Ube Butter Mochi
These showstopping ube butter mochi bars from Kat Lieu's Modern Asian Baking are buttery, chewy, and 100% crave-worthy.
Makes12 to 16 pieces
Prep10 minutes
Cook1 hour 10 minutes
When Regina Ramirez, my neighbor and Subtle Asian Baking (SAB) member, posted a gorgeous picture of her ube butter mochi on SAB, I grabbed a kitchen towel to wipe away my drool. Regina’s butter mochi bites, inspired by a recipe from Keeping it Relle looked spectacular: gloriously purple, shiny, and super crave-worthy.
And they didn’t disappoint. They were deliciously buttery and chewy, and the addition of vibrant ube was such a fun variation on the classic Hawaiian dish. They were so incredible that I knew that I needed to include a version in my book, Modern Asian Baking at Home, which is full of recipes inspired by the SAB community.
Ube Butter Mochi Recipe
These showstopping ube butter mochi bars from Kat Lieu's Modern Asian Baking are buttery, chewy, and 100% crave-worthy.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 1 hour 10 minutes
Makes12 to 16 pieces
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup
- 3
medium eggs
- 2 cups
milk or evaporated milk
- 1 (14-ounce) can
coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon
- 1/2 cup
(1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon
miso
- 1/4 cup
macapuno sweetened coconut strings (optional)
- 3 1/3 cups
glutinous rice flour
- 1 1/4 cups
granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons
baking powder
Toasted coconut flakes for topping (optional)
Instructions
Generously grease or line (including the sides) a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the ube jam, eggs, milk, coconut milk, vanilla extract, ube extract, melted butter, miso, and optional coconut strings. Mix on lowspeed until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Sift in the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and baking powder. Mix on low speed until the batter is smooth and thoroughly combined. Again, scrape down the sides ofthe bowl as needed to incorporate the ingredients. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Tap the pan against your counter to release any air bubbles.
Bake for about 60 to 70 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the butter mochi is set. Turn off the oven and leave the butter mochi inside for about 15 minutes, until a nice golden and crispy crust develops. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into twelve to sixteen even pieces.
Top with the optional toasted coconut flakes and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Notes: If you don’t have ube halaya jam handy, replace it with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon (8 to 15 grams) of ube extract and add one more egg to the batter. Macapuno strings are fleshy shredded coconut typically used in Filipino desserts. They are usually preserved, bottled in syrup, and easily found in Asian supermarkets.
Storage: While most people may say butter mochi is best eaten the day they're made, I enjoy them a day or two after when they've aged and developed more of a chew. Store leftover butter mochi in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Refrigerated butter mochi can be revived in a toaster or oven.
© 2022 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
Text © 2022 Kathleen Lieu
Photography: Nicole Soper Photography
