Koda Farms Butter Mochi Recipe

Mini Hawaiian Butter Mochi recipe lightly sweetened with condensed milk with hints of vanilla & coconut and baked in a muffin tin to maximize the crispy edges on the outside and still have a satisfying chewiness on the inside.

Mini Butter Mochi Cake on a muffin tin and wooden plate

My favorite part of this Hawaiian butter mochi treat is the crispy edges and the satisfying chewiness in the center. Whenever I make this, everyone always seems to fight for the corner pieces so why not bake this in a muffin tin so that everyone gets corner pieces? If you have never had butter mochi, I highly urge you to give it a try, do keep in mind that they are lightly sweetened so they are not as indulgent as a fudgy brownie but they are wonderful with a cup of tea/coffee or as an afternoon snack.

WHAT IS BUTTER MOCHI?

If you have never had a butter mochi before, these little treats are a popular Hawaiian treat made with sweet rice flour, sugar, eggs, and coconut milk. They are traditionally baked in a square or rectangle tray and cut into squares. They are typically crispy on the outside, chewy, and buttery on the outside. What makes butter mochi stand out from any other brownie or bar is its satisfying and chewy center combined with its nutty flavor.

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR BUTTER MOCHI

Mini Coconut Butter Mochi Cakes Ingredients laid out on a table

Coconut Cream - I like to use coconut cream over coconut milk because I find that it has a stronger coconut flavor and it contains a bit more fat as well which gives the cakes a crisper texture. Coconut cream is slightly thicker and fattier than coconut milk, so when you are shopping for this, make sure you shake the can. It should be thick and you shouldn't hear much sloshing. If you cannot find coconut cream, try to find coconut milk with a higher fat content - I find those are generally thicker and have a stronger coconut flavor. If you decide to use coconut milk, be mindful that it is a lot less coconutty and a lot waterier than coconut cream - to prevent your batter from becoming too thin, you may need to cut back on the milk.
Sweet Rice Flour (glutinous rice flour) - I like to use Koda Farms Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour for this recipe and I find that it produces the best results from all the glutinous rice flours I have used, but depending on where you are, it may be more difficult to find. (Note: Although it is labeled as 'Sweet Rice Flour' this is still glutinous rice flour.) If you cannot find this particular brand in the store, please see below in the next section for my recommendation for what to substitute it with along with the changes you may need to make. Make sure you are using glutinous rice flour and not just rice flour.
Sweetened Condensed Milk - To sweeten this mochi cake, I like to use sweetened condensed milk. I find it gives the butter mochi a bit more of a creamy flavor and it's just the right amount of sweetness without being overly sweet.
Eggs - I use large eggs for all my cooking and baking. I like to use room-temperature eggs for this recipe because I find it makes the edges crispier since the batter is at room temperature before it goes into the oven.
Vanilla - I like to use real vanilla extract but artificial vanilla extract works just well for this recipe.
Butter - This ingredient should not be substituted, since it gives the cake its butteriness and flavor.

WHAT IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR MOCHIKO FLOUR?

Box of glutinous rice flour from koda farms on the left, a bag of thai brand rice flour on the right

I still highly recommend using Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour to make the crispiest and chewiest butter mochi but I understand that it can be hard to find depending on where you live. I myself sometimes have a hard time finding it as well since they are always sold out where I live, so I have tested this recipe with the other brands and types of glutinous rice flours, mainly the more common ones that come in a plastic bag packaging that comes from Thailand and I'm glad to say that the recipe can be substituted with it with minor tweaks to the recipe.

Make sure you are purchasing glutinous rice flour and not rice flour. Usually, the glutinous rice flour ones are packaged with green writing and the rice flour is packaged with red writing.
Make sure to check how much flour comes in each bag. Most of the bagged glutinous rice flour from Thailand comes in 1 lb bags (16 oz) but some brands come with 50 gm less flour so you may need to adjust the amount of milk you add to the recipe to make sure the batter is not runny. Instead of adding 1 cup of milk, add the milk ¼ cup at a time until you get a pancake batter consistency. Coat the back of a wooden spoon with the batter, and run your finger through the batter. If it leaves a clear line like the photo below, then you're good. If the line doesn't form, the batter may be too runny and you have put too much milk.
Butter mochi cake is very forgiving. My assumption is because of the texture of this cake - it's chewy and holds moisture well from the rice flour's starchiness, so it's kinda hard to mess up that texture with minor substitutions. As long as your end product has the consistency of a pancake batter - you're good!
Keep in mind that the bagged glutinous rice flour is not a perfect substitution but it's pretty darn close and honestly just as tasty. The biggest difference I noticed is that butter mochi made with the bagged glutinous rice flour is a little less chewy.

HOW TO MAKE BUTTER MOCHI

1. Combine the Wet Ingredients Except for the Milk - Melt the butter and coconut cream in the microwave for a few seconds (Approximately 45 seconds but do this 10-15 seconds at a time, butter goes NUTS in the microwave - I did this for 60 seconds straight and half the butter ended up outside of the bowl. Cleaning up butter is not fun.) Add the melted butter and cream into a large bowl and condensed milk, vanilla and mix well. Add in the eggs 1 at a time and mix well.
2. Add in the Dry Ingredients & Mix Well - Add in the flour, sugar, and baking powder and mix well. At first, you will see lumps but if you keep mixing, it will become a smooth batter - No need for electric mixers, I found using the whisk was enough.
3. Add in the Milk - I added the milk last because depending on what type of flour or coconut cream/milk you use, you want to control how much milk to add to get the right consistency. You can slowly add, but you can't take it out. If you are following the recipe without substitutions then 1 cup of milk is good, but if you substituting the coconut cream for coconut milk then add in ¼ cup of milk at a time until you reach a nice pancake batter consistency. Run your fingers through the batter and if it holds its shape and it's not too runny and not too thick then you're good! I actually found that if you let your batter rest for 15-20 minutes, it gave the cakes an even better texture!
4. Butter the Muffin Tin & Bake - If you're as obsessed as me, then you want maximum crispiness. Muffin tin all the way for this. Butter your muffin tins liberally and put approximately ¼ cup of batter in each muffin cup and bake them for 45 minutes to an hour at 350F (177C) until golden brown on the middle rack in the oven. Once you are finished baking it, if you can wait that long (I couldn't!), let them to cool before diving in so that it has a chance to form its crispiness. 🙂

