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Chinese Flower Cake, a shortcake like pastry that fills with homemade sweetened red bean paste with flower shaped. This is a perfect celebration pastry for Mid-Autumn Festival falls during Spring Season here in Australia!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to my friends around the world!!!!

Spring is always my favourite season. It is about reborn from the cold winter, rebirth physically as all the leaves grow from the tree and flowers bloom. This is the best time to enjoy some outdoor activities, the gift from our mother nature. Not only that, Mid-Autumn Festival which also called mooncake festival is the second biggest Chinese event after Chinese New Year falls during Spring season here in Australia.

To celebrate this special day during spring season, I have make a Chinese Flower Cake with red bean filling to enjoy with my family. This recipe is different with the usual mooncake recipe for Mid-autumn festival celebration.

In fact, the original recipe was called Peach Blossom Pastry which adapted from @Qiongyummyfood. I love the flower like appearance of this pastry as I find this bakery is best to serve during blooming season. I did a minor alteration by changing the flowers to the natural green (matcha powder) and yellow (turmeric powder) colours.

This cake fills with a sweet red bean filling which is one of the very popular flavour in moon cake. The combination of these two are just perfect to make and serve on this special day – Mid-Autumn Festival in Spring season!

Check out my other red bean recipe – RED BEAN BRAIDED BREAD

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WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CHINESE FLOWER CAKE

Red bean filling

• Red bean
• Water
• Sugar
• Butter

Plain dough

• All purpose flour
• Sugar
• Water
• Unsalted softened butter

Colour dough

• Cake flour
• Unsalted softened butter
• Matcha powder
• Turmeric powder

Egg wash + Sesame seeds

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE RED BEAN FILLING

Place 2 cups of red bean with 4 cups of water in a saucepan and cook for 45 minutes to an hour until beans are soft. Add more water if required. If you have a pressure cooker, it will speed up the cooking time by half. Drain red bean and place them in a pan, add 1/2 cup raw sugar and cook on low medium heat until sugar dissolved. Use a hand blender to blend the red bean until fine and smooth. Add butter and stir to combine, maintain at low heat at all time. Stir red bean mixture constantly to prevent burn. Cook until red bean is dry and mixture become thicken about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool down to room temperature.

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Once the red bean paste is cool, roll them into 12 round ball weight around 50g each. For extra, store them in a sealer bag and freeze in the freezer for next time. They could last for up to 2 months.

HOW TO MAKE CHINESE FLOWER CAKE

Plain dough

First, prepare the plain dough by mixing all purpose flour, sugar and water in a large bowl. Knead until mixture is just combined. Add softened butter, on low speed beat until mixture is well incorporated. You might need to use your hand to help with combining the dough.

For hand knead, place the dough on the work surface, and start rubbing the dough back and forth until it is soft, smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Perform a window pane test. Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 30 minutes.

Colour dough

In a large mixing bowl, add cake flour and softened unsalted butter. Mix the butter thoroughly using your finger tips into the flour mixture and knead until mixture come together and form into a soft dough ball. About 5 minutes.

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Divide dough into half, and add each dough into 2 separate small bowls with matcha and turmeric powder. Incorporate the powder into the dough until you get a smooth green and yellow dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 30 minutes.

Roll each colour into a long strip and cut into 6 equal portions. Roll each dough into a dough ball and place on a clean plate then cover with plastic wrap to prevent from drying out. You get 12 coloured dough balls in total.

After resting the white dough for 30 minutes, remove from bowl and place it on a working surface. Knead the dough for one minute to release air bubbles then roll it into a long strip and divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each dough into a round ball and cover with plastic wrap.

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Take out the first ball, place it on the work station and press it down into a disc using your palm and roll it out thinner with roller. Place one colour dough at the center of the white disc dough. Wrap the dough up using your hand and seal it tightly. Place it back to the plate cover with plastic wrap. Take the second white dough and one colour dough, repeat the step until you have 12 dough balls with colour dough filling.

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Take out the first dough ball with colour filling, use your palm to press it down to a disc and roll it out using a roller. Roll the dough up into a log from a short end. Repeat the remaining until you have 12 logs. Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 20 minutes.

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After 20 minutes, take out the first log, use your thumb to press it down and flatten it, then roll it to a long strip using a roller. Roll it up into a log from the short end. This time you will get a shorter log. Repeat for the remaining dough until you get 12 shorter logs. Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 20 minutes.

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After 20 minutes, take out the first log and use your finger tip to press onto the center. Fold the 2 sides towards the center then press it down using your palm and roll it out into a flat disc using a roller. You should see some beautiful marble pattern on the disc. Take one red bean ball and place at the center then wrap it up into a ball. Make sure you seal the dough properly. Repeat the remaining until you get 12 dough ball with red bean fillings.

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Take out the first dough with red bean filling, very gently press it down into a thicker disc. Use a sharp knife to cut 5 lines to make the petal. Do not cut through the center. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch the edge tightly to make the dough into a flower shape as per below picture. Gently draw 2 lines in between each petal using a knife.

