1. Add the flour to a bowl. In a separate bowl mix sugar beet syrup, lye water, oil, and water until well combined. Add this mixture to the bowl with the flour and mix to combine. You want a soft and smooth dough that is not sticky. If it seems too dry, add a bit more water and knead in. Do not overwork the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for about 60-70 minutes.

2. While the dough is resting, weigh out the red bean paste (or lotus paste) to get portions of about 30g (1.05 oz.) – shape into balls and set them on a plate. Refrigerate until needed again.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Dust a mooncake mold press (50g/1.8 oz.)* with some flour – the flour will help to release the mooncakes from the mold. You don’t need much, though. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.

4. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place one of the dough balls in the palm of your hand and press/shape it into a disc that has about the size of your palm. You can also do that with a rolling pin between two layers of plastic wrap instead – it’s easier that way (see notes in text above). Place one of the bean paste (lotus paste) balls in the center of that disc and fold the dough around the ball. It likely will not cover the whole ball immediately. Gently push, press, and squeeze the dough, holding the ball securely in your palm, until the dough covers the filling completely. If the dough tears somewhere, just pinch it together.

5. Press the balls you just made into the prepared mooncake mold – make sure they go all the way in and touch the bottom of the mold. Place the mold onto your work surface and push the dough ball down with the help of the plunger. You want to make sure the pattern is showing nicely when releasing the mooncake from the mold – but don’t push too hard, or you might squash the little cakes. Place them on the prepared baking sheet with some space in between..

6. Bake the mooncakes for about 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Take the mooncakes out of the oven and let them cool down for about 10 minutes (do not turn off the oven). Mix the egg yolk with the water and brush the small cakes very lightly with that egg wash (you don’t want to cover the pattern with the egg wash). Bake the mooncakes another 14-16 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Take the cakes out of the oven and let them cool down completely. Store in an airtight container for 1-2 days before serving.