In conversation with a mooncake master

There's no question that devouring mooncakes is our favourite way to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. There’s a version for everyone, from traditional mooncakes made with lotus seed paste and salted duck egg yolk to delicate snow skin varieties filled with creamy custard. 

As the festival approaches, we speak to Imperial Patisserie’s chef Yip Wing Wah , founder of The Peninsula Hong Kong’s iconic egg custard mooncake, about the art of making this cherished pastry.

When and how did you start learning to make mooncakes? 

Chef Yip: I began as an apprentice at teahouses and restaurants when I was 13, learning how to make dim sum. In addition to har gow and siu mai, I learned how to make seasonal mooncakes. To date, I have nearly 60 years of mooncake-making experience. 

Can you tell us how you created egg custard mooncakes? 

Chef Yip: I started working at The Peninsula Hong Kong ’s Spring Moon restaurant in 1986, overseeing the dim sum department. The hotel wanted to make a batch of Mid-Autumn mooncakes as gifts for our guests. I wondered if we could create mooncakes that were completely different from the traditional ones most people were eating. 

The idea suddenly came to me while I was looking at our deep-fried custard buns. Since custard fillings were so popular, why not try making custard mooncakes? I experimented with dozens of iterations and finally landed on a combination of Chinese and Western methods, wrapping the custard filling in shortcrust pastry.

What is your favourite type of mooncake to make and to eat?

Chef Yip: My favourite is the custard mooncake, since it is my original creation. I took it to new heights by inventing the lava custard mooncake, which was well-received and won the "Grand Gold Award " from Monde Selection. This encouraged me to take on the role of "lava custard mooncake master". I want to continue developing new flavours that will surprise and delight.

What steps are involved in making mooncakes?  

Chef Yip: Lava custard mooncakes comprise three parts: crust, filling and lava sauce. The initial appeal is all in the crust. Aside from being golden in colour, it has to be fragrant, which is why we are very particular about the wheat flour we use. Our Japanese wheat flour has a strong wheat flavour that brings out the aroma of butter.  

Next is the custard filling, which affects the taste of the entire mooncake. We need to add enough salted egg yolk to make it savoury. We choose fresh, high-quality salted egg yolks and bake them at a low temperature to ensure that they’re fragrant while preventing burning. Then, we crumble the yolks to make the flavour more prominent.  

Finally, the very essence of the mooncake is found in the lava sauce. We have to ensure that it’s the right consistency so that it’s able to flow out. I spent a lot of time working on over 100 different versions before achieving the perfect flowing effect. 

It’s a complicated process, but you must do things wholeheartedly to get the perfect result. 

What is the personal significance of mooncakes to you?  

Chef Yip: Not only are mooncakes a traditional Mid-Autumn Festival treat, but they’re also highly symbolic. If they are not continuously reinvented and improved, people will gradually think that they are old-fashioned. I want to pass on this traditional pastry, supplementing the classic flavours with innovative options. By catering to both young and old, I hope mooncakes can continue to encapsulate the sense of family reunion. 

What important lessons have you learned as a pastry chef?  

Chef Yip: There are three lessons. The first is to pay attention to every detail. Even if we are very pleased with our mooncakes this year, we can use our customers’ feedback to improve them for next year.  

Second, you need to have a clear goal and persevere in it. For example, many thought that making low sugar lava mooncakes was not feasible. However, because I had a goal and was motivated, I was able to successfully develop them.  

The third lesson is to use good ingredients. Good ingredients are not necessarily expensive ingredients, but suitable ones. Only by finding ingredients that work well with each other can you achieve the results that you want. 

What have been the most rewarding moments in your career so far?  

Chef Yip: I feel a great sense of accomplishment when everyone is eating happily. When others recognise my craftsmanship and my creations, and want to share them with others, I feel satisfied. 

What can we expect from Imperial Patisserie’s mooncake offerings this year?  

Chef Yip: This year, we developed lava red bean paste mooncakes with mandarin peel , which are made using high-quality red beans and Xinhui mandarin peel that’s been aged for over 20 years. I adjusted the formula of the sauce, so it has a strong mandarin peel flavour and a smooth bean paste texture – making it reminiscent of eating red bean soup.  

In addition, we also launched new low sugar lava mooncakes . The low sugar lava egg custard mooncakes and lava sesame mooncakes are very flavourful with a smooth centre that doesn’t sacrifice taste. 

This is just the start. In the future, we’ll keep developing more low sugar, healthy mooncakes with special flavours.

Mid-Autumn, the Cathay way 

In addition to Imperial Patisserie’s offerings, you can celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with Cathay Assorted Mini Mooncakes – the perfect gift for those who want to bring a taste of home with them while travelling. The set includes three flavours: maltitol low sugar white lotus seed paste with egg yolk; earl grey tea with egg custard; and chocolate with egg custard, all of which are patterned with our iconic brushwing logo. The collection comes in a silver and sand-toned box symbolising a full moon, while each mini packaging box comes with a lantern riddle to add a dash of fun to your Moon Festival celebrations.  

You’ll also find a wide range of mooncakes perfect for sharing with friends and family on the Cathay Shop. Get inspired by our creative options – from The Upper House's “Travel Journey Guide” mooncake set that captures the spirit of Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu to Fortnum & Mason’s gift box containing a foldable cake stand, six tea-flavoured mooncakes and three tea caddies.