Unique packaging, interesting flavours & specially-handcrafted: 3 mooncake brands to check out in 2022

Mid-Autumn Festival is on September 10 this year, and this means it’s time to start thinking about which mooncakes to buy for your family, friends and clients.

Here’s a helpful guide to the numerous offerings from mooncake brands in Singapore this year, sorted by unique packaging, unusual flavours and mooncakes that are specially-handcrafted.

Stay tuned – as one of the brands even has a unique promo code for Mothership readers.

1. Unique packaging – Mdm Ling Bakery

Homegrown brand Mdm Ling Bakery takes the cake (no pun intended) for the most unique mooncake box packaging this year.

Their latest creation? A box that transforms into a fully playable Monopoly set, thanks to its official collaboration with Hasbro.

Mdm Ling Bakery’s new launch this Mid-Autumn Festival is the “World’s First Monopoly Mooncake Street Smart Edition”.

The properties on this Monopoly set all have suitably delicious-sounding names, some of which are inspired by Mdm Ling Bakery’s best sellers, like Molten Chocolate Close, Red Velvet Cheese Road and Jalan Kueh Bangkit.

Board games have always been a great way to bond with family and friends. Having a side of mooncakes to enjoy while playing will only make the experience that much better.

The Monopoly Street Smart Mooncake Game Box is priced at S$118, though you can get one box at 20 per cent off, and three boxes at 25 per cent off, if you make your purchase by Aug. 15.

For Mothership readers, Mdm Ling Bakery will offer a free gift with S$120 spent on mooncakes.

Use the promo code MLBMSMAF2022 and make your purchase by Aug. 14. Limited to the first 200 redemptions.

For other discounts and promotions, find out more here.

Place an order for the Monopoly Street Smart Mooncake Game Box here.

Other iterations of Mdm Ling Bakery’s fun Game Box sets are also available if you prefer other games.

This includes game box sets like The Queen’s Gambit inspired International Chess Mooncake Game Box (S$72), the Imperial Chinese Chess Mooncake Game Box (S$98) and the Snacks & Ladders Mooncake Game Box (S$62).

You also have the option of choosing which series of Mdm Ling mooncakes you would like in the box. They even have Halal and vegetarian options too, which make them perfect for corporate gifting.

This includes halal/vegetarian-friendly options like the LAVALICIOUS! Signature series. This series has strong global influences, which can be seen from its offerings like a Japanese Matcha Green Tea Mooncake, a Nanyang Coffee Caramel Mooncake, a Hong Kong Salted Egg Yolk Custard Mooncake and a Belgian-Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Mooncake.

Each mooncake in the series has a unique molten lava centre rarely found in other mooncakes.

The other three non-halal mooncake options are the YUMMYLICIOUS! Cookie-Inspired series, and the all new DESSERTLICIOUS! Nostalgic series and LAPIS-LICIOUS! Floral Artistry series.

The YUMMYLICIOUS! series sees Mdm Ling Bakery adapt their signature cookies into their mooncakes, birthing creations such as a salted mung bean mooncake, a Japanese purple sweet potato mooncake, a cranberry florentine assorted nuts mooncake, and a savoury chicken floss mooncake.

For those who love nostalgic Chinese desserts, the all new DESSERTLICIOUS! series features fun mooncake inventions like an orange peel red bean mooncake, a longan dan feng tea mooncake, an osmanthus goji berries mooncake, and a peanut sesame paste mooncake.

For kueh lapis lovers out there, Mdm Ling Bakery’s LAPIS-LICIOUS! Floral Artistry series incorporates the traditional pastry into their mooncakes, so you can enjoy both treats at the same time.

Flavours include: Belgium chocolate, coffee tiramisu, signature original and fragrant pandan.

All mooncakes in these series are also adorned with handcrafted edible flowers and come in a peranakan-inspired gift box, making them a feast for the eyes as well.

Check out the full range of Mdm Ling Bakery’s mooncake box selections here.

Or if you want to sample some of Mdm Ling Bakery’s mooncakes before making your purchase, you can do so at Takashimaya’s Mid-Autumn Festive Celebration from now until Sep. 10.

2. Premium and Interesting flavours – La Levain

When it comes to interesting mooncake flavours, artisanal bakery La Levain definitely impresses.

The mooncakes were crafted by co-owner and executive chef of La Levain, Wythe Ng, who was previously head baker at Bakery Brera and Keong Saik Bakery.

Ng was also a Baker of the Year finalist at this year’s World Gourmet Awards (WGA).

La Levain’s mooncakes use premium ingredients and are all made by Ng and his team in their kitchen.

Ng has a proven track record of delivering exciting new flavours to more traditional pastries. Take his bobochacha croissant, or his hojicha mochi croissant, for instance.

La Levain’s line-up of Liqueur Truffle Snowskin Mooncakes this year doesn’t hold back on interesting flavours either.

They feature four types of artisanally-made snowskin mooncakes, which are:

• Raspberry Liqueur
• Japanese Sudachi
• Boozy Apricot Passion Fruit
• Boozy Yuzu Pomme

We tried a box of these treats and safe to say, they were a hit.

