At Lunar New Year time, we eat a sticky steamed cake called neen gao (nian gao). It's supposed to bring a prosperous new year and it's also what is offered to the Kitchen God to gum up his mouth so he won't give a bad report on the family to Heaven. I also love mochi cakes filled with sweet red bean paste. I buy them already made, 6 to a pack, or
make them at home if I'm motivated. They are not that hard to make, but it's still a pain - the mochi dough is sticky, the starch powder gets all over everything, and it's tedious making all those little round cakes. Here's a way to get the sticky sweet gooey taste of mochi, plus the red bean flavor, with lots less work. Try it!
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| Mochi Cake |
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of Sweet Mochi, or Glutinous Rice Flour* (like Mochiko brand)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup sugar, or 2 cups brown sugar
- 2½ cups milk
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Can (18 oz) of sweetened adzuki red bean paste* (I used a 17.6 oz pouch)
- 1 egg, beaten, to brush on top of cake (optional)
- Sesame seeds* to sprinkle (optional - can be toasted before using)
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| Koshi An (Red Bean Paste), left; Black Sesame Seeds (right) |
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You can experiment with reducing the sugar if you want. I made this cake with 1½ cups brown sugar and it tasted great. I have also reduced the oil to 1/2 cup with decent results.
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Mix everything together, except for the last three ingredients. The batter will be runnier than a typical cake batter.
- Pour half of the mixture into a 9" x 13" pan, lined with parchment paper or foil. It's about 6 2/3 cups batter total, so half is about 3 1/3 cups.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Take the cake out and spread all the red bean paste evenly on top, and then pour the rest of the cake mixture on top of everything.
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| Squeeze out the red bean paste in lines across the cake. |
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| Spread red bean paste in an even layer. |
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake another 20-25 minutes, until cake is set and lightly browned at the edges.
- Remove and let cool on a rack. Slice with a serrated knife. It's delicious warm, and even more delicious when cooled down to room temp.
*I get these Asian ingredients from
99 Ranch Market which is here in southern California. Mochiko brand flour cost $3-over $4 per 16 oz box. Flying Horse brand is only 99¢. Other food markets in Chinatowns, Japantowns, or Koreatowns would also likely carry this stuff.
Adapted from:
Red Bean Baked Mochi Cake; also similar to
Chinese New Year Cupcakes
