I’ve had this dessert every year since I came to America. A family friend always made it for Christmas or Chinese New Year, but a couple years ago she moved to California, so no more! After many reminders, my mom finally got the recipe for me. This cake is faintly sweet, addictively chewy, and naturally gluten-free.
A note on ingredients. First, you should use water milled glutinous rice flour, which yields a super sticky and chewy texture. I’m particular to the Erawan brand of Thai rice flour. Mochiko is another brand that is popular, but when my mom and I tested this recipe with both brands, Erawan turned out much better, baking into an addictively squishy, chewy cake with a crisp golden crust.
Second, you should make your own red bean paste from dried adzuki beans. It tastes a thousand times better than canned red bean paste, which is usually too sweet and artificial tasting for me. It’s really easy to make red bean paste because adzuki beans are small and cook faster than other dried beans, and they’re healthy!
Lastly, I always add walnuts because that’s what makes this a special new years cake.
Happy Chinese New Year!
Ingredients
Directions
- Wash and drain the adzuki beans, then add to a rice cooker or medium covered pot with 2 cups of water. The lid of the pot should have a steam hole in it.
- Turn your rice cooker on, or boil then simmer the beans for 1 hour. Boil the remaining 2 cups of water close to the 1 hour mark. Add 2 cups of boiling water to the beans and stir, then cover again. If using a rice cooker, the beans should be done after 30 more minutes. You'll know by its creamy texture. If using a pot, stir frequently for the next 30 minutes so the beans don't stick to the bottom of the pot as they begin to disintegrate. They will be done when they are thick and creamy.
- Stir in the sugar and butter until melted, and smash the mixture with a wooden spoon.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Mix together all of the ingredients except for the walnuts and red bean paste. You can use a blender or high speed mixer. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter. It should be very smooth.
- Line a 13x9 inch pan with parchment paper and pour half the batter in. You can eyeball this. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.
- Using your fingers, drop little bits of red bean paste all over the top. The first layer will sink a bit. Top with a second layer, followed by the chopped walnuts. Gently drizzle the rest of the cake batter over the top, submerging the red bean paste and walnuts.
- Bake for 45-50 more minutes, rotating halfway through.
- Remove from oven and let cool before lifting the cake out with the parchment paper and cutting into it bite-size squares.
- These are good warm, but firmer and easier to slice after cooling. Best eaten on the first day, but will keep at room temperature for 2 days. Store in the refrigerator after that, but zap it in the microwave for 20 seconds before eating.
13 comments
Really delicious and easy to make! I used raw sugar which probably made it look a bit strange in color, but we all found these addictive. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hi!
In the past, whenever I make this the rice cake deflates after I take it out of the oven. What am I doing wrong? The only things I did differently compared to you were I preheated it to 400 degrees, and I did not add in any nuts.
Hi Emily, 400 is too high! It will make the cake puff up a lot and then deflate. Try it at 325 🙂
I made this last night and it was a hit with the family! I substituted one can of coconut milk for part of the milk for xtra rich flavor. Never made my own red bean paste before, and the instructions were perfect. Not hard at all in a rice cooker! Definitely yummier than the plain ones I have made for years without the red bean or walnuts. Five stars!
So glad to hear that!
Love the idea of adding walnuts. I substituted a stick of butter for the oil. It’s so easy to make, and so yummy. I slice it into batons and fry the sides lightly in a nonstick pan sprayed with coconut oil. It’s amazing that way!
I made this twice, it’s wonderful! Thanks for the great recipe, and the recommendation for Erawan glutinous rice flour. It’s so easy to make this recipe using a whisk, just placing all the dry ingredients first, then after combining all the wet ingredients, whisking those into the center of the bowl. Silky smooth texture, rich sweet bean paste (I like Wangzhihe 500g bag, which tastes fresh as long as you check the “best before” date). Really delicious cake!
Hi Joby, I’m so glad you made this and liked it! Wangzhihe is a great brand for Chinese food 🙂 I didn’t know they made red bean paste. Thanks for sharing the tip!
Hello! Beautiful pictures and I can’t wait to make this! I wanted to ask though, would it be weird to substitute a non-dairy milk in this recipe? I was thinking coconut milk since it is thicker like cow milk (other milks seem watery), but I know this would give the dessert a coconut flavor. It might not be a bad thing with the red bean though? Or maybe rice milk? I would love to get your feedback, thanks! 🙂
Hi Beka! A plant based milk such as almond or coconut-almond blend would be fine! Rice or cashew milk would work too. I wouldn’t use coconut milk from a can because that has a much higher fat content and I’m not sure how that would work out without testing it. Let me know what you end up using and how it works out!
I have such a crush on these pictures I can’t even tell you! lol
lovely lovely lovely
I can’t resist a red bean dessert. I must make this! You’re right, every time I make red bean paste, I sample too much of it before using it for the intended recipe. Nothing beats homemade red bean paste, right? 🙂
Lu! I totally want to tackle this dessert! Thanks for so many helpful tips. I feel completely lost when it comes to glutinous rice flours. I love that this is a special family recipe. Hope your Chinese New Year was wonderful!