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The moon reaches its brightest and fullest state on Monday. For many East and Southeast Asian people, that means the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

It's a time when red lanterns fill the streets and dinner tables are adorned with beautiful mooncakes to celebrate the harvest moon.

Kwan, whose family started Minneapolis bakery Keefer Court decades ago, said her family used to make thousands of these cakes during this time of year. They were one of the few bakeries still making them by hand despite how laborious it can be, which is why many had offloaded the work to machines. 

Kwan said the bakery would be filled with sounds of mooncakes being pounded out of wooden mallets. 

“That's what I would hear all throughout the day is my mom in the kitchen, pounding out big mooncakes at all hours of the day.”

But since closing the business two years ago, Kwan hasn’t made mooncakes or baked much. This year, though, Kwan said she's excited to make a small batch of mooncakes and to revive the tradition.

“It's been fun, now that my parents are retired and we've sold the business, to still be able to carry on some of the traditions that I had growing up in there.”

This tradition of making mooncakes has its roots in China and is entwined with the legend of the moon goddess, Chang'e.

The story goes that her husband, Hou Yi, had saved the world from being scorched to oblivion by shooting down nine suns with his bow and arrow. In return, he received an elixir of immortality. But one day, confronted by a thief trying to take the elixir, Chang'e drank it all. 

She then floated to the moon and became the moon goddess. Forced into an eternity separated from her, Hou Yi was heartbroken so he laid out a table of offerings with fruits and mooncakes to express his love. 

Today, people continue to do the same during the Mid-Autumn Festival. And even after all these years, the process of making mooncakes has largely remained the same.

Though, over the years, people have invented many new kinds of mooncake — trying out new fillings or different crusts. 

There's even a Dubai chocolate flavor available this year.  

No matter what kind it is, the purpose of a mooncake — as legend goes — is to be shared as an offering to loved ones during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

And while you'll certainly be able to get your fill of mooncakes at any Asian grocery store this time of year, Kwan said there's nothing like a mooncake made at home in a labor of love.

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The moon reaches its brightest and fullest state on Monday. For many East and Southeast Asian people, that means the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival — and mooncakes. Producer Ngoc Bui met up with former Keefer Court Bakery owner Kwan to learn more about the small dessert filled with centuries of history and tradition.

The moon reaches its brightest and fullest state on Monday. For many East and Southeast Asian people, that means the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival — and mooncakes. Producer Ngoc Bui met up with former Keefer Court bakery owner Kwan to learn more about the small dessert filled with centuries of history and tradition.

Mooncakes: The ancient dessert celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival

Ngoc Bui | MPR News

A hand holds a mooncake after being prepared in a kitchen.

Mooncakes: The ancient dessert celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival

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