Reader solves butter mochi cake problem
Last month, while I was maxi-multitasking, trying to get ready to go to Venice, reader Jill Yamashiro did that thing I love to see: She wrote me to ask about a recipe she'd had at a local restaurant and then, before I could even move to help, solved her own problem.
The dish: a butter mochi cake she had at the Pearl Harbor Naval Exchange I Love Country counter.
She wrote: "The butter mochi cake was truly a cake because of the cake-like texture with a bit of chewiness from the mochiko, not the full-blown mochi texture. It was light (as mochi desserts go) and so delicious. The recipe must use a combination of flour and mochiko to have that cake and mochi texture." She wanted to make it for her family's annual obon dinner (and what a good idea that is!).
Both Yamashiro and I were surprised to find that the Internet was almost devoid of mochiko cake recipes except for the standard, gooey-chewy family of butter mochi dishes, which are more a fudge than a cake. I went through perhaps 50 community cookbooks in my collection and found no such recipes. Is this really something new? I intended to call I Love Country when I found a minute but, before I could do so, Yamashiro had conducted her own recipe testing and, on the third try, liked what she created.
Her solution: A 50/50 mochiko (rice flour) and all-purpose flour mixture used in a conventional butter sheet cake recipe she found online.
BUTTER MOCHI CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease one 9 -by-13-inch baking pan. Line bottom with waxed paper or dust lightly with flour. Sift the flour, mochiko, salt, and baking powder together. Cream butter and blend in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, ending with the dry ingredients. Stir until just blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from pan and allow it to cool.
Serves 18 (3-by-4-inch pieces).
Yamashiro didn't say anything about frosting, but this sounds kind of rich. Perhaps a little fresh mango or other fruit scattered alongside, or a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar on top would be sufficient.