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Spoon 1/4 tsp of egg in the center of the flower dough and sprinkle white sesame seeds to make flower stamen. Repeat until you get 12 flowers cakes. Bake in the preheated oven at 170°C for 20-22 minutes. Cover with foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent the surface from getting brown. Transfer cakes to a cooling rack to cool down before serve.

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Thanks for stopping by!

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Snap a photo and tag @dreamtocookblog with #dreamtocook❤ if you have an Instagram account. I love seeing your creations!

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RECIPE

Chinese Flower Cake, a shortcake like pastry that fills with homemade sweetened red bean paste with flower shaped. This is a perfect celebration pastry for Mid-Autumn Festival falls during Spring Season here in Australia!

	CHINESE FLOWER CAKE WITH RED BEAN FILLING
Prep time: 2 HOURS 20 minutes RESTING TIME: 1 HOURS 20 MINUTES	cooking time: 22 minutes TOTAL TIME: 4 HOURS 2 MINUTES	serve: 12
INGREDIENTS: RED BEAN FILLING – 2 cups red beans, washed and drained – 4 cups water – 1/2 cup raw sugar – 1 1/2 tbsp butter	PLAIN DOUGH – 1 cup, 120g all purpose flour – 1 1/4tbsp, 20g raw sugar – 3 1/2 tbsp, 50g water – 3 1/8 tbsp, 45g softened unsalted butter	COLOUR DOUGH – 1 cup, 100g cake flour – 4 tbsp, 55g softened unsalted butter – 1 tsp matcha powder – 1 tsp turmeric powder Topping -Egg wash -white sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

To make red bean filling – Place 2 cups of red bean with 4 cups of water in a saucepan and cook for 45 minutes to an hour until beans are soft. Add more water if required. If you have a pressure cooker, it will speed up the cooking time by half. – Drain red bean and place them in a pan, add 1/2 cup raw sugar and cook on low medium heat until sugar dissolved. Use a hand blender to blend the red bean until fine and smooth. – Add butter and stir to combine, maintain at low heat at all time. Stir red bean mixture constantly to prevent burn. Cook until red bean is dry and mixture become thicken about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool down to room temperature. – Once the red bean paste is cool, roll them into 12 round ball weight around 50g each. For extra, store them in a sealer bag and freeze in the freezer for next time. They could last for up to 2 months. To make dough pastry Plain dough – Prepare the plain dough by mixing all purpose flour, sugar and water in a large bowl. Knead until mixture is just combined. Add softened butter, on low speed beat until mixture is well incorporated. You might need to use your hand to help with combining the dough. – For hand knead, place the dough on the work surface, and start rubbing the dough back and forth until it is soft, smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Perform a window pane test. Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 30 minutes. Colour dough – In a large mixing bowl, add cake flour and softened unsalted butter. Mix the butter thoroughly using your finger tips into the flour mixture and knead until mixture come together and form into a soft dough ball. About 5 minutes. – Divide dough into half, and add each dough into 2 separate small bowls with matcha and turmeric powder. Incorporate the powder into the dough until you get a smooth green and yellow dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 30 minutes. – Roll each colour into a long strip and cut into 6 equal portions. Roll each dough into a dough ball and place on a clean plate then cover with plastic wrap to prevent from drying out. You get 12 coloured dough balls in total. – After resting the white dough for 30 minutes, remove from bowl and place it on a working surface. Knead the dough for one minute to release air bubbles then roll it into a long strip and divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each dough into a round ball and cover with plastic wrap. – Take out the first ball, place it on the work station and press it down into a disc using your palm and roll it out thinner with roller. Place one colour dough at the center of the white disc dough. Wrap the dough up using your hand and seal it tightly. Place it back to the plate cover with plastic wrap. Take the second white dough and one colour dough, repeat the step until you have 12 dough balls with colour dough filling. – Take out the first dough ball with colour filling, use your palm to press it down to a disc and roll it out using a roller. Roll the dough up into a log from a short end. Repeat the remaining until you have 12 logs. Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 20 minutes. – After 20 minutes, take out the first log, use your thumb to press it down and flatten it, then roll it to a long strip using a roller. Roll it up into a log from the short end. This time you will get a shorter log. Repeat for the remaining dough until you get 12 shorter logs. Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest for 20 minutes. – After 20 minutes, take out the first log and use your finger tip to press onto the center. Fold the 2 sides towards the center then press it down using your palm and roll it out into a flat disc using a roller. You should see some beautiful marble pattern on the disc. Take one red bean ball and place at the center then wrap it up into a ball. Make sure you seal the dough properly. Repeat the remaining until you get 12 dough ball with red bean fillings. – Take out the first dough with red bean filling, very gently press it down into a thicker disc. Use a sharp knife to cut 5 lines to make the petal. Do not cut through the center. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch the edge tightly to make the dough into a flower shape. Gently draw 2 lines in between each petal using a knife. – Spoon 1/4 tsp of egg in the center of the flower dough and sprinkle white sesame seeds to make flower stamen. Repeat until you get 12 flowers cakes. Bake in the preheated oven at 170°C for 20-22 minutes. Cover with foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent the surface from getting brown. Transfer cakes to a cooling rack to cool down before serve.

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