• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Contemplating Sweets

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Popular Posts
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • My Videos
  • Video Production Services

February 17, 2017

Hawaiian Butter Mochi

Butter mochi is a classic Hawaiian treat made with coconut milk and mochiko (glutinous rice flour). All you have to do is mix and bake! 

Butter Mochi- a classic Hawaiian treat made with coconut milk and mochiko (glutinous rice flour).

Butter Mochi- a classic Hawaiian treat made with coconut milk and mochiko (glutinous rice flour).

Butter mochi was a great discovery for me when I “discovered” Hawaii via my now-husband. Butter mochi is another classic local style treat that is a hybrid of cultures. Now, don’t quote me on this, but I believe it’s a mix of Filipino bibingka and Japanese mochi.

I learned today that bibingka is made out of cassava, which I have never used or eaten before. But, the similarity is the coconut. While Japanese recipes don’t tend to use coconut, this butter mochi has an entire can of coconut milk in it! It kind of adds a slightly tropical hint to it.

Butter Mochi- a classic Hawaiian treat made with coconut milk and mochiko (glutinous rice flour).

This recipe is ridiculously easy. You barely even have to measure anything, because you just dump a can of this, a can of that, and a box of mochiko. ALL you have to do is mix, pour, bake, cut. SO easy and the result is so delicious! Fattening, yes, but delicious. And isn’t it okay to indulge sometimes?

This recipe makes a 9×13 inch pan full of butter mochi, so you’ll want to bring this to a potluck or at least have someone to share it with. I had my husband take most of it to work and it was a hit!

Butter Mochi- a classic Hawaiian treat made with coconut milk and mochiko (glutinous rice flour).Mmm, I just love the bouncy texture of mochi. I mean, it looks kind of like a piece of cake, but you bite in to it and… yum.

Some people like to add shredded coconut on the top of their butter mochi, but I like mine plain. Actually, wait… I’ve never had it with shredded coconut. Maybe I’ll try it next time! I bet it would be good…

Even if you aren’t a baker, you can definitely make this, so please give it a try!

Butter Mochi- a classic Hawaiian treat made with coconut milk and mochiko (glutinous rice flour).
4 from 5 votes
Print

Hawaiian Butter Mochi

Butter Mochi- a classic Hawaiian treat made with coconut milk and mochiko (glutinous rice flour). All you have to do is mix and bake!

Course Dessert
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 10 people
Calories 560 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter melted
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 16 oz mochiko flour 1 box
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 can evaporated milk 12 oz
  • 1 can coconut milk 14 oz

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 9x13 inch pan.

    Mix the melted butter and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in vanilla. Pour in the mochiko and add the baking powder. Stir until mostly combined. Stir in the evaporated milk, stir in the coconut milk. When batter is totally smooth, pour into pan and bake for one hour. 

    Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Remove from pan and cut into pieces on a cutting board. 


Recipe Notes

Adapted from Hawaiian culture stories.

Get coconut milk.

Get mochiko. 

Share on Facebook
Facebook
Share on Google+
Google+
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Share on Yummly
Yummly

Filed Under: Dessert, Popular Posts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meg | Meg is Well says

    February 17, 2017 at 10:11 am

    I was so excited last night when I saw these on your Instagram so I’m super glad the recipe is up! I always assumed mochi desserts were hard to make so I can’t wait to try these!

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      February 17, 2017 at 11:07 am

      No ways, this is the easiest ever! You don’t even have to worry about over mixing because there’s no gluten like in cakes 🙂

      Reply
  2. lulu says

    May 10, 2017 at 11:41 am

    This looks amazing. Can’t wait to make this today. I have all the ingredients. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      May 10, 2017 at 12:08 pm

      Awesome! Please let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  3. Nikki from Tikkido says

    May 26, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    Oh my goodness, I just made this last night for my daughter’s end-of-year school party (luau theme), and it was AMAZING. I’m glad so many kids didn’t even want to try it, because that means that I got to bring home lots of leftovers. 😉 It really does remind me of my favorite Filipino glutenous rice cake, but it’s so much easier to make!

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      May 26, 2017 at 3:24 pm

      Nikki, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment!

      Reply
  4. Andrea says

    July 7, 2017 at 8:26 pm

    Lived in Hawaii for a time and loved eating butter mochi there (prepared by locals), but never tried making it myself. After moving back to the main land I tried a couple of other recipes I found online, but this one seems the most authentic to what I had in HI. Simple and delicious. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      July 7, 2017 at 8:45 pm

      Thanks Andrea! So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  5. Gee says

    July 12, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    Thats the hook ups. Thats some ono stuff.

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      July 12, 2017 at 10:40 pm

      Once you start eating it you can’t stop!

