Melt the chocolate using a double boiler or a microwave.
Whisk in the salt, followed by Baileys and lastly cream. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, 30-minutes to 1 hour.
Divide into 10-gram portions, roll into small balls and refrigerate until firm, about 30-minutes to 1 hour.
Chocolate Lotus Filling
Melt the chocolate using a double boiler or a microwave. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Add in the lotus paste and mix well until the chocolate has been fully incorporated. Add in Baileys, followed by melon seeds. Divide into 20-gram portions and roll into balls.
Take one ball, flatten it slightly then wrap a piece of truffle inside. Roll it into a ball again and repeat. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Snow Skin
Sift the kou fen, icing sugar and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl.
Add in cold butter and rub it in with your finger tips until small lumps of butter remain. Add in Baileys and ice cream soda and mix to form a soft dough. Knead the dough in the mixing bowl until smooth.
Divide into 20-gram portions and cover with a plastic wrap or tea towel when not in use.
Moulding
Dust your hand with cocoa powder. Take a portion of the skin, flatten it, and wrap the filling inside. Dust your mould with more cocoa powder and place the mooncake inside. Stamp it and push it out onto a tray.
Once all the mooncakes have been shaped, place the tray of mooncakes in the refrigerator to firm up a little, about 15 to 30 minutes, so that they don't go out of shape when transferred into boxes.
Storage
Transfer the mooncakes into an air-tight container. Place a paper towel over the top before replacing the lid to prevent water from forming on top of the lid and dripping back onto the mooncakes. Refrigerate the mooncakes at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
The mooncakes can keep for up to 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator before the skin starts to dry out. The mooncakes are best served chilled with a cup of hot Chinese tea.
NOTES
The ratio for skin : filling : truffle = 20 grams : 20 grams : 10 grams. You might still end up with a few extra truffle or filling, but those can easily disappear by popping them in your mouth!
I strongly recommend getting a digital weighing machine when making mooncakes. The ratio is very important when you make the mooncakes, if you don't have enough skin, you might end up tearing the mooncake skin when wrapping it.
I find it easier to wrap the mooncakes when the filling is cold, but when the filling is cold, it wouldn't be easy to stamp them and shape them. So what I do is I wrap all the mooncakes first, and by the time I finish wrapping, the mooncakes will be at room temperature and ready to be stamped / shaped.
Kou fen is cooked glutinous rice flour. You can get it from bakery stores as grocery stores don't really stock them. If you want to make your own kou fen, spread an even layer of glutinous rice flour on a baking tray. Microwave for 2 minutes on high till the flour is heated through. Alternatively, fry the flour in a non-stick frying pan until heated through. When tasted, the flour should not have any flour taste. Let cool completely before using.
I chilled the Baileys and ice cream soda before adding into the dry ingredients because the dough is less sticky when cold. I also wore gloves when kneading the dough so that it doesn't stick to my hands. As the dough gets warmer, it tends to stick, so do remember to dust your hands.
Water droplets tend to form on the top of the plastic container, and when you open the lid, these water droplets may fall back onto the mooncakes, making your mooncakes wet. So placing a paper towel over the top will help prevent your mooncakes from getting wet.
Make in Advance: Make the truffle and filling first. Wrap the truffle with the filling then place them on a tray, slightly apart from one another. Freeze for 1 to 2 hours until firm. Transfer the filling-truffle into a plastic wrap or a container and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using them.