Pandan Butter Mochi/ Hawaiian Butter Mochi

Pandan Butter Mochi

Buttery mochi cake is a comforting dessert, aromatic with the flavor of coconut and pandan in every bite. Have you ever had butter mochi before? Butter mochi is a delicious Asian-inspired dessert from Hawaii. It is full of tropical flavors that you cannot resist. Butter mochi is the Hawaiian version of the Japanese sweet rice cake/mochi. It is a gluten-free dessert made with sweet rice flour. Butter mochi reminds me of the sweet rice and coconut cakes my grandmother made when I was a kid. Butter Mochi has the same delightful chewy texture. Coconut milk gives it a rich creamy taste. This coconut-scented dessert is pleasantly sweet and sure to leave you wanting more.

Butter Mochi is a quick recipe with simple ingredients like rice flour, coconut milk, and butter. Pandan adds vibrant color and a beautiful aroma. What is Pandan? Pandanus amaryllifolius is screw pine leaves used in Southeast Asian cuisine in sweet and savory recipes. It has a pleasant aroma like vanilla is used as a flavoring for pudding and desserts. Pandan flavors go well with the subtle flavors of butter and coconut. The rice flour used in this recipe is Mochiko/sweet rice flour which you can find in any Asian grocery store or buy online. It is also known as sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour. Mochiko is what gives the mochi its sweet, chewy texture. In this recipe, I added organic coconut flour, which is optional. Traditionally butter mochi is made with just rice flour.

To get Pandan extract.
Pandan butter mochi has an all-natural from pandan extract. You can take around five pandan leaves. Roughly chop it and add it to a blender. Add 1/3 cup of water and blend for about 30 seconds. Strain the juice using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Squeeze as much juice, as possible and discard the fiber. You can buy pandan online or from an Asian store fresh and frozen. If you cannot find pandan leaves, use 1/4 tsp concentrated pandan extract.

It is easy to whip up this delicious cake. They make a great midday snack or after-meal dessert. Give this recipe a try. I would love to hear from you. Let me know how it turned out for you. Enjoy!

Pandan Butter Mochi Recipe

Ingredients
Mochiko/Rice flour- 2 cups
Coconut flour- 1 1/2 cup
(above two combined or one box of mochiko- 16 oz)
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Sugar- 2 cups
Butter- 1 stick
Egg- 4
Milk- 2 cups
Coconut milk- 1 can/400 ml
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Pandan flavor paste- a few drops
Pistachios chopped- 3 tbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line baking pan with butter paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl add melted butter and sugar and mix well.
Add eggs and gently whisk till light and fluffy.
Add pandan extract and vanilla essence. Mix the rice flour, coconut flour, baking powder, milk, and one can of coconut milk. Whisk till well combined into a smooth lump-free batter. The batter will be thin but will start thickening because of the rice flour. If the batter is too thick, add 1/3 cup of milk or coconut milk.
Pour this into a 9 x 13-inch cake pan. Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top. You can also use coconut flakes. Bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Allow cooling in the pan. When it cools down, cut into slices and serve.