The cake shop at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong has been providing people with delightful desserts since the 1970s. During the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival the store is on a constant buzz with customers continually arriving at the door when a team of dedicated pastry experts bake an elegant delicacy called ‘Mooncake’. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching; the cake is typically round or rectangular pastry with a rich filling made from lotus or red bean seed paste and often with one or two salted duck egg yolks. My first experience of the Mooncake was when my boss at Hong Kong Tatler gave all the staff their very own Mooncake; it seems to be a tradition here in Hong Kong. Although you never could eat a whole one by yourself – a small wedge with Chinese tea was just enough. 

If you are looking for Mooncake moulds make your way to Shanghai Street, Kowloon. Our two favourite shops for cooking moulds are Kwong Fai Steam-Case & Kitchen Ware, G/F 275 Shanghai Street, Tel: +852 2780 9980 and Man Kee Chopping Board, 340 -342 Shanghai Street, Tel: + 852 2332 2784.