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Recreating a Vietnamese village
Thuy Duong's "Memories" mooncakes are not just a gift for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but also a key that unlocks the gateway to childhood memories. Images of full moon nights, the whole family gathered together, enjoying mooncakes, listening to grandmother tell fairy tales... come to life vividly. These are warm, sweet moments that we all cherish.
Every year as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the online community gets to admire the exquisite artworks of the talented young woman Nguyen Thi Thuy Duong (born in 1995, living in Hanoi).
"I was born in the countryside of Northern Vietnam and was very impressed when I accidentally saw a collection of miniature landscape paintings by local artists. That's why I decided to use mooncakes as a medium to recreate images of my hometown and my old memories in this artwork. That's why I named the cake 'Memories'," she confided.
Mooncakes evoke memories of the Northern Vietnamese countryside.
Unlike traditional mooncakes, this one has a unique touch. Instead of the familiar round mung bean filling, Thùy Dương shapes the filling into a cute little house, a miniature garden, or any shape she likes. After shaping the filling, she wraps it in a soft, smooth pastry crust. Finally, she uses small tools to create lively details such as windows, roofs, and trees, making the cake truly vibrant and eye-catching.
Thùy Dương shared: “Although this product is only for display, I still apply the traditional mooncake recipe using sugar syrup and flour... However, instead of using yellow sugar syrup as usual, I use white sugar syrup, similar to glutinous rice cakes, to easily adjust the color of the cake. All the colors I use are food colorings that are safe for health.”
Mooncakes have captured the hearts of the online community.
To perfect the "Memories" cake, Thùy Dương and her team spent five days working non-stop. Every minute detail on the cake was meticulously cared for, from shaping the filling and coordinating the colors to drying it to preserve its natural hues. In particular, to create the ancient, mossy texture, she had to experiment many times before finding the perfect formula. Her meticulousness and patience helped make the cake more vibrant and realistic than ever before.
At first glance, these mooncakes amaze with their exquisite and realistic beauty. They are not just ordinary cakes, but rather works of art, transporting us back to a childhood full of memories. Through these cakes, Thùy Dương has successfully conveyed the beauty of Vietnamese rural life and evoked profound emotions in everyone.
Authenticity down to the smallest detail
Art in every slice of cake
Thùy Dương has dedicated her love to the art of mooncake making for over four years. Completely different from mass-produced mooncakes on the market, her products don't follow commercial trends; instead, she focuses on creating mooncakes with a strong personal touch, featuring incredibly intricate shapes and designs.
Thùy Dương realized that meticulousness and patience are extremely important.
To create a perfect mooncake, Thùy Dương realized that meticulousness and patience are extremely important. The baking process is a challenging journey, requiring her to be truly focused and persistent. There were times when she encountered difficulties that seemed insurmountable, but it was her perseverance that helped her complete her creation. In addition, subtle color coordination is also a crucial element, making the cake more vibrant and appealing.
“During the baking process, I encountered many difficulties, such as breaking or damaging parts. There were parts I had completed but wasn't satisfied with or didn't fit, so I had to discard them and start over. This was a big challenge because my product is food, so when put in the oven, many parts could break, bend, or lose their shape. I had to find ways to replace them or use tools to prevent the parts from deforming during baking,” Thuy Duong said.
The baking process is a challenging journey, requiring her to be truly focused and persistent.