Our favourite was the Raspberry Liqueur mooncake. This mooncake had raspberry flavoured snowskin and was also filled with mung bean cream cheese, and had crunchy Valrhona raspberry pearls.

We really enjoyed how the sourness of the raspberry came through, and as a whole was not too sweet.

The filling was a white chocolate truffle shell filled with Crème de Framboise, a premium raspberry liqueur.

For hojicha lovers, the Japanese Sudachi mooncake had hojicha-flavoured snowskin, and was filled with hojicha burnt cheesecake and crunchy Valrhona dark chocolate pearls.

Cutting into it revealed a milk chocolate truffle centre filled with a tart sudachi cream.

The Boozy Apricot Passion Fruit mooncake had a passion fruit flavoured snowskin, and was filled with passion fruit cream cheese and crunchy Valrhona Dulcey pearls.

Its Valrhona dark chocolate shell is filled with luxurious ingredients like Valrhona’s Passion Fruit Inspiration and Liqueur D’Abricot, a premium apricot liqueur.

The Boozy Yuzu Pomme mooncake had a yuzu flavoured snowskin and was filled with a rich mung bean cream cheese.

The Valrhona white chocolate truffle shell inside the mooncake was filled with Valrhona’s Yuzu Inspiration and Pomme Verte Liqueur, a premium green apple liqueur.

We liked that the yuzu flavour of the mooncake came through strongly, and that it was not too sweet.

We liked how the snowskin on each of the mooncakes was just the right level of chewiness, and was easy to cut through, making it perfect for sharing the mooncakes with friends.

This set of Truffle Fruit Liqueur Snowskin Mooncakes is available for S$82, and has eight pieces of snowskin mooncakes.

For those who like Teochew-style mooncakes, La Levain also has a Baked Teochew Mooncake set, at S$78.

Each set contains six handmade Teochew mooncakes made with premium Lescure butter which makes the pastry layers extra light and crisp.

Each box will have two mooncakes with each of the three unique flavours: molten salted egg, bobo chacha mochi, and earl grey latte.

Place an order for La Levain’s mooncakes by Aug. 15, and get 25 per cent off its original price. Check out other discounts and promotions at this link here.

Place an order at this link here, or at their cafe at 23 Hamilton Road today.

3. Specially-handcrafted – JU Signatures

For those looking for something really special and artisanal, JU Signatures is definitely one brand to take a serious look at.

JU Signatures is helmed by executive chef Wong Kok Shyong, who previously spent 13 years as group dim sum chef at the Peony Jade group.

With 30 years of culinary experience under his belt, Wong is definitely an expert when it comes to making handcrafted treats.

Each mooncake is also meticulously shaped and moulded by hand by the chefs at JU Signatures.

It is no wonder why Teochew mooncakes are not a common offering among hotels here, as they are very labour intensive.

JU Signatures’ mooncakes are handcrafted by Wong, who specially curated healthier, premium ingredients for his mooncakes.

His mooncakes have less sugar and peanut oil. It also does not have added preservatives and uses only natural colourings, which is perfect for those who might be looking for a healthier option this Mid-Autumn Festival.

But this does not mean that their mooncakes compromise on flavour, Wong’s signature mooncake – the Flaky Teochew Pumpkin Orh Nee Mooncake, has garnered accolades from both fans and food critics.

From S$78 for four pieces, the JUbilance - Flaky Teochew Orh Nee Mooncakes come in four delicious flavours: Pumpkin Orh Nee, Pumpkin Orh Nee Single Yolk, Orh Nee Double Yolk and Matcha Mochi Lava Orh Nee.

We found that the orh nee and pumpkin filling was extremely smooth and creamy, and paired perfectly with the flaky Teochew pastry crust.

The Matcha Mochi Lava Orh Nee mooncake was our favourite. The smooth texture of the orh nee paired with the sticky mochi made for such an interesting eating experience.

JU Signatures also has its own line of snowskin mooncakes, the JUxtaposition - Mini Snowskin Mooncake Series.

At S$78 for eight pieces, this mooncake set expertly melds flavours from the East and West, and brings a fun new twist to traditional flavours.

The Champagne Truffle Mini Snowskin mooncake has a praline centre filled with champagne, surrounded by pure white lotus paste.

Its Chocolate Praline Mini Snowskin mooncake has a decadent chocolate praline centre, surrounded by a chocolate lotus paste.

JU Signatures also has a traditional Cantonese mooncake series, priced at S$80 for four pieces. The set features four classic flavours:

• Pure White Lotus Paste with Double Yolk
• Pure White Lotus Paste with Single Yolk
• Pure White Lotus Paste Original
• Wu Ren Assorted Nuts

Cart out all of JU Signatures mooncakes here or at their restaurant at 4 Maju Avenue.

Samples of La Levain’s and JU Signatures’ handmade mooncakes will also be available in-store (until stocks last), and at the Takashimaya mooncake fair (until Sep. 10).

This sponsored article by Mdm Ling Bakery makes this writer very excited for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Top photos via Mdm Ling Bakery and JU Signatures.