Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival of Vietnam and some East Asian countries, held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the moon is full and brightest of the year. Mid-Autumn Festival customs are very diverse and rich, depending on each region and country. Some common customs of Vietnam are setting up Mid-Autumn Festival feasts, carrying lanterns, lion dances, singing drums, etc.
A month before the Mid-Autumn Festival, when walking along the main streets, it is not difficult to see the image of moon cake stalls with a variety of designs and flavors. To transform the traditional gift, Ms. Thuy Duong has created moon cakes with a new interface, 3D shapes and Dong Ho folk paintings.
Nguyen Thi Thuy Duong (born in 1995, living in Hanoi) - the girl who "transformed" the unique moon cake into a work of art imbued with Vietnamese tradition.
Thuy Duong started her passion for baking when she was a student, but it was only in the past four years that she began to try her hand at uniquely shaped moon cakes. As a lover of national culture and traditional baked cakes, the 9x girl has spent a lot of time and effort learning about different cake-making methods. Moon cakes are "dressed in a new coat" with many diverse 3D shapes such as carp, buffalo, Dong Tao chicken, buffalo boy, banyan tree well or Dong Ho folk paintings...
“I have always wanted to have a new breakthrough in my career and moon cakes have always been the top priority because of their closeness to people. By chance, I observed wooden sculptures with colors similar to baked cakes, so I decided to try my hand at creating moon cakes imitating these works,” Ms. Thuy Duong confided.
As a lover of ethnic culture and traditional cakes, the 9x girl has spent a lot of time and effort learning about different cake making methods.
Regarding the ingredients, Ms. Thuy Duong still uses the traditional crust and filling without changing anything to preserve the rustic flavor of the past. The whole process is the same as when making regular moon cakes, the only difference is in the shaping.
Unlike traditional moon cakes with square or round shapes and available molds, Ms. Thuy Duong had to improve her skills and practice making cakes for a long time before. Each 3D shaped cake depicting sculptures is handmade and contains the meticulousness, precision and skill of the craftsman. "In addition, to make the product more vivid, I also have to observe the exact proportions of the characters so that each character created has a soul and is realistic," the 9x girl said.
The whole process is the same as making regular moon cakes, the only difference is in the shaping.
At first, when she started making the “new version” of moon cakes, Ms. Thuy Duong also encountered many difficulties: “I ruined many initial products to be able to research the specific baking method and time. Each product has a different baking time and characteristics, after ruining a few times, I was able to draw experience for myself.”
Just like a work of art that requires a lot of creativity, each mooncake is a process of careful planning and time spent on shaping. “For simple shapes, it takes half a day like a tea set, but for elaborate designs, it can take up to two days to make,” Ms. Thuy Duong shared.
Each 3D sculptured cake is handmade and contains the meticulousness, care and skill of the craftsman.
Just like a work of art requires a lot of creativity, each moon cake is a careful process that takes a lot of time to create.
Besides 3D sculptured cakes, moon cakes shaped like Dong Ho folk paintings are also products that Ms. Thuy Duong spent a lot of time researching. Still using square and round cakes, she "breathed life" by drawing folk paintings onto the surface of the baked cakes. The works were inspired by Dong Ho paintings such as the wedding of mice, yin and yang pigs, carp or images of the Vietnamese countryside, young women in ao dai...
“Folklore is still the biggest source of inspiration. I often search for pictures with strong Vietnamese cultural features online, then use the images as templates and create more,” said Thuy Duong.
Still using square and round cakes, she "breathed life" into each folk painting on the surface of the baked cake.
The works are inspired by Dong Ho paintings such as mouse wedding, yin and yang pig, carp or images of Vietnamese countryside, young women in ao dai...
Previously, Ms. Thuy Duong used to sell moon cakes. However, due to her busy schedule of teaching baking courses from North to South, she decided to stop selling. The 3D moon cakes and Dong Ho folk paintings are created from her passion and the challenge she sets for herself. The products she makes are for display and not for commercial purposes.
3D moon cakes and Dong Ho folk paintings are created from her passion and the challenges she sets for herself.
“I also received many phone calls requesting custom-made cakes. Once, a customer was willing to pay 10 million VND for a chicken cake, but I still firmly refused. I hope the finished product will be displayed for everyone to admire,” the 9x girl said.
Upon receiving much support from everyone, Ms. Thuy Duong expressed her joy and desire to widely share her artistic mooncake works: "I hope that these products bearing a strong traditional imprint will help people recall many old memories, bringing that cultural feature closer to everyone's life."
The products she makes are for display only and not for commercial purposes.
