Mochi Cake

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you! What is mochi cake you ask? It is a cake because it has all the typically ingredients you find in a cake but the only difference is the flour. Mochi is made with glutinous rice flour which gives its products a chewy texture. For all the chewy texture food fans like myself, you'll love this recipe because glutinous rice flour is used instead of all purpose flour. The cake comes out chewy and has an eggy flavor comparable to a sponge cake. One thing I love about this recipe is the brown crust that forms on the bottom and top of the cake. It is crumbly goodness in the mouth that really gives the cake a rich flavor. This cake is versatile in terms of flavor: chocolate, green tea, blueberry, strawberry, etc. - the list can goes on. In this version, coconut milk gives the cake good flavor and I like it even more because I used light coconut milk. You know what that means, less guilt!

I first discovered mochi cake at a Thanksgiving gathering two years ago. I am notorious for being a mochi freak so my cousin made a cake at this Thanksgiving gathering and she asked me if it tasted like anything I had before. I remember saying, "It kinda taste like mochi...?" She started laughing and told me that it was mochi...mochi cake that is. Initially, I was confused about the idea but then it made so much sense. I thought it was such a brilliant idea but have been forgetting to make it!

Since I have braces now, eating mochi would be a living nightmare to get out of my braces so I have been thinking of ways to get my mochi fix. Then, the brilliant idea struck...mochi cake! Voila, that is what inspired to finally look up a recipe and make it. There are many variations out there but I opted for the standard mochi cake for my first try. I can get fancy after that!

Mochi

What's mochi you ask? It is a Chinese snack made popular in Japan. Aside from finding mochi at Asian supermarkets, I have seen mochi bites at frozen yogurt places as one of the toppings. You can always try it with your fro-yo before you try to make it at home. It is essentially sweet rice flour with sugar and water and although it may sound simple, it can be just as complex as a cake or cookie. Inside the ball of flour, you can find some sort of filling. These filling varies from jellies, ice cream, pastes such as red or mung bean, or the classic peanut and coconut filling. If you have a weakness for chewy textured foods like myself, than this is the perfect little sweet treat for you! The key to the chewiness? The sweet rice flour, aka glutinous rice flour. This ingredient is used to make a lot of Chinese snacks. Some people are turned off by the chewy texture of mochi but I believe with some getting use to, these things can be addicting.