Ube Mochi Mooncake

Instructions

Ube Paste

1. In a large bowl, mix together the steamed and grated ube along with the sugar, butter, and water until well combined
2. Pour the mixture onto a pan on medium-high heat and cook until the paste forms and clings to itself, away from the pan
3. Transfer the ube paste to a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap touches the surface of the ube paste
4. Refrigerate until cool
5. Once cooled, divide the ube paste into 12 equal-sized balls

Mochi

1. In a microwave-safe bowl combine the glutinous rice flour, sugar, cornstarch, water, and oil until well combined
2. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes
3. Remove from the microwave and stir the mochi around
4. Cover the bowl again and microwave for another 2 minutes
5. Remove from the microwave and stir the mochi around
6. Cover the bowl again and microwave for a final 30 seconds
7. Remove from the microwave and give it one final stir before covering with plastic wrap (so that the film touches the top of the mochi) and allow to completely cool
8. Once cooled, divide the mochi into 12 equal-sized balls

Mooncake Pastry

1. For the water dough, in a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, water, and softened butter
2. Gently knead the dough until it forms and comes together (does not necessarily need to be smooth or pass the windowpane test at this point)
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to sit for 30 minutes
4. For the oil dough, in a small bowl combine the flour, butter, and ube extract
5. Knead the dough until it forms together and then wrap it with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to sit for 20 minutes
6. Once both of the dough have rested, divide each of them into 6 equal-sized balls
7. Take a white, water dough ball and flatten it out into a circle. Fully encase this dough around the purple oil dough ball
8. Repeat this step for all the dough balls
9. Take one of the encased balls and, with the seam side down, roll out the dough into a long strip
10. Take the edge with the least amount of white dough and start to roll up the dough from one end to the other until you have a log
11. Repeat the above two steps with the rest of the dough balls
12. Then take the dough log, and placing it down vertically with the seam side down, roll it out into a long thin rectangle
13. Once again roll up the dough into a log and cut it in half
14. Repeat the above two steps with the rest of the dough logs
15. Note: Throughout this entire process ensure that the dough is always covered with plastic wrap once done using it!

Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 340F
2. Take a ball of ube paste and wrap it around a cooled ball of mochi
3. Repeat this until you have 12 evenly sized ube mochi balls
4. Take a halved log of the mooncake pastry and, with the cut side down, carefully roll it out into a circle
5. Place the ball of ube mochi into the center and wrap the pastry around that (it's important to ensure that the previously cut side of the dough is the side that is on the outside of the mooncake once the ube mochi ball has been wrapped)
6. Repeat the above two steps for the rest of the ube mochi balls
7. Place the mooncakes on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before enjoying!