Mooncakes are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Growing up, I was never too fond of them, preferring Western desserts to Asian ones. But this year in Sydney’s Chinatown, I discovered a twist on the traditional lotus paste mooncake with these flavoured Yunding Mini Mooncakes.
They’re mini mooncakes about 6 cm in diameter and flavoured with lychee, tiramisu, mango and honeydew.
This is the Lychee Mooncake. The lychee came through strongly in the aroma, although it’s markedly less intense – although still noticeably there – on the palate behind the lotus paste. It’s a very natural lychee flavour with nothing artificial or cloying about it. The lotus paste is less smooth than some other brands of mooncake but still pleasant.
This is the Tiramisu Mooncake. In stark contrast to the other flavours, the inside of this mooncake is a deep brown colour. The flavours of coffee and chocolate came through just as prominently in the taste as in the flavour. It’s balanced sweetness and definitely reminds of a tiramisu, but notes of lotus paste persist through the strong flavours of coffee and chocolate for a truly enjoyable ‘exotic’ mooncake.
This is the Mango Mooncake. The mooncake is a shade deeper brown than the golden yellow of the lychee. The mango flavour came through as a tropical aroma that’s not immediately recognisable as mango. The fragrance of the lotus paste came through but the mango flavour was not artificial and complements naturally.
This is the Honeydew Mooncake. The smell of melon was evident from just opening the packaging, and becomes more prominent and identifiably honeydew melon flavour on tasting. The honeydew melon is fresh and balanced is sweetness and intensity but again does not overwhelm the lotus paste base.
Overall, these flavoured mooncakes were a pleasant surprise in their balanced sweetness and intensity. I had expected flavours that tasted artificial and candy-like but these were natural and complementary.
These Yunding Mini Mooncakes contained 50 g. They were produced in Malaysia and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2017.