Growing up, one of my favourite holidays was Mid-Autumn Festival. A family tradition we always did was lighting of lanterns and eating copious amount of mooncakes. It was also a time that I got to meet my cousins and stay up late. Traditionally mooncakes are quite dense, and filled with lotus paste and a yolk from a salted duck egg. When I was younger, I could eat an entire mooncake on my own! But truly, the beauty of mooncakes is sharing it with the people you love. Nowadays, there are so many interpretations of mooncakes, and my personal favourite is snow skin mooncakes. Buttermere Patisserie is offering up their version of this delightful modern treat for the first time.
What is Mid-Autumn Festival?
Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festival is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. Many Asian countries celebrate this festival including Korea (known as Chuseok), Japan (known as Tsukimi), Vietnam (known as Tết Trung Thu) and many more. Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for you to gather with your family and eat a large feast as well as mooncakes. This year, Mid Autumn Festival falls on Tuesday, September 21, 2021.
What are Snow Skin Mooncakes?
Snow skin mooncakes are a non-baked mooncake originating from Hong Kong. They resemble traditional mooncakes in shape, but have a mochi exterior and generally have a lot more filling options.
Buttermere Patisserie – Modern Day Snow Skin Mooncakes
For the first time, Buttermere Patisserie is crafting up their modern interpretation of mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival. Buttermere Patisserie’s mooncakes are made with steamed glutinous rice flour to make a mochi-like pastry shell. The various mooncake shapes tell the mythical love story of the Goddess Chang’e. I adore Buttermere Patisserie, so I am so glad to have a sneak preview of these delightful treats.
Buttermere’s mooncakes are $60 per set and available for pre-order August 23rd through to September 18th online for pick up or delivery from September 12th to September 21st.
Snow Skin Mooncake Flavours
- White coconut pandan – Jade Hare (玉兔) is the mythical moon rabbit sent to accompany Goddess Chang’e
- Green matcha red bean – Marigold (萬壽菊) is a symbol of love and despair
- Dark pink cream cheese cranberry – Lotus (蓮花) is a depiction of purity and unity
- Black sesame hazelnut – Hua-Chuan (花窗) is the shape of the antique Chinese window pane from which one admires the moon;
- Purple milky taro – Auspicious Cloud (祥雲) is a popular mark in the evening sky
- Classic yellow salted egg custard – Mid-Autumn mooncake is an ode to the heritage folklore.
Each mooncake is about 50g, and are on the petite side. The skin is quite thin (which I appreciate) and the fillings are true to taste. Each mooncake is bursting with flavour and my personal favourites are: black sesame hazelnut and classic yellow salted egg custard. Although, all of them were very delicious!
These mooncakes need to be kept in the freezer, and when you’re about to eat them, you can defrost in the fridge. The snow skin mooncakes can only keep for a day or two. The snow skin mooncakes were gone in a flash for me!
Buttermere Patisserie
Location: 636 Main St, Vancouver, BC V6A 2W1
Telephone: (778) 956-7789
Where to Buy Snow Skin Mooncakes in Vancouver?
There are a number of locations in Vancouver to purchase snow skin mooncakes including:
- Soirette – The Clair de Lune Collection is the last mooncake collection from Soirette before they close up shop. All mooncakes are fresh and handmade from scratch. The flavour combinations are incredibly unique and include: Pineapple & Soy Sauce, Laksa Delight & Lime Leaf, House made Kaya Toast and many more! This collection always sells out quickly so preorder yours today.
- TWG Tea – The Moon Dance Snowskin Mooncake Musical Box are tea inspired snow skin mooncakes. They have two options – a box of four as well as a box of two with their Moon Dance Haute Couture Tea. The flavours are tea heavy and they all feature a white chocolate heart center with different flavours including raspberry, mango and lemon!
- Teapurin – Local Instagram business famous for their premium homemade Japanese pudding is crafting an extremely limited run of tea inspired snow skin mooncakes. They are currently out of stock, however they often post extra boxes for sale on their Instagram.