Hawaiian Butter Mochi

 

This week’s bake is Hawaiian Butter Mochi from Bigger Bolder Baking.

Brought to Hawaii by Japanese plantation workers in the 1800’s, mochi, a traditional rice pastry made from pounded rice, has a long history dating back to the late 700’s.  Ancient samurai’s would take mochi with them when they journeyed for battle as it was easy to prepare and traveled well. Throughout history, it was consumed to bring good fortune, happiness, health, long life and general well-being. 

Soft and chewy Hawaiian Butter Mochi is an iconic Hawaiian treat made with sweet rice flour, also called glutinous rice flour, along with butter, eggs, coconut milk, evaporated milk, and a few other typical ingredients such as sugar, baking powder and vanilla extract. Coconut flakes or other fillings can be added for different flavored butter mochi.

The butter mochi is baked like you would a sheet cake in a 9”x13” baking pan, and then divided into smaller portions for serving. You can consider it a type of cake, but locals don’t call it a Mochi cake, simply butter mochi or Hawaiian butter mochi will do.

The flavor of butter mochi is perfect too: it’s rich but  isn’t too sweet, and has subtle flavors of vanilla, butter, and coconut — it tastes like you just went on a tropical holiday. But it’s really the texture that makes this dessert so lovely!  It will transport you to the island of Hawaii in just one bite!

One of the main ingredients is Mochiko or sweet rice flour, also known as glutinous rice flour. This type of rice has a shorter grain and is very sticky when cooked. You need to use the correct type of rice flour for the recipe to work.

Hawaiian butter mochi is kind of like a cross between cake and mochi. Unlike Japanese mochi, which can be filled with ice cream, Hawaiian Butter Mochi is baked. The result is a chewy but not gummy, slightly coconutty, and a delicious dessert.

Here is the recipe for Hawaiian Butter Mochi from Bigger Bolder Baking:

Ingredients

1 box (16oz/450g) Mochiko Flour (sweet glutinous rice flour)

2 cups (16oz/454g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 large eggs (room temperature)

2 cups (16floz/450ml) whole milk

1 can (13floz/400ml) coconut milk

¾ cup (6oz/170g) butter softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) baking pan and line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together the sweet rice flour, sugar and baking powder.

Add in the eggs, followed by the milk, coconut milk, butter and vanilla. Using an electric mixer or by hand whisk together to form a smooth batter. Pour mix into your prepared pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden on top. Set aside to cool down completely.

Cut into 24 squares with a sharp knife. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream if desired.

Here are some pictures from the bake:

Have a Great Day !