RECIPE TIPS FOR MAKING BUTTER MOCHI

Try to have the milk and eggs at room temperature before you start making this recipe. I find that this makes the cake edges crispier since the batter has not been cooled, so that it takes less time to cook and crisp up.
After it has been baked, make sure you let the butter mochi fully cool before eating. Letting it cool, lets the crusty outer layer get crispier and it firms up the inside so that it becomes chewier.
If you don't have a nonstick muffin pan, grease the pan very well with butter before pouring the batter into each muffin cup. I like to grease each muffin cup with butter and coat it with coarse semolina or cornmeal before pouring the batter into each cup. Just remember to shake out the excess semolina/cornmeal into the sink so that you don't have a thick layer. The semolina/cornmeal gives each mini cake an even crispier bottom and it lets each cake easily pop out of the pan.

HOW DO I STORE IT?

These keep very well in a well-sealed container, at room temperature. To crisp them up again, pop them in the oven at 350F (177C) for about 15 minutes and then let it cool so it can reform the crispiness. I personally think they taste even better the next day. I usually keep them on my counter for about a week with no issues but if your house is on the warmer side, then I would store it in the fridge.

LOOKING FOR MORE SWEET RECIPES? TRY THESE!

Black Sesame Creme Brulee
Roasted Banana Banana Bread
Black Sesame Chococlate Ruffled Milk Pie
Chewy Five Spice Ginger Molasses Cookies

Mini Butter Mochi Cake on a muffin tin and wooden plate

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

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Mini Butter Mochi Cakes on a muffin tray served on a wooden plate

Mini Butter Mochi Recipe

Mini Hawaiian Mochi recipe with crispy edges on the outside and a satisfying chewiness on the inside with hints of vanilla & coconut.

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 10 mins

Servings: 32 Mini Cakes

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Making the Butter Mochi Cake Batter

Melt the butter and coconut cream, and combine it with the condensed milk and vanilla
Add in the eggs 1 at a time while whisking.
Add in the baking powder, sugar and mochiko flour and continue to mix
Slowly add in the milk and mix until the batter is smooth. You want to achieve a pancake batter consistency. Run your finger through the batter on a back of a spoon and if it keeps it's shape and it's not too runny or thick then you're good.
[Optional] Let the batter rest for 15 to 20 minutes so that the batter to come to room temperature, this gives the cake a chewier and crispier texture.

Baking the Butter Mochi

Set the oven to 350F (176C)
Butter the muffin tin liberally. Lightly dust the buttered pan with coarse corn meal, coarse semolina or sugar and shake out any excess over the sink. This will help with the cakes to easily pop out of the tray without sticking and if you are using coarse corn meal or semolina, it will make the bottoms crispier.
Fill each cup with ¼ cup of batter per cake.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (until golden brown) on the middle rack in the oven. At the 45 minute mark, check to see if they are golden brown.
Let them cool for 5-10 minutes to form it's crispiness and enjoy!

If you are not using Koda Farms Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour, the only substitution I have tested and recommend is using the bagged glutinous rice flour made from Thailand. Make sure to check how much flour comes in each bag. Most of the bagged glutinous rice flour from Thailand comes in 1 lb bags (16 oz) but some brands come with 50 gm less flour so you may need to adjust the amount of milk you add to the recipe to make sure the batter is not runny. Instead of adding 1 cup of milk, add the milk ¼ cup at a time until you get a pancake batter consistency. Coat the back of a wooden spoon with the batter, and run your finger through the batter. If it leaves a clear line, then you're good. If the line doesn't form, the batter may be too runny and you have put too much milk. Please see the blog post for a photo for example of the batter consistency.
Try to find a high-fat content coconut milk if you are substituting it for the coconut cream.
Some coconut creams are thicker than other depending on what brand you buy. If your batter comes out too thick from the thicker coconut cream, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to thin it down a bit.
Try to have the milk and eggs at room temperature before you start making this recipe. I find that this makes the cake edges crispier since the batter has not been cooled, so that it takes less time to cook and crisp up.
After it has been baked, make sure you let the butter mochi fully cool before eating. Letting it cool, lets the crusty outer layer get crispier and it firms up the inside so that it becomes chewier.
If you don't have a nonstick muffin pan, grease the pan very well with butter before pouring the batter into each muffin cup. I like to grease each muffin cup with butter and coat it with coarse semolina or cornmeal before pouring the batter into each cup. Just remember to shake out the excess semolina/cornmeal into the sink so that you don't have a thick layer. The semolina/cornmeal gives each mini cake an even crispier bottom and it lets each cake easily pop out of the pan.
These keep very well in a well-sealed container, at room temperature for up to a week. To crisp them up again, pop them in the oven at 350F (177C) for about 15 minutes and they will taste even better than the first day you baked them. Day-old butter mochi cake has an even chewier and more dense texture in the middle!

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