      Reply
  6. Help! says

    July 20, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    This may be a dumb question but when you say coconut milk can it be like the silk in the refrigerator section, or do you mean like the stuff in the cans? Thanks

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      July 20, 2017 at 5:04 pm

      Hey there! Yup, go with the canned!

      Reply
    • Alisa says

      July 20, 2017 at 5:05 pm

      Oops and that yup wasn’t a reply to saying it’s a dumb question. Definitely a valid question haha! Good luck and I’d love to hear how it turns out!

      Reply
  7. Laurie says

    August 4, 2017 at 11:20 am

    Is it easy to find mochiko flour? Can you use just rice flour?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      August 4, 2017 at 11:25 am

      Hi Laurie, you can find mochiko at most Asian stores! It’s called glutinous sweet rice flour and is not the same as regular rice flour. I don’t think you would get good results if you substituted it.

      Reply
  8. Cassie says

    August 13, 2017 at 2:45 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing – trying it tonight 🙂 What size pan should I use? Thanks again!!

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      August 13, 2017 at 4:56 pm

      Hi Cassie! Use a 9×13 inch pan, let me know how you like it!

      Reply
  9. Christy says

    September 6, 2017 at 12:38 am

    Made these a week ago and they are delicious! I was wondering how long can i usually keep them for? They turned a little on the grainy side after a week and I’m wondering why that is…

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      September 6, 2017 at 8:21 am

      Thanks Christy! If you aren’t going to eat them within 3-4 days, I would throw them in the freezer!

      Reply
  10. Sandy says

    October 22, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    Do they have to be refrigerated after they are done ?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      October 22, 2017 at 4:34 pm

      I never do, but we always finish ours off within a day or two. Maybe if you’re going to keep them for longer, it would be a good idea.

      Reply
  11. Ky says

    October 26, 2017 at 10:42 am

    Hi! I was wondering what brand of coconut milk, vanilla, and evaporated milk you used?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      October 26, 2017 at 2:21 pm

      Hello Ky, I use whatever brand I have on hand. I usually use Thai kitchen organic coconut milk because I get a big box of it at Costco. Evaporated milk brand is whatever the local store has, and I use either Rodelle’s or Costco vanilla. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  12. James says

    October 26, 2017 at 11:26 pm

    Good recipe. But I’d like to point out that the nutrition info is very off. (A stick of butter alone is 800 calories.) By my calculations, an entire pan of this recipe is 5550 calories, making one serving (1/10th as you suggest) equal to 555 cal. Just FYI.

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      October 27, 2017 at 9:56 am

      Hi James, WOW! Thanks for the catch! I clearly did not input my info correctly. I ran it through the calorie calculator again and came out with 560 and have updated the recipe!

      Reply
    • Sari says

      January 15, 2018 at 7:43 pm

      I was worried. Tanks

      Reply
  13. Andy says

    November 12, 2017 at 4:32 pm

    So i have to make this for my foreign language fair on Friday, and I was wondering how long it took your mochiko to arrive? Its not available in any stores near me so i have to get it off of amazon.

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      November 12, 2017 at 4:36 pm

      Hey Andy, I actually get mine at the local Asian store, and put the link up there for those who couldn’t find it at theirs. I’m not sure how long it would take… Sorry about that! That being said, if you can find one that’s amazon prime, it should come in two days, and you could always pay a little more for it to come quicker. Good luck!

      Reply
  14. Michelle says

    November 19, 2017 at 4:22 pm

    What if you are a diabetic what sugar can you substitute?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      November 20, 2017 at 12:43 pm

      Hi Michelle, unfortunately, I don’t have any knowledge about sugar substitutions, so I am not sure what you could use. Sorry about that 🙁

      Reply
    • Rachel Wigglesworth says

      March 10, 2018 at 5:40 pm

      https://sweetleaf.com/stevia_products/sugarleaf/ Worked well in Christmas baking for my diabetic friends/family, and tastes was very good compared to other sweetener substitutes.

      Reply
      • Alisa says

        March 10, 2018 at 5:47 pm

        Thanks for the info!

        Reply
  15. Ileana says

    December 9, 2017 at 8:03 am

    Could I substitute the can of evaporated milk for coconut milk?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      December 9, 2017 at 10:13 am

      So do you mean using two cans of evaporated milk instead of one can evap and one can coconut? I personally have not tried it, but I’m assuming it would not turn out as good. Sorry!

      Reply
  16. Charlene Gove says

    December 12, 2017 at 1:35 am

    Hello – do you have to grease and flour the pan before pouring in the batter?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      December 12, 2017 at 9:27 am

      I don’t, but I use a dark nonstick pan (see video). I don’t think you would need to grease the pan regardless, but if you’ve had issues with food sticking in your particular pan, it wouldn’t hurt to grease it!

