Cool and refreshing mooncakes and macaron nougat — Taipei Bakery Show’s desserts are a major eye-catcher

▲ It looks like a macaron, but it’s also nougat — this East-meets-West dessert has zero flavor conflict!(Photo / by reporter Hsiao Wan-ning)

Reported by Tsai Wen-jun / Taipei

When it comes to mooncakes and nougat, many people often think of soft and chewy textures. This year, the desserts at the Taipei Bakery & Gourmet Food Show are breaking those stereotypes, featuring not only cool and tender mooncakes but also “macaron nougat” in colorful shades of pink and blue, both in appearance and taste full of creativity.

The baking business “Valerie” combines French macarons with Taiwanese nougat to create the multicolored “macaron nougat,” which stood out in this year’s Taipei Bakery & Gourmet Food Show’s nougat competition.

According to the vendor, compared to regular nougat, the “macaron nougat” not only breaks away from the traditional square shape in appearance, but its white cream-like filling is also made with over 10 different fruit and vegetable flavors such as sweet potato, taro, and mango, paired with a cookie-like crispy macaron shell, offering a double dose of creativity in both visuals and taste.

▲ The “Rabbit’s Cheek,” which tastes cool and fruity, also has a chocolate-flavored shell — an alternative creative mooncake for this Mid-Autumn Festival. (Photo / by reporter Hsiao Wan-ning)

Another featured souvenir on sale at the event is the “Rabbit’s Cheek,” which has the shape of a dorayaki pancake.Rabbit’s CheekBiting into it immediately reveals a tender, cool texture on the outside, along with bursts of fruity aroma from the perfect blend of yuzu shreds and cheese, delivering a refreshing taste that really stands out.

The vendor explained that it’s named “Rabbit’s Cheek” because its outer layer feels as soft and tender as a rabbit’s cheek, and the filling is made with locally sourced cheese imported from Hokkaido and Japanese yuzu. To break away from the usual image of mooncakes as small cake-like pieces, they shaped the dessert into a slightly flattened full moon form and also printed rabbit designs on the outer layer, echoing the theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Considering that the weather remains warm during the Mid-Autumn season, chilling the mooncake before eating gives a cool sensation that helps beat the heat, making you want to have another one right after the first bite.

If you want to sample this year’s most distinctive pineapple cakes, nougat, and other pastries, the three-day-only “Taipei Bakery Gourmet Food Show” runs only from today through the 13th at the Taipei World Trade Center Hall 3.