this is a deviation from my regular sourdough content, but i promise it’s worth it. i baked a nian gao 年糕 for my birthday last week and it truly was one of the best things i’ve done for myself all year.
nian gao is an unleavened, gluten-free cake made from glutinuous rice flour. it’s usually eaten to celebrate chinese new year, and the name even literally translates to “year cake”.
you can steam, pan-fry, or bake nian gao, but i’ve always preferred it baked, just like my mother used to make it. the baked version has the perfect crusty, coconut-y exterior and a complementary chewy, gooey interior.
if life has taught me anything in my short 28 years of life, it’s that rules and convention should only be used as guidelines, especially for things that bring you joy. especially if it involves cake.
this cake is far too delicious to only be brought up once a year, and i hope you’ll find the same!
notes
- you can sub up to half of the coconut milk with regular whole milk. i wouldn’t do more than that since coconut milk adds a lot to the flavor.
- i use ogura-an brand sweetened red bean paste, which contributes to this cake’s sweetness.
- erawan makes the only glutinuous rice flour i’ve ever used. look out for that iconic green lettering. bonus: one bag makes two cakes.
- i adapted this recipe from marvellina’s baked nian gao. i removed the need for toasting the coconut, added sweetened red bean paste, and reduced the sugar significantly.
baked nian gao (mochi cake)
formula
- 225 g glutinous rice flour
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 350 g coconut milk
- 20 g coconut oil (melted)
- 2 eggs
- 100 g sweetened shredded coconut
- 100 g sweetened mashed red bean paste
- extra coconut oil for greasing
method
- preheat oven to 350°F.
- mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. then, make a well in the center.
- add all wet ingredients to the well. whisk together to form a smooth and runny batter, scraping down sides with a spatula as needed.
- lightly grease an 8 inch square or circular cake tin with coconut oil. then, pour batter into the pan.
- plop mashed red bean paste into the batter, one small spoonful at a time, making sure to distribute the red bean paste evenly in the pan.
- generously, and evenly, sprinkle the shredded coconut on top to finish
- bake in the middle of the oven for 50-60 minutes, rotating once halfway through. the cake is done when the top of the cake is lightly golden brown and the center is no longer jiggly.
- when complete, turn off the oven and leave the oven door slightly ajar and let the cake sit for 10 minutes. afterwards, let cool on cooling rack for at least an hour before cutting!
Can confirm this also works great with mochiko brand flour!
I used Bob’s Red Mill Sweet White Rice Flour and had great results. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Erica,
I love this recipe so much. I’ve made it several times already, but want to make a sugar free version for friends. I’m going to try boiling and mashing dates to replace the red bean and hopefully all the sugar. Do you think it’ll work?
Hi Connie, yay! I’m so glad you love this recipe as much as I do ☺️. Sohla wrote an article on the various components of mochi cake, and while her exact recipe is different than mine, the core ingredient families are the same. She wouldn’t recommend omitting sugar entirely as sugar plays a large part in the soft texture of the cake. Hope that helps!