The Japanese Kitchen

Baked Mochi is sought to originate in Hawaii as a delicious collaboration between American cake and Japanese sweets. This warm and chewy flourless cake with a hint of coconut milk was enjoyed among Japanese-Americans and Southeastern Asians first but has quickly spread in popularity.

However, baked mochi should not be confused with the traditional Japanese mochi: baked mochi is often sweet and made with glutinous rice flour, sugar, and coconut milk, then baked in an oven. On the contrary, traditional Japanese mochi is made only with glutinous rice, in which the rice is steamed then pounded to create the chewy consistency of mochi. It is often dried to keep for a while, and then can be grilled/broiled before adding seasoning or use it in cooking. A typical way to enjoy mochi is to season with soy sauce, and nori, sweetened soy powder, red bean paste, or savory miso with walnuts or the mochi can be added to New Year’s soup, called Ozoni.

Our backed mochi recipe comes from a phenomenal home cook, “Joyce,” a Taiwanese woman who used to cook at Tanpopo Noodle Shop. She often brought home-made sweets for us all to nibble on during break or between busy weekend shifts.

I enjoy soft but chewy baked mochi plain but you may add cocoa powder, matcha powder, black sesame or red bean for additional flavor.

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Baked Mochi

This flourless sweet and chewy backed Mochi is made with glutinous rice flour, sugar, coconut milk and eggs then baked in an oven.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, asian, Japanese

Keyword Butter, coconut milk, eggs, gluten-free, sugar

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings baking pan

Cost $10.00

Equipment

Baking pan (Le Cruset Oval Pan 12 x 8 or Pyrex 11 x 7 x 2)

Ingredients

1/2 pound glutinous rice flour
1/4 tablespoon baking powder
a pinch baking soda
1 1/4 cup white sugar
3 medium eggs
1 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoon butter melted

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish (I use Le Cruset Oval Pan 12 x 8 or Pyrex 11 x 7 x 2) with butter or cooking spray and set it aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs then add coconut milk. Mix until combined.
Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients and mix well. Add melted butter.
Pour the ingredients into the prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. You can check the doneness by inserting a toothpick through the mochi, if the toothpick comes out clean, the mochi is done.
Cool the mochi in a baking dish on a drying rack. Once cooled to room temperature, cut into squares.