      Reply
  17. Lulu says

    December 16, 2017 at 12:36 pm

    Great recipe!

    I’ve been looking for a good one for a while.

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      December 16, 2017 at 12:40 pm

      Thanks Lulu, glad you liked it!

      Reply
  18. Lurlene says

    December 20, 2017 at 9:10 pm

    I live in SuCal and find the mochiko at Von’s and also Stater Bros

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      December 20, 2017 at 10:27 pm

      Awesome! I wish I could find it more easily out here. Californians are lucky!

      Reply
  19. Angie says

    December 22, 2017 at 9:36 am

    It looks so good in the photo that I would like to try the recipe right away. However, please confirm weight of butter. Also can I use half the sugar? Will it affect the texture of the mochi? Or just the sweetness if it?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      December 22, 2017 at 9:41 am

      Thanks Angie! One stick of butter is 4oz or 113 g! I can’t guarantee the results with any big changes, and I think cutting the sugar to half is a pretty big change… it may affect the texture. Sorry!

      Reply
    • Betsy says

      December 30, 2017 at 10:10 am

      Yes you can cut the sugar and it doesn’t change the texture

      Reply
      • Alisa says

        December 30, 2017 at 10:11 am

        Thanks Betsy, can you share how much you cut it by?

        Reply
  20. Julia says

    December 22, 2017 at 12:11 pm

    I made a half batch of these last night with a bit of ube pieces and it turned out not very chewy… maybe needs more rice flour?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      December 22, 2017 at 12:16 pm

      Hi Julia, these are tried and tested to be very chewy! Did you by chance use regular rice flour instead of sweet glutinous rice flour? Regular rice flour wouldn’t result in the same chewiness, and would probably have a disappointing texture. I always use the blue star box from koda farms. There may also need to be a change in baking time with half a batch!

      Reply
      • Tere says

        March 5, 2018 at 4:06 pm

        If I make half the batch how long will baking time be? How can I tell if it is cooked? Thanks!

        Reply
        • Alisa says

          March 6, 2018 at 6:28 pm

          Hi Tere, it would depend on the size of pan you use, but it should spring back when you touch it, and you can try poking it with a toothpick and see if it comes out clean. Good luck!

          Reply
  21. Ava says

    January 4, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    Is it 560 calories per serving?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      January 4, 2018 at 3:51 pm

      Hi Ava, yup, this is definitely an indulgent treat. That being said, if you only ate a couple of pieces, it would be lower. I have just found that in general, people who eat one have to eat at least 3-4 more pieces, haha!

      Reply
  22. Anna says

    February 11, 2018 at 7:07 pm

    I can’t find a 14 ounce can of coconut milk… will 13.5 ounces be okay? Also, how do you store these? Looking forward to trying this!

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      February 11, 2018 at 7:17 pm

      Hi Anna, 13.5 ounces will be just fine! I store mine covered with plastic wrap and just leave it out if I’ll be eating it within a day or two. You may want to refrigerate if it’s going to be any longer!

      Reply
  23. Bekki says

    April 3, 2018 at 9:15 pm

    This was my first try at a Mochi cake and I took it out of the oven too soon. The toothpick was clean, but the inside is gooey rather than bouncy. Any chance you know of genius ways to salvage it?

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      April 4, 2018 at 1:26 pm

      Hey Bekki, was it like that throughout the whole thing, or just the middle of it? How were the edges? I can’t say exactly without seeing it, but I would potentially just cut out the portions that were fine, and stick the middle part back in the oven. I don’t know if it would work, but… if you’re going to toss it anyways, you might as well try to rebake and see, haha! Good luck! Sorry it didn’t work out :(.

      Reply
  24. Chante Wilkerson says

    April 10, 2018 at 4:31 am

    How did you get the mochi to come out in that light color on top? Mine was slightly darker. Also, how were you able to result in clean cut pieces? How long should it cool before cutting? Otherwise super delicious!

    Reply
    • Alisa says

      April 11, 2018 at 11:48 am

      The color may depend on the oven, and which rack you place it on. You should let it cool for at least an hour before cutting, and then you should be able to get pretty clean cuts. I’m glad you liked it!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Hawaiian Butter Mochi | sweeticity.com says:
    March 2, 2017 at 8:36 am

    […] Hawaiian Butter Mochi […]

    Reply
  2. Butter Mochi: Bolo de Arroz Glutinoso e Coco do Hawaii | PratoFundo says:
    March 14, 2017 at 5:40 pm

    […] Adaptado: Lucky Peach e Contemplating Sweets […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Never miss a recipe!

Hey there!

Welcome to Contemplating Sweets, where you'll find traditional Japanese, Japanese inspired fusion, and dessert recipes. Take a look around!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Footer

Contemplating Sweets is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Copyright© 2018 · Brunch Pro Theme by Shay Bocks