Banh Trung Thu Rau Cau (Soy Jelly Mooncake with Black Jelly) Recipe
Sweets and drinksChilled DessertsVietnamAbout 30 minutes cooking, several hours to set in the fridge
Banh trung thu rau cau with soy milk and a black jelly center gives a cool mooncake, an ivory shell around a dark core. The tricky part is that the two jelly layers separate easily when the cake is cut.
The black jelly core is scored a few times on the surface after it comes out of the ice tray. That gives the soy layer something to grip, so slices do not come apart.
This batch weighs about 1.1kg, at roughly 39 calories per 100g. The cake needs several hours in the fridge to set fully before it is turned out.
Method
Make the filling first. Put 5g agar powder and 300ml water in a pot, stir to dissolve and leave it for about 10 minutes to bloom. Set it on the stove, add 2 pandan leaves and 45g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and cook over low heat.
Stir as it cooks. Once it boils, lift out the pandan leaves and turn off the heat. Add 100g black grass jelly and stir for a few minutes until it dissolves. Pour it into an ice cube tray and chill for about 15 minutes.
For the shell, put 500ml unsweetened soy milk, 120ml oat milk, 45g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 10g agar powder in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly so nothing catches on the base. Turn off the heat once it boils.
Pour the soy jelly into the mooncake mold until it is half full. Turn the black jelly out of the ice tray and score the surface a few times with a knife so the two layers grip each other. Set it in the middle of the mold, then pour in the rest of the soy jelly to cover.
Chill the mold until the jelly is fully set. Turn the cake out onto a plate and cut it into 4 to serve.
Tips
Scoring the black jelly before the shell is poured keeps the two layers from separating when the cake is cut.
Letting the agar powder bloom for about 10 minutes before it goes on the stove gives a smoother jelly.
Constant stirring while it cooks keeps the jelly from catching on the base of the pot.
Soy milk boils over easily, so keep the heat medium and the lid ajar while the shell layer cooks.
Pour the shell layer while it is still warm, since a cooled mixture thickens and will not fill the mold.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.