Baking Chinese mooncakes

For the past four years, Bellaire High School junior Serena Li (pictured) has made and sold traditional Chinese mooncakes during the annual Mid-Autumn Festival and donated proceeds to charitable organizations. What began as a quarantine activity during the pandemic turned into an ongoing project that has raised more than $1,300 for the World Health Organization, Houston Food Bank, and other nonprofits. Traditional mooncakes date back to more than 3,000 years ago and are typically eaten each year during the festival. Filled with lotus paste and imprinted with intricate designs, mooncakes are notoriously difficult to make. Serena dedicates long hours to the process; some ingredients must be prepared weeks in advance and, once assembled, the mooncakes need to bake and then rest for a couple of days to allow them to soften. 

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