Mochi (made from glutinous sweet rice flour) is a pillow-like dough that the Japanese fashion into all kinds of confections. In Hawaii it’s made into this simple, rich cake with the addition of eggs. We love it with this zesty lime curd topping for an extra-special dessert. Recipe adapted from Chef Greg Harrison, Pacific’O Restaurant.
Coconut-Butter Mochi Cake with Lime Curd
Mochi (made from glutinous sweet rice flour) is a pillow-like dough that the Japanese fashion into all kinds of confections. In Hawaii it's made into this simple, rich cake with the addition of eggs. We love it with this zesty lime curd topping for an extra-special dessert. Recipe adapted from Chef Greg Harrison, Pacific'O Restaurant.
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 large eggs
- 1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk
- ¾ cup reduced-fat milk
- 3 cups sweet rice flour (mochiko)
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup avocado oil
Curd
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated lime zest plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter diced
- Pinch of salt
- 6 thin slices pineapple (about 8 ounces), brûléed if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray.
- To prepare cake: Combine eggs, coconut milk and milk in a blender. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk rice flour, brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another large bowl. Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture and whisk gently until smooth. Whisk in melted butter and oil. Transfer to the prepared pan.
- Bake the cake until set and browning on the edges, about 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out onto the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
- To prepare curd: Bring 1 inch of water to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan. Combine eggs, sugar, lime zest and lime juice in a metal bowl large enough to rest in the pan without touching the water. Set the bowl over the water and whisk constantly until the mixture is very thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and salt until smooth.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl and strain the curd into the bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd and refrigerate until cold, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Spread the curd over the cake and top with pineapple slices. Garnish with more lime zest, if desired. Cut the cake into 24 squares.
Notes
Equipment: Parchment paper
