Browned Butter Mochi Cake (vegan, gluten-free)
Did you know that butter mochi is more popular than brownies in Hawai'i? I made this butter mochi for our going-away party in Totsuka, Japan. My wife and I have been living in a share house for the last month before moving on to Korea. It was a great experience connecting with people from all over Japan, including some young guys fresh out of high school. It was nostalgic watching them cook for the first time — burning gyoza, overcooking noodles, and being amazed at the wonders of katsu, rice cooker cakes, and so on.
Butter mochi resembles Filipino bibingka (a sweet coconut rice cake), and it's a fusion of the different cultures that have inhabited Hawai'i since the sugar plantation days. It keeps that signature mochi chew but with a caramelized crust on top — a wonderful contrast.
Whenever there's butter in a recipe, one easy way to instantly boost the flavor is by swapping regular butter for browned butter. Browned butter is essentially caramelized butter, and for a vegan version, you need to get a little creative. Two ingredients that help you get there:
Miso
Nuts or nut butter (pecans, almonds, or cashews work well)
What we're looking for is that caramelized, nutty flavor that comes from browned milk solids. Nut butter or chopped nuts toasted in the vegan butter infuse the fat with exactly that. I also highly recommend swapping some of the cane sugar for organic brown sugar and adding a small amount of white miso — together with the nut butter, these three ingredients work in tandem to deepen the caramel notes and round out the flavor beautifully.
Vegan Browned Butter Mochi Cake
serves 10–12
Ingredients
1 lb (450g) mochiko rice flour (or any glutonious rice flour)
¾ cup (200g) organic cane sugar
2 tbsp organic brown sugar (highly recommended)
1 tbsp shiro miso (highly recommended)
2 cans (800ml) full-fat coconut milk
½ cup (113g) vegan butter
2 tbsp almond or cashew butter, or a small handful of chopped pecans or walnuts
4 oz (115g) silken tofu, blended smooth
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp fine sea salt
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and grease well with vegan butter or oil.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Add the nut butter or chopped nuts and stir continuously until the mixture turns golden and smells nutty, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Whisk the browned butter mixture together with the coconut milk, blended tofu, vanilla, and miso until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the mochiko, cane sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a rubber spatula until completely smooth with no lumps. It's worth being patient here.
Pour into the prepared pan and tap it on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
Bake for 1 hour until golden on top and set in the center.
Let cool completely before cutting into squares for proper texture.
Mahalo & happy eating! 🤙
