Chinese Red Bean Rice Cake (Mochi Cake)

                                              

Although the celebration of 2018 Chinese Lunar Year has gone. It is never late to bake some festival deliciousness. Personally, I love anything made of glutinous rice flour. This soft, stringy and even sticky texture goes so well with dramatically versatile fillings, which is really the wisdom of Asian people. This red bean rice cake is typical in Southern China especially made for embracing the new year, which is traditionally steamed.  It can also be toped with other dry fruits like Goji berry, chestnut, date or longan, as they are meant to celebrate the current family reunion and bless the prosperity in the forthcoming year. 

I made the steaming version before, so I tried to bake it this time. Ingredients are easy to put together, which is basically dry-wet combination recipe. Another good thing about this mochi cake is once you master the ratio of main ingredients, you can make any variations by substituting other ingredients for the red bean paste. I made heaps of flavours like Coconut, Black Sesame, Chocolate, Matcha, Berries etc. So, why not try out now and keep it a staple on your ready-to-serve list!

Ingredients

Dry
Glutinous rice flour: 220g
Milk power: 20g
Baking power: 1.5 tsp

Wet
Eggs: 2, beaten
Whipping cream: 200g
(Here you can customise own indulgent level: heavy cream; light cream like me; half cream half milk; or use evaporated milk if you get one that makes the cake extremely milky, trust me)
Sugar:125g (Asian sweet level) 165g (more works on my Aussie friends)
Unsalted butter: 30g, melted
Red bean paste: 80g

Method

    

1. Mix the dry and the wet separately, and combine together. Stir the batter until no dry flour seen. The method of stirring from downside up while turning the mixing bowl is helpful.

2. Pour the batter into a square baking pan, put in a preheated oven in 180 C, and bake for 40 minutes. Nearly the end, if an inserted testing stick (I used a chopstick) comes out clean, ready to take out and cool on the rack.

I love the buttery crust and the delightful mochi inside. You can fridge or even freeze the remaining cakes. When craving, spray some water on top and microwave for 20-30 seconds, as delicious as the freshly baked.