Snow Skin Mooncakes with Custard Filling (冰皮月饼)

Snow skin mooncakes are a Chinese dessert with a soft and chewy skin, similar to mochi. These snow skin mooncakes with custard filling have a strawberry hidden in the center to resemble the egg yolk and full moon, and the colorful skin can be dyed different colors for a super pretty appearance. We eat these yummy snow skin mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival!

What are mooncakes?

Mooncakes are a Chinese dessert and eaten on mid-autumn festival! Traditional mooncakes are baked with a golden exterior (like a flaky cookie) filled with a lotus paste and golden egg yolks. The golden yolk resembles the full moon on mid autumn festival.

What is Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節)?

Mid-Autumn Festival is on the 15th day of the 8th lunary month which always has a full moon. In chinese, the holiday in slang is called ‘8th month, 15’ (八月十五). The official holiday name in Cantonese is 中秋節, Jūng-chāu Jit. In 2026 it falls on September 25.

The significance of the holiday is family gathering. All close family members get together on this day because the moon is the brightest and most round. When all the family is there, we call it a family reunion dinner which also has the character round in the phrase.

During Mid-Autumn Festival, we eat these foods during the reunion dinner: grapefruit, taro, peanuts, chestnuts, and of course MOON CAKES!

If you’re looking for more delicious Chinese desserts, check out my Deep Fried Milk, One Pot Red Bean Soup and Chinese Egg Tarts.

Key Ingredients

Here’s a look at what you need to make these Snow Skin Mooncakes with Custard Filling. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.

Note: No substitutions for the wheat starch, tapioca starch and glutinous rice flour — those three are what give the snow skin its chewy, mochi-like texture ◡̈

Custard Filling Ingredients

• Melted butter – unsalted butter is added at the end when the custard is formed.
• Whole milk is recommended so the custard is extra creamy. Using non fat milk would not result in a creamy custard.
• Vanilla extract – alternatively you can use vanilla paste, or fresh vanilla bean (yields the tastiest results!) to flavor your custard.
• Corn starch – used as the thickening agent to ensure that the custard is creamy and thick. Using other types of flours may not get the same texture for a good custard.

• Wheat starch – holds the texture (more firm) of the snowskin mochi together.
• Tapioca starch – a little bit goes a long way and makes the mochi skin chewier and bouncier (like the boba ‘qq’ texture).
• Glutinous rice flour – this is the base of the snowskin mochi. This makes the dough stretchy and chewy.
• Whole milk – I love how this mochi tastes a little sweet and creamy from the milk. I prefer this over water for extra flavor.
• Neutral Oil – makes the mochi malleable and easier to work with! Make sure your oil doesn’t have too much fragrance (ie don’t use coconut oil), or else your mochi will taste heavily like that flavor.

Substitutions and Variations

• Other fillings: red bean paste and chocolate both work beautifully in place of (or alongside) the custard — red bean is the most traditional.
• Other fruit centers: any small fruit that is sweet and soft works great! Chop up some ripe mango, peach or kiwi and place in the center.
• Add matcha powder to the snow skin mochi to make it taste like green tea and the mochi will have a pretty green color!
• No mooncake mold? Roll them into balls — they’ll taste the same without the pattern.
• Dairy-free version: use oat, soy milk, or lactose-free milk in the snow skin mochi. Use whole milk only for the custard!

How to Make Custard Filling

Step 1. To make the custard, add the 1 cup milk and vanilla extract in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil on medium heat (180 degrees F). Turn off heat. (Image 1)

Step 2. In a separate bowl, mix corn starch, sugar and salt together. Gradually add the eggs and whisk until smooth with no clumps. (Image 2)

Step 3. Add ⅓ of the hot milk from the stove to the egg mixture (we’re tempering the eggs) & mix together. Then add all the egg mixture to the milk on the stove (combine everything together!). (Image 3 & 4)

Step 4. Continue to whisk everything together for one minute (or until the temperature reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit) until the custard has thickened. (Image 5 & 6)

Step 5. Remove from heat and stir in melted butter. (Image 7)

Step 6. Cover the custard with plastic wrap directly (so water doesn’t get inside from condensation). Place in fridge and chill while you make the snow skin mochi. (Image 8)

Pro Tip: The custard will thicken up really fast on the stove from the cornstarch. Takes maximum 3 minutes and the custard will stick to the pot if not constantly mixing. 

Make Snowskin Mochi

Step 7. Mix the following ingredients with a whisk: ¼ cup wheat starch, 2 tablespoon tapioca starch, ¾ cup glutinous rice flour, 1 cup whole milk, 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix until there are no clumps and the batter is smooth. Place on a stainless steel or glass bowl for steaming. (Image 9)

Step 8. Boil water on medium-high heat in a large pot. Once water is boiling, place bowl on a steaming rack. Steam for 20 minutes. (Image 10)

Step 9. After steaming, take the bowl out of the pot and cool for at least 10 minutes. Make sure the snowskin is not too hot to touch. Knead the snowskin dough until it becomes soft and easy to move around similar to play-doh! (Image 11)

Pro Tip: Put the snowskin mochi in the fridge for 30 minutes so the dough is firmer to mold!

Assemble Mooncake

(OPTIONAL STEP) To make colored dough, roll the dough in a ball. Then, split the dough in half. Use half for white dough. Then, split the other half in quarters. Add ¼ teaspoon matcha powder (or food color of choice) to the dough and knead until it turns green. Add ¼ teaspoon ube food coloring to the other piece of dough and knead until it turns purple.

Step 10. Lay out a non-stick baking mat or cutting board. Add corn starch on the surface on the mat and on top of the dough. Split dough into 6 pieces. Flatten dough with a rolling pin. (Image 12)

Step 11. Add custard on the bottom, then a strawberry and cover strawberry with more custard. (Image 13)

Step 12. Fold all sides together and pinch the mooncake shut. Once you pinch it shut, there’s some excess dough, cut it off with some scissors. Don’t cut too much off or the mooncake will break. (Image 14 & 15)

Step 13. Place the pinched mooncake in a mooncake mold and gently press the mooncake to the sides. Push the mooncake mold to make the impression and you should have a mooncake! Be careful as the mooncakes are very soft/fragile and transfer to a plate (add cornstarch to the plate to prevent sticking). (Image 16)

Step 14. Eat the mooncakes immediately as it tastes the best fresh! If you can’t finish them, you can place in a closed container for 1-2 days. Before eating, microwave with a wet paper towel for 1-2 minutes until snowskin is soft or steam them for 2 minutes. Happy mid-autumn festival! (Image 17)

Expert Tips

• Chill the dough – Put the snowskin mochi in the fridge for 30 minutes so the dough is firmer to mold!
• Watch the custard on the stove. It thickens really fast from the cornstarch — 3 minutes maximum — and it will stick to the pot if you’re not constantly mixing.
• Chill the custard for an hour. This will help you wrap the snow skin mochi and keep it’s shape.
• Eat them fresh. They’re best the day they’re made. Leftovers keep 1–2 days in a closed container — microwave with a damp paper towel for 1–2 minutes, or steam for 2 minutes, to bring the skin back to soft.

Snow Skin Mooncake FAQs

Looking for more delicious dishes for Mid-Autumn Festival? Try these!

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