Butter Mochi with Coconut
A rare baking post for me as I am really not much of a baker. I dream creating light, fluffy swirls of sugary decadence…the stuff that makes co-workers and family members beg for more. But no, that’s not my thing and this recipe? Definitely not light. Decadent?
Yes!
I asked a good friend for her favorite “tried and true” recipe for butter mochi, a sort of hybrid dessert with roots from Japan mixed with Hawaiian-cooking ingenuity.
Of course being me I couldn’t resist tweaking the directions a bit. The batter called for water, but I skipped that part; I wanted a thick, rich slab of chewy coconut and butter goodness.
Another wacky thing I tried (and it turned out fantastic) was cooking half the recipe using my rice cooker!
But first here’s the conventional instrucions.
Beat 4 eggs and set aside. You’ll add this to the other liquids ingredients shortly.
Use a larger bowl than what I picked. I told you I’m not much of a baker! 
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a seperate bowl. Set aside. 
Now I could be wrong, and some of you more experienced bakers can correct me, but isn’t it true that you should not over mix or work the batter too much?
I think that’s where I got my-fear-of-dough. Too much “food-tv”. Like I’m going to ruin it somehow.
In another larger bowl —one that I should of used for the eggs— mix all the liquids together.
When the it’s all blended add the liquid to the dry and mix well. Then add 1 cup of shredded sweetened coconut. Mix again.
It’s a thick batter. Not like cake.
Pour half of the batter into a brownie pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. I placed this pan on top of baking sheet to avoid burning the bottom. After 50 minutes of baking, sprinkle the top with more shredded coconut.
You can see a piece of the finished mochi in the top photo. Golden and slightly crisp on the outside.
Now here’s where I got creative.
I poured the remaining half of the batter in my rice cooker pot, (my very old rice cooker), which ended up about a smidge over 1 inch deep, then covered with more shredded coconut before cooking.
Turned it on and waited for the chime. “Ding!” It was about 30 minutes. The hard part was not taking a peak but I managed to leave the lid alone to let the mochi steam… another 30 minutes then I lifted the lid and there it was!
It cooked! It really cooked!
Not as golden as its baked counterpart but it was cooked through. UPDATE: You may have to cook it twice, I’ve been told by friends who attempted this, that they had re-set the cooker a second time to cook through
Now the hard part…how to get it out of the pot?
I did have presence of mind to butter the inside of the pot before adding the batter… and I was praying that my cleverness payed off!
To remove your mochi from the rice cooker, wedge a rubber spatula between the mochi and the pan then sip your fingers under and wiggle your way all the way around until you get your hand under the whole piece.
Lift!
And transfer to a plate.
The bottom was slightly browed.
Good stuff! If pressed… I would say I like the “rice cooker” version better.
Why?
It’s moist, very moist.
But that’s not to say that the baked version is dry because it certainly is not. The baked piece is chewier and lighter where it’s steamed cousin is dense but almost melt-in-your-mouth!
Saba Man preferred the baked version. Which means that I ‘ll have to do both from now on!
If you’ve never eaten mochi before than be aware that this is not cake-like. It’s heavy, but delicious heavy.
And very difficult to resist. Be careful if you try this as I cannot guarantee that you won’t eat it all at once.
Luckily I had plans to pack most of it for a gift so I summoned up my will power and did not eat all of the second batch!
Okay, Saba Man and I ate a couple of chunks…for quality controls of course.
Butter Mochi with Coconut
4 cups mochiko (sweet rice flour)
2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup melted butter
1 can coconut milk (approx. 12 oz.)
1 can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon coconut extract
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, 1 cup for the batter, 1 cup for the topping
Mix together dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Mix all liquids together in a separate bowl. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Blend until smooth. Add 1 cup of coconut flakes. Pour into greased 9 x 13, or 2 square cake/brownie pans.
Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes then sprinkle the remaining coconut onto the top. Bake for about 5-10 more minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and cut into pieces.
Want more? How about some mochi mini-bites! Or a new recipe for Pumpkin Butter Mochi!
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Mmm, yes, how do you describe butter mochi for someone who’s never had it? Chewy. Buttery. Dense. Moist. All adjectives I would use too. Best is to just make it yourself. You will wonder how you lived before. And you too will be hooked. Muahaha!
Hi sheri, Publishing this recipe is quite dastardly. LOL!
More mochi addiction.
Yum! I’ll have to try this recipe soon!
Thanks Pipaw!
I’m truly salivating. Pretending to eat an orange mask my drooling…pah.
Will be giving this a go – I love Hawaiian hybrid recipes!!
Hi mils, Hawaii truly is a melting pot and the foods reflect the delicious blending of flavors. Thanks.
yummy! i know all the ingredients but mochiko. what is that?
Hi karen, I should of specified, thanks for asking, mochiko is sweet rice flour.
My sister always shares her butter mochi with me when she makes it but I’ve never made it myself. Tomorrow we’re going to our favorite Hawaiian restaurant for dinner and ‘open mic’ night. I am going to make your recipe tonight and surprise her with it. She will be surprised and delighted, I’m sure. I’m excited to try it with the added coconut. I’m going to split the batter and try both cooking methods, too. I suspect I’ll like the steamed version better and sister will like it baked. Thanks for another great post.
Hi Twisted Chicken, (love that handle) Thanks so much for trying out my experiment and what a nice way to surprise your sister!
Wow, that looks delicious. Great tutorial with not one but two cooking methods! Awesome!
Hi Susan, Thanks for your nice comments as usual. Good to “see” you.
wow!!! Butter mochi is already YUM, adding coconut flakes?! must be even YUMMIER!! I might just do one in the rice cooker one day…but I only have a 4 cup rice cooker…what did you use?
Hi Mrs. P, I only have a 4 cup rice cooker too! I only filled it about an inch and quarter deep before adding the coconut on top.
Now I want to make mochi! But it’s so hot tonight — BUT the rice cooker recipe would work well since it’s too hot to put the oven on
Looks super yummy!
Yummy!
Thanks prince n princess mum!
ooo.. yummilicious..
Hi bobo, thank you!
Looks amazing. Thanks for sharing. Never had it before, but I will definitely try your recipe.
That sounds so good.
Can you substitute evaporated milk with normal milk? And if yes, how much is a can?
Darn… burnt the bottom completely in the rice cooker. I did manage to save the rest of it, and it’s yummy, but I will try the baked version next time. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted my sometimes-temperamental rice cooker!
I tried this recipe last night and I am confused. I followed all your directions but my batter was runny not a thick batter as you described. Not sure what happened. They baked in 50 min. and where very moist in the middle and yummy. My kids described the middle as gummy but yummy.
Hi Linda, Thanks for trying my recipe. Not sure why your batter was runny? Sorry it didn’t turn out as you expected, but maybe give it another try?
oh yum!! I love mochi cake!
Thank you so much for posting the recipe!! I’m always on the lookout for yummy recipes, but this one is extra awesome – a dessert that my friends aren’t allergic to! They can’t have flour and it’s always fun to surprise them with a new treat that they can eat
Just made it for the first time yesterday and it’s soooo wonderful (especially because I love coconut!) and now I’m wrapping it up to give away for holiday presents, lol.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!