A mooncake is not like a cake?

That's why I was debating over where I should file these photos in my Flickr, in the Miniature Cakes group or the Miniature sweet pastries. I chose the latter in the end.

So! It's been 2 days past the actual date (12th September) but still, happy Mid-Autumn festival! 中秋节快乐!

 

Miniature traditional mooncakes, with lotus paste and salted egg yolk centre.

I made this batch of miniature mooncakes as a commission order, and they are already en route to the lovely customer. :) Commissions have been keeping me really busy these days, so please pardon my empty shops!

I must say that I'm rather proud of Chinese festivals and their traditional customs. There are a few stories behind Mid-Autumn Festival, and you can read them all here. But basically, there is a woman with a rabbit (Jade Rabbit) living on the moon and she is separated from her husband (Houyi, living on the sun). So every year, on the night of the Mid-autumn festival, they reunite thus the fullness of the moon.

Also, if you peer really closely at the moon, you can make out the shadow of the Jade Rabbit!

Personally though, I think the rabbit came about from companies hoping to commercialise the festival. Bunnies are cute and easier to market. :/

One important custom (to greedy ones like me!) during the festival, is to get your hands on every kind of mooncake out there and polish them off. 

Mooncake fairs would be seen in every shopping mall during the month of August and September, and it'll boast of snowskin mooncakes, traditional, hongkong-style, shanghai-style etc.

 

The miniature yellow and purple mooncakes here are snowskin mooncakes, in the flavours of durian and yam. The latter has a generous filling of bean paste and white chocolate truffle centre.

The mooncakes are made in 1/3 scale, measuring at around 3.3cm in diameter. :)