Delightful Coconut Mochi Cake (Print Version)

A chewy, lightly sweet cake with rich coconut flavor, perfect for dessert or tea-time. This gluten-free treat combines sweet rice flour with coconut milk for authentic Hawaiian-inspired taste.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups sweet rice flour (mochiko)
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 1 can (400 ml) full-fat coconut milk, well-stirred
06 - 1/2 cup whole milk
07 - 3 large eggs
08 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
09 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Topping

10 - 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

# How-To:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper for easy removal.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sweet rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk coconut milk, whole milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula or whisk until just combined and smooth—avoid overmixing to prevent toughness.
05 - Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter to release trapped air bubbles and create an even surface.
06 - Sprinkle shredded coconut evenly across the top of the batter, covering the surface completely.
07 - Bake for 55-60 minutes until edges turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with moist crumbs.
08 - Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before slicing into squares or bars. This ensures clean cuts and proper texture development.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The texture is like biting into a cloud somewhere between cake and traditional mochi, utterly unique and addictive
  • It strikes that perfect balance of sweetness without being cloying, making it impossible to stop at just one square
  • The recipe is remarkably forgiving for gluten-free baking, giving you consistent results every single time
02 -
  • Let the cake cool completely in the pan before slicing because the texture needs time to set properly
  • The toothpick test should come out mostly clean rather than completely clean since a slightly underbaked center yields the best chewy texture
03 -
  • Room temperature eggs incorporate more easily into the batter, so set them out about 30 minutes before you start baking
  • If the coconut topping starts browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking

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