Quick Answer
The biggest difference is the crust. Egg yolk pastry, mung bean cake and Taiwanese mooncakes wrap a water-oil dough around an oil dough, rolled into flaky layers. Cantonese mooncakes use a syrup dough made with invert syrup that turns soft and glossy after baking; snow skin mooncakes are not baked and must be kept cold. Store egg yolk pastry as labeled (often a few days to about a week at room temperature) and freeze it sealed; reheat in the oven to restore crispness.
Mid-Autumn pastries compared
| Pastry | Crust | Common fillings | Texture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egg yolk pastry | Water-oil dough + oil dough (flaky) | Oil-fried or smooth red bean paste with salted egg yolk; taro or pineapple | Flaky, many layers |
| Mung bean cake (lü dou peng) | Flaky dough, baked pale | Mung bean paste, often with braised pork or shallots | Flaky, thin crust that crumbles |
| Taiwanese mooncake | Flaky or short crust | Red bean, date paste, mung bean | Crumbly |
| Cantonese mooncake | Syrup dough (invert syrup + flour + oil) | Lotus seed, bean paste, five-nut, salted yolk | Thin, soft, rich |
| Snow skin mooncake | Steamed glutinous rice skin, unbaked | Custard, fruit, bean paste | Soft and chewy; keep cold |
How water-oil and oil doughs make layers
The water-oil dough is all-purpose flour, fat and water, stretchy and elastic; the oil dough is cake flour rubbed with fat, with no gluten. Wrapping one in the other and rolling repeatedly separates the layers with fat, which bake into flaky pastry. Lard is traditional; ghee or shortening is common today. See shortening vs butter vs lard.
How to store egg yolk pastry, and can it be frozen?
- Room temperature: follow the label and avoid heat and humidity; taro or dairy fillings keep less well.
- Freezing: seal individually and freeze; thaw, then reheat a few minutes in the oven to crisp the crust.
- Snow skin mooncakes: keep chilled or frozen and eat soon after thawing.
Ingredients for Mid-Autumn gift boxes
Most of the cost is in the filling: oil-fried and smooth red bean paste, salted egg yolks, taro paste and pineapple filling; the crust needs all-purpose and cake flour plus baking fat. Larger brands can work directly with a pastry OEM.
How Tang Sugar can help
Tang Sugar supplies red bean paste and fillings and butter and shortening, and offers egg yolk pastry and pineapple cake OEM, shipped together with your other ingredients.
Products in this article
All 4 Butter & Shortening →
FAQ
Is egg yolk pastry a mooncake?
Broadly it is one of the Mid-Autumn pastries; strictly, mooncake covers festival cakes in general, and egg yolk pastry is a Taiwanese flaky pastry that has become one of the most popular festival gift items.
Why do Cantonese mooncakes need to “return oil”?
The syrup dough contains invert syrup and oil; after 1–2 days fat from the filling moves into the crust, making it softer and glossier.
Can egg yolk pastry be frozen?
Yes. Seal and freeze individually, thaw, then reheat in the oven to crisp the crust.
Why is mung bean cake white?
It is baked at a lower temperature without egg wash, so the crust stays pale.
Related Reading
Red Bean Paste Guide: Chunky Bean Paste vs Smooth Paste vs Oil-Fried Paste, Uses, Storage and Freezing
Shortening vs Butter vs Lard: Choosing Baking Fats and Taiwan’s Trans Fat RulesTaiwan StoriesTaiwan’s Festivals and Their Foods: New Year Rice Cakes, Lantern Festival Tangyuan, Qingming Spring Rolls, Dragon Boat Zongzi, and Mid-Autumn Barbecue, Mooncakes and PomelosAlso see: Pastry OEM (products)
