These are not your usual mooncakes. We know the irresistible offerings from Mandarin Cake Shop and The Peninsula are luxurious, timeless classics; but non-traditionalists or those with a penchant for creativity and flavour will find Gafencu’s recommendation of quirky moon-inspired treats immensely indulgent.
From vegan, gluten-free options to sweet mendiant surprise, Korean classics and more – Hong Kong chefs are stirring up all kinds of magic in the kitchen to create densely decadent, luscious fillings. This Mid-Autumn festival, raise a toast to creativity as you dig into these delectable delights…
For a luxurious Michelin-starred mooncake
Lava cream custard Mooncake with a Limited Edition LED Lantern from Duddell’s
Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Duddell’s never disappoints in its offerings. To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival 2021, they have collaborated with designer Hong Chong Ip of award-winning firm MO-Design to put out elegant and auspicious gold, red and blue Mooncake Gift Boxes.
Inside, are six individually boxed mouth-watering lava cream custard mooncakes that ooze silky smoothness elevating the classic custard cream filling even further. The 8-piece Limited Edition LED Lantern Gift Box – replete with an intricately designed modern LED lantern and high-quality leather straps – is a spectacular interpretation of a more traditional mooncake box.
Don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to prance on the streets holding this unique lantern box.
Price: HK$398 /box of 6 pieces; HK$588 /box of 8 pieces w/ LED lantern
Pre-prder Period: Until 22 Aug
Order here.
For a vegan and gluten-free option
Vegan and Gluten-Free Mooncake Collection by The Cakery
Highlighting an all-new vegan and gluten-free alternative to its egg- and cholesterol-heavy traditional counterpart, boutique cake shop The Cakery makes it a point to put health first while satisfying your sugar cravings. Using only premium-quality ingredients, low-sugar and zero artificial colouring, delicate floral designs, their sumptuous offerings are a definite standout from the rest.
Included, is a unique assortment of flavours: black sesame lava filled with chocolate, buckwheat and a surprisingly delightful organic crispy rice addition for texture; mango bean paste lava, packed with tropical fruits and white bean paste; jasmine raspberry for a charming herbal and floral flavour combination; and lastly taro bean paste, a unique Chinese-inspired mix of taro, white bean paste and sweet potato.
Price: HK$628 /box of 4 pieces
Order Period: 21 Aug – 22 Sep
Order here.
For a delicious take on trail-mix mooncake
Artisanal Sustainable Mooncake by The House Collective
The ultra-refined and splendid The House Collective debuts its first-ever Artisanal Sustainable Mooncake Set to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival. Setting the tone for an occasion to come together over delicious food, they have curated a combination of flavours to suit every taste and dietary requirement. The trail-mix of assorted nuts with dried figs, apricots, and cranberries is a healthy option if you want to go easy on cholesterol. Red bean paste with mandarin peel is a zesty balance of sweet and earthy flavours and we’re most pumped about getting a keto-friendly mooncake on the menu. Get your protein kick from their maltitol white lotus seed paste mooncake and if you don’t give a dime for calories on a festival (live it, girl!) then definitely try the egg custard encased in golden pastry.
The set comes in a cute box made from FSC-certified wood, ensuring responsibly sourced materials, supporting sustainably with the idea of offering a souvenir that can be re-purposed.
Top tip: Re-use the box to store trinkets or jewellery once you’re done polishing off the mooncakes!
Price: HK$488 /box of 8 pieces (Early Bird Price: HK$415)
Pre-order Period: Until 31 Aug
Order here.
Also Read: Five delicious guilt-free desserts to add to your diet
For tea-loving epicureans
Earl Grey Custard Mooncakes by Dang Wen Li by Dominique Ansel
In celebration of the Mid-Autumn festivities, French-American pastry chef Dominique Ansel’s Hong Kong exclusive bakery Dang Wen Li puts out another whimsical twist to mooncakes. The Fly Me To New York Mooncake Gift Set offers tea-loving patrons the earl grey custard mooncake. Each bite treats the palate to a velvety smooth egg custard filling accented with fragrant tea – the two blend so well together.
