning.

    sprinkling agar powder into saucepan

    2. Next, make the outer layer by combining the agar agar powder, honey and coconut milk in a saucepan, then stir to combine. Bring the coconut milk mixture to a boil over low heat and then let boil for at least a minute.

    pouring coconut milk into saucepan

    3. Immediately fill about 1/3 of the moon cake molds with the coconut milk.

    spooning coconut mixture into pink mold

    4. Let the moon cake molds sit for about 5 minutes so that the coconut milk will cool and firm slightly. They should be firm enough that the mango doesn’t fall through the coconut milk. The coconut milk should be firm enough to create a barrier. The remaining coconut milk should be tacky and still warm. Don’t let it sit any longer, as the mixture will get firm fast and become impossible to pour. When the coconut mixture has cooled and firmed slightly, next you can add the mango filling. The coconut milk should be firm enough to create a barrier.

    spooning mango puree into pink mold

    5. Stir the remaining coconut mixture to make sure that it’s still smooth and warm. You don’t want any lumps, or it won’t pour smoothly. Next spoon the coconut mixture over the mango filling in the moon cake molds. Make sure the coconut mixture fills in any open spaces. Let the moon cake mold sit at room temperature until they are no longer hot and then transfer them to the fridge to chill. They can be served at room temperature but prefer them chilled.

    peeling pink mold off of fruit jelly mooncakes

    Tips to making the BEST recipe for jelly mooncakes

    • Make sure to set aside a time where you won’t be interrupted. If you start pouring the coconut milk and then step away for what feel like only a few minutes, you may come back to a saucepan filled with solid coconut milk instead of liquid coconut milk. There’s no coming back from something like that.
    • Since the agar agar firms up quickly, this process goes fast. I’d make sure to have all your ingredients ready to go.
    • You’ll need a mold to create these mooncakes not a traditional mooncake stamp. The exact mold we used is no longer available however, these are a great substitute.
    • You’ll need powdered agar for this recipe. Try this brand.

    If you like this recipe, try these Asian desserts

    • loaf of AIP Baked Cassava Cake with oranges and cup of tea
      AIP Baked Cassava Cake
    • bowl of Vietnamese Tapioca Pudding (che chuoi chung)
      Vietnamese Tapioca Pudding (che chuoi chung)
    • AIP Coconut Matcha Panna Cotta
    • AIP Matcha Bubble Tea (boba)
      AIP Matcha Bubble Tea

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    Helpful Info for All Recipes

    • I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise.
    • I always use Himalayan sea salt or Celtic sea salt, unless otherwise noted.
    • The majority of my recipes are core AIP or include notations for modified AIP and reintroductions. However while I make every effort to label non-AIP ingredients and recipes sometimes they slip past me. If you have questions, check out this post regarding 'What is the AIP diet?' or ask in advance.

    Did you make this recipe? I love hearing your thoughts on my recipes so please rate and comment below.

    close up of fruit jelly mooncake cut in half
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Fruit Jelly Mooncakes

    This Fruit Jelly Mooncakes recipe is a delicious and easy way to enjoy mooncakes and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
    Prep Time30 minutes mins
    Assemble and Rest2 hours hrs
    Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 297kcal
    Author: Beth Chen

    Equipment

    • Flexible Mooncake Mold

    Ingredients

    For The Filling

    • 1 teaspoon Agar Agar Powder
    • 1/4 cup Honey
    • 3/4 cup Mango Puree about 2 mangoes

    For The Outer Layer

    • 3 3/4 teaspoons Agar Agar Powder
    • 1/2 cup Honey
    • 2 cups Coconut Milk

    Instructions

    • To make the filling, combine the agar agar powder, honey and honey into a small saucepan over medium low heat and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 1 minute. Then set aside. Take care to stir often and turn down the heat if necessary. This will help prevent the sugars from burning.
    • Next, make the outer layer by combining the agar agar powder, honey and coconut milk in a saucepan, then stir to combine. Bring the coconut milk mixture to a boil over low heat and then let boil for at least a minute.
    • Immediately fill about 1/3 of the moon cake molds with the coconut milk.
    • Let the moon cake molds sit for about 5 minutes so that the coconut milk will cool and firm slightly. They should be firm enough that the mango doesn’t fall through the coconut milk. The coconut milk should be firm enough to create a barrier. The remaining coconut milk should be tacky and still warm. Don’t let it sit any longer, as the mixture will get firm fast and become impossible to pour. When the coconut mixture has cooled and firmed slightly, next you can add the mango filling. The coconut milk should be firm enough to create a barrier.
    • Stir the remaining coconut mixture to make sure that it’s still smooth and warm. You don’t want any lumps, or it won’t pour smoothly. Next spoon the coconut mixture over the mango filling in the moon cake molds. Make sure the coconut mixture fills in any open spaces. Let the moon cake mold sit at room temperature until they are no longer hot and then transfer them to the fridge to chill. They can be served at room temperature but prefer them chilled.

    Video

    Notes

    • Make sure to set aside a time where you won’t be interrupted. If you start pouring the coconut milk and then step away for what feel like only a few minutes, you may come back to a saucepan filled with solid coconut milk instead of liquid coconut milk. There’s no coming back from something like that.
    • Since the agar agar firms up quickly, this process goes fast. I’d make sure to have all your ingredients ready to go.
    • You’ll need a mold to create these mooncakes not a traditional mooncake stamp. The exact mold we used is no longer available however, these are a great substitute.
    • You’ll need powdered agar for this recipe. Such as this brand. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1mooncake | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 242mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 345IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 3mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amber says

      September 24, 2023 at 10:21 pm

      Can I use a different fruit other then mango?

      Reply
      • Beth says

        September 29, 2023 at 6:18 pm

        Sure! Pineapple would be another good option, especially if you want to keep the orange center which looks like egg. Egg is the traditional filling in mooncakes.

        Reply
    2. Theresa says

      September 12, 2022 at 11:28 pm

      5 stars
      Can’t wait to try these! How long will they last in the fridge? Do you have to store them a specific way?

      Reply
      • Beth says

        September 22, 2022 at 8:50 pm

        Yes, they need to be stored in the fridge. I'd keep them in a resealable container. They will last about as long as coconut milk and mango would last in the fridge - about 2-3 days.

        Reply
    3. Anndei says

      June 03, 2022 at 5:29 pm

      5 stars
      Omg, these look delicious and beautiful. Can't wait to try this!!!!

      Reply
      • Beth says

        June 07, 2022 at 5:23 pm

        So good!! I can't wait for you to try them.

        Reply
    4. Margaret says

      October 22, 2021 at 9:17 pm

      5 stars
      We like to try new foods and this is a yummy keeper!

      Reply
    5. Kate says

      October 06, 2016 at 11:07 am

      These look absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to give them a try! The pastry mooncakes are really, really heavy so I prefer something healthier if possible and these are. Thank you so much for posting:

      Reply
      • Beth says

        October 06, 2016 at 7:31 pm

        These are really easy and fast to make. They are definitely lighter than the traditional mooncake. I hope you enjoy!

        Reply

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