after a couple of months of missed recipe redux challenges, i’m happily back in the saddle. as regan rightly pointed out, i couldn’t miss this month… it’s desserts!
plus, these desserts were challenged to be small bites to celebrate the one year birthday of these monthly redux posts… so happy birthday, recipe redux!
i was quickly reminded of some tempting and intriguing little mochi cakes i stumbled across somewhere along the way. i definitely have some fantastic memories of mochi from our few years in hawaii, mostly consumed in the form of bubbies mochi ice cream, but managed to miss the connection that mochi (mochiko) is sweet rice flour.
sweet rice flour, or mochiko, is a fantastically starchy flour made from short grain (sushi) rice. because of its starchy, stickiness it is also called glutinous rice, not to be confused with “gluten”. it is completely gluten-free and is actually a wonderful flour to add to gluten-free flour blends because it adds a chewiness that is often lacking in other flours.
mochi cake is famous on the big island of hawaii. nori’s, a local eatery, sells the stuff like crazy. i love that it is gluten-free without trying. sweet rice flour produces such a “bouncy”, perfectly-chewy cake that no binders are even needed and there’s no worry of a tender cake that could fall apart at any moment. this makes it perfect for a “petit four”-like square, lovingly dipped in dark chocolate for an indulgent, portion-controlled treat. i’ve also adapted the recipe with a little less sugar and healthier coconut oil.
Chocolate Mochi Cakes
Servings 16 cakes
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 2 1/4 cups about 325 grams sweet rice flour (mochiko)
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
- 7 ounces canned unsweetened coconut milk
- 6 ounces 2% evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 12 ounces dark chocolate i used 60% cocoa Ghiradelli bars, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Line the bottom and two sides an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the side or the pan. Spray with cooking spray.
- Combine sweet rice flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. In another bowl combine coconut milk, evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla and coconut oil. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and stir until well-combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until cake is done when tested with a pick and sides are beginning to harden a bit. (over-baking is preferable to under-baking with this cake. under-baking produces an excessively gummy cake.) Allow cake to cool completely.
- Cut cake into 16 (2-inch) squares. Dip squares, one at a time, into melted chocolate. Using a fork to carefully lift squares out of chocolate, gently shake off any excess chocolate and place squares on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Chill for 20 minutes or until chocolate is set.
