Butter mochi
A cake from Hawaii, where the Japanese tradition of mochi met the American sheet cake. Glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, eggs and butter make a remarkable cake: crisp and golden on top, dense, springy and chewy inside, tasting of coconut and caramelised crust. It is naturally gluten-free, and the batter takes fifteen minutes to mix, no mixer needed. The only challenge is patience: it must cool completely, as warm it is sticky and will not cut.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Mixing 15 min
- Baking 65 min
- Cooling 120 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneHeat the oven
Heat the oven to 175°C. Grease a tin of about 23 × 33 cm with a little of the butter.
Ingredients: 4 pcs eggs · 400 ml coconut milk · 350 ml unsweetened evaporated milk · 120 g butter, melted · 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl whisk the rice flour, sugar and baking powder, breaking up any lumps.
Ingredients: 450 g glutinous rice flour (mochiko) · 300 g sugar · 2 tsp baking powder
Mix the wet ingredients
In another bowl whisk the eggs with the coconut milk, evaporated milk, slightly cooled butter and vanilla.
Ingredients: 4 pcs eggs · 400 ml coconut milk · 350 ml unsweetened evaporated milk · 120 g butter, melted · 1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine until smooth
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until the batter is smooth and thin, with no lumps. There is no gluten, so long mixing does no harm.
Ingredients: 450 g glutinous rice flour (mochiko) · 300 g sugar · 2 tsp baking powder
Thin and smooth — no lumps of flour.Pour into the tin
Pour the batter into the tin and tap it on the worktop to release the bubbles.
Ingredients: 450 g glutinous rice flour (mochiko) · 300 g sugar · 2 tsp baking powder
Tap the tin — the bubbles rise out.Bake an hour
Bake 60–70 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the edges crisp and pulling away from the tin. The centre should feel springy when pressed.
Ingredients: 450 g glutinous rice flour (mochiko) · 300 g sugar · 2 tsp baking powder
Cool completely
Leave the cake in the tin until completely cold, at least 2 hours. Only then does the mochi set and turn springy — warm, it is gluey.
Ingredients: 450 g glutinous rice flour (mochiko) · 300 g sugar · 2 tsp baking powder
Cut into squares
Cut into 24 squares with a plastic knife or an oiled knife — the mochi will not stick to the blade. For many, the crisp corners and edges are the best bits.
Ingredients: 450 g glutinous rice flour (mochiko) · 300 g sugar · 2 tsp baking powder
A plastic knife — the mochi does not stick.
Before you start
Which flour
You need glutinous rice flour (mochiko), not ordinary rice flour — ordinary flour will not give the chewy texture. Look for it in Asian shops.
Flavours
In Hawaii butter mochi is also made with matcha (2 tablespoons in the dry mix) or cocoa (4 tablespoons). You can scatter desiccated coconut on top before baking.
Storage
It is best on the day it is baked and the next day, kept covered. In the fridge it hardens — it keeps 4 days there; warm a piece for 10 seconds in the microwave before eating.
