Coconut Mochi Cake

On my trip to Japan, I couldn't get enough of those mochi which came in all sizes and forms. They could be round with red beans inside or outside. They could come floating in syrup or on shaved ice. They could be cubes or even in animal forms. I was so fascinated by them that I bought a bag of Mochiko (sweet rice flour) which mere mortals use to make mochi. (Super humans pound their own rice in giant mortars.)

Six months went by, with the mission to clean up my pantry, I finally did something with the flour.



I made chewy-sticky and creamy coconut mochi cake, which reminded me very much of one of Thai dessert we only got in the winter fair. The cakes tasted almost the same except that the Thai version was wrapped in pandan leaves and grilled over hot charcoal.



Adapted from Epicurious.com Sweet Rice-Flour and Coconut Cake
Ingredients

• 1 can of 14 oz. coconut milk


• 3 eggs


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1/2 cup Agave nectar


• 1 1/2 cups Mochiko


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


2. Whisk coconut milk, eggs, vanilla extract and agave nectar together.


3. In a separate bowl, combine mochiko, baking powder, salt and coconut.


4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix well.


5. Pour into an 8 inch square baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes or until the surface is brown. Let cool completely in the pan before cutting.