Syrup is considered one of the essential ingredients that helps the Mooncake become delicious, soft, and have a longer shelf life. Let’s join TasteVN in the section Cooking Tips to learn how to make syrup correctly!
1 Ingredients for making Mid-Autumn Festival syrup
Sugar
You can use white sugar, brown sugar, or brown sugar, but avoid using palm sugar as it will give a strong and dense syrup smell.
If you don’t have much time, you should prioritize using brown sugar or brown sugar as it will give a darker color and make the cake look more appealing with a golden brown hue. You should choose to buy refined sugar that has been processed for cleanliness, which can yield a clear syrup, beautiful color, and no impurities.
Lemon or pineapple
Lemon juice or pineapple will help prevent the sugar from crystallizing (sugar that condenses into tiny particles after cooking). Additionally, this ingredient helps reduce the harshness of the syrup and adds a refreshing scent that is very pleasant.
You can use either yellow or green lemon, they do not make the syrup bitter, but it is advisable to use yellow lemon as it gives a sweeter juice.
Malt
You can use either clear or light yellow malt, these types provide a moderate sweetness, with a slightly thick liquid form. Avoid choosing overly sticky or dark-colored malt that can cause crystallization.
Malt helps make the syrup softer and thicker, but if you cannot find the appropriate type, you can skip this ingredient without worrying too much about affecting the quality and flavor of the final syrup.
Lye water
Lye water helps make the Mooncakes softer and gives them a nicer brown color. Currently, there are 2 types on the market: natural lye water (made from straw) or industrial lye water.
You should prioritize using natural lye water because if large amounts of industrial lye water are used, it can be very harmful to health, especially for young children. If you can’t find a suitable type, you can completely skip this ingredient without worrying that the cake will become hard or less fragrant.
2 How to recognize standard syrup for Mooncakes
Each pot of syrup with different ingredient amounts will have different cooking times, typically after about 40 – 45 minutes from when you start cooking, you can test the syrup to see if it meets standards using the following methods:
Method 1: Prepare a flat plate, scoop a little syrup and place a spoon close to the surface of the plate so that the syrup drops a few drops. If the syrup immediately spreads out or thickens and hardens, it is not up to standard, indicating that the syrup has either not cooked long enough or has been cooked too much.
If the syrup spreads a little around in the first few seconds and then maintains a round shape without continuing to spread, it is considered standard.
Method 2: Weigh the empty pot before cooking the syrup. After cooking, weigh the pot of syrup and subtract the weight of the pot to know the weight of just the syrup. If from 1kg of sugar and 600ml of water you get about 1.2kg of syrup, it is standard.
Method 3: Scoop a little syrup, drop a few drops into a small bowl of water. If the syrup immediately dissolves or clumps into a round ball, it is not standard. If the syrup falls to the bottom of the bowl and spreads out in a circular shape, it is standard.
After testing, if you find the syrup too thin, continue cooking, and if the syrup is too thick, add more water to the pot to continue cooking.
Do not turn the heat too high as it will cause the water to evaporate quickly, making it hard to control and can lead to the syrup becoming too thick again. Continue testing until the syrup meets the desired standard.
3 Notes when cooking syrup for Mooncakes
For baked Mooncakes
During the cooking process, do not stir the syrup to avoid crystallization, even when adding lemon juice, there is no need to stir because the boiling water can dissolve the lemon juice on its own.
You can use a wet cloth to carefully wipe the sugar crystals stuck on the pot’s walls, but be careful not to let those sugar crystals fall back into the pot (you can skip this step).
If using malt syrup and lye water, you need to dilute the lye water in water before adding it to the pot. Approximately 30 – 40 minutes after adding lemon juice to the pot, you can add these two ingredients to the syrup, about 10 – 15 minutes before turning off the heat.
For soft Mooncakes
Soft Mooncakes need to use rock sugar, which is very clean and has no dirty foam. Therefore, during the cooking process, you do not need to stir and skim the foam as it can cause crystallization; just let the sugar dissolve and thicken gradually on its own.
To increase the fragrance of the syrup, you can use lemon by squeezing the juice of half a lemon, and slicing the other half thinly, removing the seeds, and putting it directly into the pot to cook with the syrup from the moment you start cooking.
Soft Mooncakes do not require the syrup to be cooked for a long time to color like baked cakes, but they will only last about 2 – 3 days and are prone to spoilage and mold. On the contrary, syrup that is cooked longer and thicker will help preserve Mooncakes longer but will have a sharper sweetness.
You can choose the method of cooking syrup for soft Mooncakes that suits your taste and the needs of your family.
4 Common mistakes and solutions
If after cooking, you see a few tiny sugar crystals inside the syrup, you can fix this by putting the syrup back into the pot, adding a little clean water and lemon juice to cook again.
If the syrup has been cooked too long, it will thicken and harden after cooling; you can fix this by soaking the jar containing the syrup in a basin of warm water to melt the syrup, then add a little hot water and put it back in the pot to cook again to make the syrup thinner.
If after a while, a layer of white sugar crystals appears at the bottom of the jar, this is crystallization. You can soak the jar in hot water to liquefy the sugar and then add a little clean water and lemon juice to cook again.
However, many people think that this syrup cannot be used anymore. If you are not sure, you can discard this batch of syrup and make a new one.
5 Ways to Store Mooncake Syrup
For baked Mooncakes
Clean the bottles and jars thoroughly and dry them well to avoid water remaining, which can make the syrup spoil quickly. The syrup must be cooled after cooking, then placed in bottles or jars and sealed tightly. Minimize opening the lids to prevent air and bacteria from entering.
Store the Mooncake syrup in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, and it can be used after 14 days. If stored properly, it can last for years; the longer the syrup is kept, the better the flavor.
For sticky Mooncakes
Clean the bottles and jars and dry them thoroughly, then pour the syrup into them and store in the refrigerator, using within a week.
Hopefully, with the above sharing, TasteVN can help you learn more information and notes about the way to cook Mid-Autumn cake syrup that is delicious and attractive. Be sure to save the tips and share them with many people to know.