Presented in a stunning crystal dome box that features the NYC skyline and signature emblems of The Big Apple, the mooncakes within are all individually packed, making for the perfect gift to share among friends and family during the family-centric festival.
Price: HK$498 /box of 6 pieces (Early Bird Price: HK$458)
Pre-order Period: Until 15 Aug
Order here.
For a punch of umami
The World’s First Caviar Mooncake from The Royal Caviar Club
The Royal Caviar Club returns with its delicious caviar mooncake, a first in Hong Kong. It is decorated with a fine-detailed floral pattern on the top of its snow-skin coating, and filled with the imperial ossetra caviar and a choice of either cream cheese or fresh Madagascar vanilla filling that oozes luxury and finesse.
Presented in a stylish limited-edition box, it makes for an ideal gift for those with a more refined palate and would prefer a savoury alternative to other typically sweeter options.
Price: HK$680 /box of 6 pieces (Early Bird Price: HK$580)
Pre-order Period: Until 21 Aug
Order here.
For diet-friendly mooncakes:
Vegan Mixed Nuts Mooncake by Green Common
A diet-friendly alternative for the health conscious eater, the city’s pioneer plant-based brand Green Common introduces enticing vegan mooncake gift sets that are 100% made in Hong Kong. The box set includes a selection of four different flavours: vegan custard, figs with pistachios & oats, and mixed nuts with blueberries & purple sweet potato. Choose any option and be assured that your moon-treats are free of cholesterol, trans fats and preservatives — effortlessly healthy way to mark the festivities!
With sustainable living in mind, the packaging too is an elegantly simple expression of its eco-conscious direction — an elegantly simple two-toned Mid-Autumn festivity design printed with soy ink, while the box, sleeve and tray were made from sugarcane bagasse and is completely compostable.
Price: HK$328 /box of 6 peices (Early Bird Price: HK$285)
Pre-order Period: Until 29 August
Order here.
Also Read: Hong Kong’s best vegan and vegetarian restaurants
For non-mooncake fans
Mid-Autumn Pastry Box Set by Date by TATE
Designed with the discerning eaters in mind, 2-Michelin-starred chef Vicky Lau of TATE Dining Room and head pastry chef Graff Kwok presents the ultimate modern twist to traditional moon treats. They have curated assortment of seasonal treats such as yuzu & sesame rocher, salted egg yolk cookies, jarred osmanthus milk jam and lemon & osmanthus marmalade, all artfully packaged in a wooden box.
The highlight of the box set is the compelling 19cm mooncake-shaped chocolate mendiant that can be cracked open with a wooden hammer (included in the packaging) to reveal a sweet lychee marshmallow surprise in the middle (how 2021!). The option to include a personalised message in chocolate is also available upon request.
Price: HK$1,080 /box
Order Period: 14 Sept – 21 Sept
Order here.
For a Korean touch to the traditional Chinese specialty
Baekmidang Mooncake Box by Sexy Crab x Baekmidang
The uber chic, retro glamorous dining destination at K11 Musea, restaurant Sexy Crab has partnered with renowned Korean gourmet dessert atelier Baekmidang this Mid-Autumn Festival to launch the diner’s signature savoury specialties along side some opulent, modern iterations of mooncakes. Select from three delicious, crowd-pleasing flavours- lava custard, lava coffee and the unique tieguanyin tea mooncakes – for a truly refreshing treat.
Splash some dollars and upgrade the delightful gift set to add on two premium house-preserved ‘drunken’ seafood specialty: Classic Crab Roe and Russian King Crab, and a bottle of bubbly for a truly opulent touch. And if you still wish to go an extra mile (because why not!), grab a bottle of Crémant de Bourgogne, Brut, BOHRMANN -the lightness, creaminess and the minerality of the white bubbly pairs perfectly well with the flavoursome salty notes of mooncakes. It’s like a marriage made in heaven!
Price: HK$488 /box of 6pcs (HK$342 for early bird); HK$1,982 /Extravagant Mooncake Gift Set (Early Bird Price: HK$1,388)
Pre-order Period: Until 15 August
Order here.
Also Read: Rooftop bars to view the full moon from this Mid-Autumn Festival