Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival is a traditional festival in Chinese culture. This year, Mid-Autumn Festival lands on Friday, September 29, 2023. This festival celebrates the end of the autumn harvest and brings together family and friends to celebrate the bounty of the Autumn harvest. Similar celebrations in different cultures include Chuseok (추석) in Korea, Tsukimi (月見) in Japan and Tết Trung Thu in Vietnam. Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Vancouver with these 5 spots offering unique and delicious mooncakes below!
1. Teapurin – Japanese Tea Infused Snow Skin Mooncakes
Teapurin is a local small business specializing in Japanese purin (aka pudding). But for Mid-Autumn Festival this year they have brought back their very popular snow skin mooncakes. These mooncakes are not baked, but made with a glutinous mochi skin. Teapurin adds their own twist by incorporating Japanese tea flavours into the custard and replacing the traditional salted egg yolk found with a tea infused nama choco.
The three flavours they have this year:
- Ceremonial matcha from Uji, Japan
- Houjicha (roasted green tea) from Uji, Japan
- Kocha (Japanese black tea) from Shimane, Japan
The mooncakes are available as a 2 piece gift set, 4 piece gift set and 6 piece gift set. They are made fresh to order with no preservatives, artificial flavours or colours. Preorders are available now, more details here.
My favourite way to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Vancouver is with snow skin mooncakes and I always try to sample as many versions as possible. This set from Teapurin is not too sweet and has a lovely soft yet chewy mochi skin.
2. Daan Go Cake Lab – Traditional and Snow Skin Mooncakes
Daan Go Cake Lab has been a hit since they opened in Richmond, BC earlier this year and to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival they have three offerings:
- Classic Mooncake Set
- Snow Skin Mooncake Set
- Mid Autumn Cake
The Classic Mooncake Set features a savoury salted duck egg yolk, enclosed in a rich lotus seed paste and baked to golden delicious perfection.
The Snow Skin Mooncake Set features four flavours with two ordering options:
- OPTION A: Matcha Yuzu Pistachio (yuzu jelly, matcha pastry cream, pistachio croquant), Jamocha Nut (almond gianduja, jamocha filling, almond crunchy), Premium Durian (D24 premium durian, durian filling, caramel crunchy), Coconut Salted Egg Yolk (yolk lava filling, salted egg yolk, milk crunchy)
- OPTION B: Matcha Yuzu Pistachio, Jamocha Nut, Coconut Salted Egg Yolk x 2
These sets will also be available for pick up starting September 15th at all locations, while supplies last. Preorders are highly recommended and if you order before Tuesday, September 5, 7pm you will receive $5 off per set.
For those who are not a fan of mooncakes (blasphemous, but possible) Daan Go Cake Lab also has a gorgeous Mid-Autumn cake with blackcurrant confit calamansi, yuzu caramel blackcurrant mousse, black sesame financier and black sesame crunchy base.
Daan Go Cake Lab
Address: 4731 Garden City Rd unit 100, Richmond, BC V6X 3M7
Website: http://van.daango.com/
3. Rice Cake Master – Jade Mooncake Collection
Rice Cake Master (formerly Nam Dae Moon Rice Cake) will be featuring a Jade Mooncake Collection to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. This set will feature four flavours:
- Matcha Red Bean Cranberry 抹茶紅豆蔓越莓冰皮月餅
- Raspberry & Yoghurt 酸奶樹莓冰皮月餅
- Black Sesame & Red Bean 黑芝麻紅豆冰皮月餅
- Taro & Salted Egg Yolk 芋泥鹹蛋黃冰皮月餅
In addition, mooncake making classes are also available for booking at the Richmond location. The classes are run by dessert stylist Coco from aGlaze. Priced at $128 per person, the adult classes are 2 hours long and help each student to produce at least 12 mooncakes. Class registration can be made by calling 778-297-6999.
Rice Cake Master
Address: 3779 Sexsmith Rd #2132, Richmond, BC V6X 3Z9
Website: https://namdaemoon.ca/our-locations/
4. Salty Sugar Patisserie – Tea Infused Lava Mooncake Set
Salty Sugar Patisserie has a gorgeous Tea Infused Lava Mooncake set that best imitates the texture of a traditional mooncake without the use of lard or lotus seed paste. These mooncakes are made with no preservatives and are available for pick up and delivery starting September 4th. There are six flavours in this set:
- Hojicha Salted Egg Lava
- Matcha Black Sesame
- Thai Tea Salted Yolk
- Jasmine Osmanthus
- Salted Kinako Genmaicha
- Pu-erh Chocolate Tangerine
Each mooncake consists of 3 Layers: A tea-infused shortbread crust, a custard & a unique centrepiece. Order your box here.
Salty Sugar Patisserie
Address: 6947 Victoria Dr, Vancouver, BC V5P 3Y7
Website: http://saltysugarpatisserie.com/
5. Little Flower Company – Mid Autumn Festival Canelé Set
Although these aren’t mooncakes, they are a gorgeous set of canelés with Mid-Autumn themed toppings. They are so cute and such a unique alternative to a box of mooncakes. The Mid-Autumn festival canelé gift box features six flavours:
- Taro Ube
- Salted Egg Yolk
- Red bean Matcha
- Pandan Kaya Coconut
- Madagascar Vanilla
- Black Sesame Kinako
Until September 10th, if you preorder with the code ‘midautumn’ you will receive $5 off the set. Preorders end September 17th, and pick ups will start September 21st.
The above list are some great alternatives to traditional mooncake sets from big bakeries and supermarkets. Will you be checking out any of them? Let me know in the comments where you get your favourite mooncakes to celebrate Mid-Autumn festival in Vancouver!
