Mid-Autumn Festival is less than two weeks away (21 September) and this traditional Chinese festival is a family affair often celebrated with palate-cleansing Chinese tea, lanterns and mooncakes. Legend has it that mooncakes helped to free Yuan China from Mongol rule after rebels organised an uprising by passing messages hidden in these seasonal pastries. While this is not the case anymore, people still enjoy eating them because of the ever-evolving flavours.
There is the traditional versions with lotus seed paste and egg yolk but over the years, new and innovative variants have emerged. Mooncake these days can be filled with more luxurious ingredients including whisky, truffle, champagne and chocolate — the sky is the limit. Regardless of the varieties, the symbolic meaning still holds and is a yearly occasion that many would not miss.
Here is a list of luxurious mooncakes to get you started:
Glenfiddich Snow Skin Mooncakes
Glenfiddich has partnered with local agency Chun Tsubaki to create delectable whisky-infused snowskin creations. These luxurious mooncakes are inspired by the Valley of Deer’s signature expressions: the Original Twelve and the Solera Fifteen. The Glenfiddich Our Original Twelve mooncake features a glittery matcha-pistachio skin that is filled with roasted barley and dark brown sugar. It blends flawlessly with 12 Years Old’s nutty profile. At the centre, the sweetness from the white chocolate pear jam whisky truffle pays homage to the smooth and mellow expression.
The Glenfiddich Our Solera Fifteen snow skin mooncake is enriched with the 15 Years Old’s spicy, honeyed oak notes. Its purple skin — resembling dusk — is made with dark ganache whisky truffle, with hints of peppers and chilli. The centre reveals a honey and orange blossom filling.
For more information about the Glenfiddich Snow Skin Mooncakes, click here.
The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old Snow-Skin Mooncake
Made in collaboration with Raffles Hotel Singapore, The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old Snow-Skin Mooncake represents the perfect union between the creamy rich chocolate truffle filling that is infused with the 12 Years Old and the honeyed notes of raisins and caramel of the whisky. The centre is “protected” with a blue pastry skin that derived its colour naturally from the flowers of butterfly peas — a common dye used in cuisines around Southeast Asia. The mooncakes are best paired with freshly brewed Chinese tea or a dram of The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old.
Retailing for S$128 per box, click here to get it now.
The Clan Hotel Mid-Autumn Gift Set
Traditional flavoured mooncakes will always be a staple during the Mid-Autumn Festival because these are what most of us are used to and it never fails. The Clan Hotel’s range of luxurious mooncakes appeal to the purist at heart but still seeks a bit of fun. It has the crowd’s favourite such as Traditional Lotus with Yolk, White Lotus and Black Sesame, and more contemporary offerings like Green Tea. Along with this set of mooncakes, a specially curated Clan tea blend of Osmanthus and Tie Guan Yin comes complimentary as well.
Get into the mood for the Mid-Autumn Festival for just S$85, click here to get it.
Resort World Sentosa: Luxury Baked Mooncakes Set by Syun and table65
Savour traditional baked mooncakes by Michelin-starred restaurant table65 and nouvelle Japanese restaurant, Syun. For the former, its Golden Bamboo Charcoal with Australian Black Truffle uses top of the line ingredients such as the Australian black winter truffle, walnut, black sesame paste and custard for its filling while charcoal from golden bamboo is used for the pastry crust.
At Syun, its Whisky Soaked Yuzu Peel with Sakura mooncake is infused with a blend of citrusy yuzu peel soaked in the honey tones of Hibiki Harmony Whisky. This combination matches exceptionally well with its low-sugar Sakura white lotus paste filling and salted egg yolk centre. RWS has other luxurious mooncakes to choose from so be sure to head over to their website to pick the best ones for yourself.
Coming in a pair for S$88, the Luxury Baked Mooncakes Set by Syun and table65 is available for purchase here.
Shangri-La Singapore
For this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, Shangri-La Singapore has released a limited-edition set of mooncakes in celebration of its 50th anniversary. This includes the Shangri-La 50-year Aged Mandarin Peel, Rose and Red Bean Paste Mooncakes; Mini custard bird’s nest mooncakes with NestBloom custard almond cream bird’s nest; and Peranakan-inspired Mooncake Gift Box by Benny Ong which has flavours like Assam tea, almond, peanut and sakura shrimps.
Prices for these limited-edition mooncake gift sets start from S$118, get it here.
For more gastronomy reads, click here.
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