Recipe Corner: Butter Mochi

We had this at a potluck a few years ago.

The person who brought it gave us the recipe.  She wrote, "I got this recipe from a Japanese/Hawaiian woman who owned a little cafe in Mesa AZ called 'Highland Cafe' which is now closed."

The person at the potluck gave us the full recipe, which makes two pans of butter mochi.  We usually make a one-pan version, with the amounts slightly tweaked.  We now bring it to potlucks.

Since the paper on which we wrote the recipe is getting rather scummy with drips of this and that, here is the recipe, both the 2-pan version and the 1-pan version.

Butter Mochi  (original recipe)

1 20-ounce box of sweet rice flour (3.75 cups)
2.5 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), melted
1 can coconut milk (2 cups)
1/2 cup milk
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls.  Combine and mix thoroughly.  Grease two 9" x 13" pans.  Pour batter evenly into both pans.  Bake for 45-60 minutes.


Butter Mochi (enough for one 9" x 13" pan)

approximately 1/2 box of sweet rice flour (we estimate it)
1.25 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (regular salt is fine)
1/2 stick butter, melted (1/4 cup, we use either unsalted or salted depending on what's around)
approximately 1/2 can of coconut milk (we estimate it)
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

The method is the same as above.  The mochi is usually done in 30-45 minutes, when it is golden and set, but not too dark along the edges.  Even with a greased pan, this can be a pain to get out of the pan.  If the pan is hard to clean, soaking it in water for a short while softens the stuck-on bits enough to get off fairly easily.

We cut this into 1" squares, give or take a bit, and then remove it from the pan.

When we make the half-recipe, we end up with half a can of coconut milk left over.  We either make another batch of mochi within a few days, or we use the coconut milk for other things.  I suppose it could be frozen, then thawed and used in a second batch later.  The rice flour is not a problem.  It keeps indefinitely in the pantry along with other flours.

Sweet rice flour and coconut milk can be found in grocery stores with a good ethnic section or in Asian specialty markets.  Sweet rice flour is also known as mochiko.

There are several similar recipes on the 'net for butter mochi in case you want to try several and then tweak it to match your own personal preferences.