Kris
I’m not sure why, but I got a hankering for this cake a few weeks before I flew out to Colorado to spend time with my grandmother. Since she was overseas on a cruise at the time, I figured I would find the recipe online with little trouble. Well, you know what they say about when you assume…
Where was this mystery cake? It has a similar consistency to bibingka (a famous Filipino baked dessert) but was baked in a pan, not in banana leaves. It had condensed milk instead of salted cheese and eggs at the top. It contained dried coconut in the batter, but not young macapuno (young coconut) like most of the other recipes called for. I kept hitting dead ends, and ended up resigning myself to waiting until I visited Colorado so I could have the mastermind herself–my grandmother–show me how to make it.
The recipe itself is very easy–but the taste takes me back to my childhood, when my family and I would fight over the chewy corner pieces and pick the condensed milk off our front teeth (then lick our fingers). I always knew that mochiko cake was on the way when I saw the trademark white box and condensed milk sitting on the counter. I remember my grandmother making it for special occasions, for our giant holiday potlucks, or sometimes just because my brother and I begged her to make more (usually because my dad had eaten all of the edges already).
As I grow older and look to start a family of my own, I find myself awash in the nostalgia of my childhood–and as a Filipino woman, the food I grew up with is an instant connection with my past. I’m so grateful that I was able to watch and learn from my grandmother today; I can’t wait to share this recipe with my kids when they’re old enough to bite through this chewy, sticky cake! (And probably fight with them over the best pieces. You know, because… tradition?)
Lastly, I should note that this recipe makes 2 8×8 pans of cake/ 1 13×9 pan of cake. It’s a very heavy cake–think brownie-type thickness–and if you’re not making it for a party, I would encourage you to halve the recipe.
Thank you so much for posting this! My kids have been begging me to make their grandma’s mochiko cake, but I keep forgetting to ask her to show me how. This looks exactly the same! I’m making it today for my daughter’s school potluck.
You’re so welcome April! I hope it turned out well for you; I have a lot of great memories of this cake and hope it will create new memories for you and your family!
After I read your blog, I hunted down my mother’s Mochiko Pie recipe, which I haven’t made in ages.
1 c. mochiko
1 c. homogenized milk
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. sweetened desiccated coconut
3 eggs
3 tsp grated parmesan
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. butter
Bake 45 mins. at 325 F. Top with macapuno strings. Enjoy!
Thank you for sharing! I’ll have to give it a try–the inclusion of parmesan to up the savory flavor is very intriguing!
Hi
Is this one box of mochiko or one cup?
Thanks
Hi Rachelle,
Sorry for the confusion! It is 2 cups, which is 16 oz. or the equivalent of one box of Koda Farms Mochiko (the blue star box). I’ve made the correction on my recipe, thank you for noticing the error!
Whoa, a pound of Mochiko flour is only 2 cups? Wow! That’s half the volume for the same weight of wheat cake flour. At least now I know to keep this in mind when buying it. Does it convert that directly when replacing cake flour with sweet rice flour? I would need to make a plain version without the coconut. (I have a severe allergy, and to many it’s just plain nasty!) Thank you!
Hi Maranda! The consistency of the cake is going to be much different if you replace the sweet rice flour with cake flour–sweet rice flour has a much higher starch content, which creates the mochi-like consistency when baked. If you’re looking for a substitute, the next closest type of flour (with similar starch content) would be potato flour–but again, I haven’t tried it with anything other than sweet rice flour so I can’t vouch for it. Let me know how it turns out either way–good luck and thanks for checking out the recipe!
Hello Kris! Do you know if I can substitute the milk for coconut milk? Being half filipina – I have the joy of being lactose! Also, what could I use for the condensed milk topping? Would love your ideas…
Thank you!
Catalina
Hi Catalina,
I’m so sorry that this response is late 🙁 Unfortunately, I’m not sure of any substitutes for the condensed milk… and I’ve never substituted the regular milk for coconut milk, but the literature I’ve read indicates that there shouldn’t be an issue. Let me know how it goes if you try it! Thanks 🙂
Just read your recipe and will be trying this out at a family potluck this weekend. I couldn’t tell what size pans I’m to be using. One pic looks like two 9×13 and another looks like they’re possibly square 8×8?
Hi Christina! Sorry for the late reply. Yes, you are correct! I normally cut the recipe in half when I make it for my husband & myself at home, which fits neatly into an 8×8. Hope that helps–let me know what your family thinks! 🙂
you can top egg yolks and coconut milk spread it and bake for another 5-10 mins
Thank you for sharing this! My grandmother also makes this and I’ve been craving it while away for college. Mmmm 🙂
Hi:
Earlier in this thread, it says that 1lb of rice flour is equal to 2 cps, but i found that it is 2.83 cps.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Made it last night and it was delicious! Makes me miss my lola’s bibingka (:
Gonna try this recipe one day! I live in Hawaii and mochi cake and bibinka is popular here in family traditions, especially for the Filipinos. So, is it 2 cups or 3 cups of mochiko flour? I was reading a previous post and you mentioned it’s suppose to be 2 cups, but I’m looking at the recipe and it still shows 3 cups. Just letting you know. Aloha!!
Hi ! Is it 2cups of Mochiko or 3? You have 3 cups in the recipe as equivalent of 16 ounces.
Thanks,
Jo
I’m so glad you shared your experience with searching for and eventually making the cake!!
What cultural / ethnic / country would this recipe come from?
This is the best kind of cake! Your grandma’s’ recipe sounds amazing 🙂
For some reason, when I make this and add the condensed milk on top, the top starts becoming frothy white and bubbly and doesn’t seem to get dark or golden brown at all. Do I need to wait longer than 10 minutes to get that color?
The recipe for this seems to have disappeared — any chance it could come back up, or you have a link to a surviving version?
Hello,
Reformatting the site has made things a little wonky on here–but I’ve published it using a different theme:
http://umamiholiday.com/recipe/my-grandmothers-mochiko-cake/
Let me know if you have problems seeing it. Thanks!
I would love to make this, but I don’t see the actual recipe – is it still available? Thanks!
Hi, thanks for waiting–it’s back up here! Enjoy!