Mochi Cake
This Mochi Cake is a delectable squishy cake made from sweet rice flour. It is so simple to make and fun to eat, plus it happens to be naturally gluten-free!
When you think of classic desserts that never get old, I would say Mochi Cake belongs up there with chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream. I know it’s a bold statement, but trust me. Once you’ve had a taste of this sweet, sticky, vanilla goodness, you won’t stop craving another bite. Added bonus- your whole house will be filled with the aroma of sugar and fat while it’s baking. What’s not to love about that?
This recipe has been adapted from Eat Cho Food and the Lemon Rhubarb Mochi Cake recipe on her site. I used it as a starting point and adopted some changes to make it dairy-free and appropriate for everyday baking.
What is Mochi Cake
If you are unfamiliar with mochi, it is a rice cake made from short-grain glutinous rice flour. Traditionally, mochi was pounded into a paste or steamed, but with this easy cake recipe you can enjoy mochi notoriously soft and chewy consistency without all of that effort.
This Mochi Cake recipe is my lightened up and dairy-free take on a Hawaiian-style Butter Mochi Cake. It is made using sweet glutinous rice flour (Mochiko), coconut milk, coconut oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla. These ingredients come together in the perfect little treat for when you want something not overly fussy with a classic vanilla flavor.
How to Make Mochi Cake
Homemade mochi cake comes together in no time and uses minimal kitchen supplies, making cleanup a breeze.
First, add coconut oil, canned full-fat coconut milk, white sugar, and brown sugar to a saucepan over low heat. Stir and cook until the sugar dissolves, making sure the mixture doesn’t get too hot. You want it hot enough to melt the sugar but not so hot that it scrambles your eggs in the next step.
Next, add the vanilla extract and egg to the saucepan and mix.
Add sweet rice flour, salt, and baking powder and mix until combined.
Pour into a 9x9 inch square dish and bake at 350ºF for 60 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let cool and then enjoy!
Is Mochi Cake Gluten Free
Yes! Mochi is naturally gluten-free. It gets its wonderful sticky consistency from sweet rice flour. It is a little confusing because this type of short-grain rice is called glutinous rice flour, but fear not, there is no gluten in rice, and so there is no gluten in mochi cake. The word glutinous here refers to the gluey nature of the short-grain rice, and this stickiness is what makes sweet rice flour such a great substitute in gluten-free recipes.
This Mochi Cake is pure perfection. Honestly, I crave this dessert often and make it a couple of times a month. Give this recipe a try, and if you do, I’d love to know what you think!