Mooncake Press and Soap Dough

A Mooncake Press can be a useful tool for making soap samples and hand size soaps.

Soap dough is a great medium for mooncake press molds, as it's pliable and will conform to the Mooncake press design.

When I began researching which Mooncake press I should buy my first question was, how do I choose a size? Changing grams to ounces is a good place to start, if grams are unfamiliar. I wanted understand the approximate size before I made my purchase.

After much consideration I chose these, "5pcs 35g Cookie Stamps + 5pcs 83g Cookie Press Mooncake Mold Set, Thickness Adjustable DIY Decoration Hand Press Cutter Cake Mold" from Amazon. 

The first thing I noticed were the sharp burs on the molds. These are plastic so I took a small file to remove them. No worries. 

No Better Way Than Jumping Right In

I was super excited to get started, so I jumped right in. First I washed the presses with soap and water and sprayed with 91% rubbing alcohol. You just never know where people's hands have been. 

I learned a few things about how to use these molds. 

How To Use The Press

I figured out quickly that not doing the following will produce soaps that are hard to remove from the detailed press cleanly. The details will be lost and the soap dough is difficult to remove from the press.

I used a combination of spraying the press with 91% rubbing alcohol and dusting with cornstarch to create a layer between the press and the soap dough enabling the soap to be removed, and still maintaining the details. 

This process also avoids frustration, which is a bold invitation to soap gremlins.

After a few soaps were made, I found it a good idea to wash the detailed press off and replace with another design press. They screw off so the press itself has many changeable designs, or presses.

As with all soap dough creations, I wash my hands regularly while making embellishments. This process keeps soap crumbs from forming and adhering to the creations. It is much more difficult to remove the soap crumbs than to avoid them. If you don't believe me, take a photo of your creations and the crumbs will jump off the screen and show you exactly where they are.

 

Sorcery Soap Samples

The soap samples in this image are approximately 35 grams or 1.23 ounce, according to the press, but mine are slightly smaller. This weight depends on the depth set on the mold. The cards are slightly larger than a business card (to understand the scale) and what I use for soap samples in each order. 

 

The larger Mooncake press is approximately 83 grams which translates to 2.92 ounces. Again, this depends on the depth of the mold. These make a larger soap, which I call a soap cookie.

These soap cookies make a great larger sample, which will produce many uses and are easier to use in the shower. Soap samples are good for hand use as they are small, but a slightly larger sample are great for the shower or the side board of the kitchen sink. I also use them in my kitchen and my guest bath. 

The soaps in the back, or larger ones, are approximately 83 grams or 2.92 ounces. 

These larger soaps, albeit smaller than a bar of soap, take less time to cure. There is still time for making these for the holidays.

I use this rule of thumb, 5 ounce bars take 5-6 weeks to cure, one ounce samples take 1-2 weeks to cure. With that said, I test the soap to ensure they are hard enough to use. Soft soap dough can be used immediately; however if you want a longer lasting bar, allow your soap dough to fully cure which will help your creations to last longer. 

Hope this was helpful. If you've read to the end, leave a comment and let me know if you found this helpful or have used soap dough with a Mooncake Press.