The Moon cake has two parts including crust and stuffing. Two kinds of Mid-Autumn cakes are baked ones and sticky ones. This classification depends on cakes’ crust. Ingredients for stuffing consist of jam, polony, green bean, lotus seed, salted eggs, sugar, oil, etc.

The crust of baked Moon cakes are processed from a mixture of wheat flour, boiled syrup, malt and oil. After adding stuffing into the central of thin smooth dough, the baker puts the Moon cakes into a moon cake press, then removes the pressed cakes out of the mould, brush each Moon cake with egg wash and put them into oven. The baked cakes are shaped square, colored golden brown, shiny and sweet-smelling. The combination of the crispy skin and sweet - savory fillings brings buttery taste that makes the Moon cake remarkably delicious.

Sticky cakes are made from cooked sticky rice dough and fillings. The dough is a mixture of smooth roasted sticky rice, vanilla or pomelo flower flavoring and syrup. It can be eaten right after being removed from the cake mould. Sticky cakes with aromatic glutinous skin and savory stuffing have round shape and leave unforgettable aftertaste. In Mid-Autumn festival, the Hanoians and their family often sit together and enjoy Moon cakes with  "tra ngau” (tea infused with the flower from the Aglaia duperreana tree).

Nowadays, based on flavor and form of traditional Mid-Autumn cakes, the Hanoians process Moon cakes with various forms and flavors such as carp shaped cakes and dragon shaped cakes with green tea or taro taste to meet personal demand and taste.

Recommended places: Bao Phuong Bakery - 183 Thuy Khue Str., Tay Ho Dist.

                                                        Source: Hanoi’s cuisine - Hanoi City Tourism Department