Pumpkin Spice Mochi Cake

Pumpkin Spice Mochi

Whenever autumn rolls around, my thoughts turn to all things pumpkin spice, and this Pumpkin Spice Mochi Cake is a new favourite in our home. What is delicious about a baked mochi cake is the crispy topping and edges which contrasts beautifully against the soft and chewy cake slice. My son and I compete against each other for the edges and, as mochi cake loses any crispness the next day, it is one of the rare times when I let my family eat a cake from the outer edges inwards.

But even if it is not autumn and you have access to canned pumpkin, this mochi cake is a relatively quick and simple dessert, perfect for pot-luck parties or a delicious dessert after an Asian meal.

What is Pumpkin Spice Mochi Cake?

This Pumpkin Spice Mochi Cake is similar to a Hawaiian-style Butter Mochi Cake, but with the autumnal addition of pumpkin purée, cinnamon and nutmeg. It has the soft and chewy texture of a traditional mochi, but with the cosy flavours of pumpkin spice which we all love.

Pumpkin Spice Mochi Recipe

Traditional mochi is made by steaming the cake batter, before shaping it into balls or encasing it around different kinds of fillings.

A Hawaiian-style Butter Mochi Cake, on the other hand, is a baked cake, and which happens to be a lot easier to make because you don’t have to handle any sticky dough, nor shape any little cakes.

I have altered my Butter Mochi Cake recipe and transformed it into this autumnal treat by simply including some pumpkin purée and additional spices. I have actually been light-handed with the spices, so if you prefer a more robustly spiced cake, I recommend adding more cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg.

This dessert does not taste overly of pumpkin; like most pumpkin desserts, the pumpkin mostly adds sweetness, as well as colour.

What is Glutinous Rice Flour?

Glutinous rice flour is milled from sweet rice grains, hence it is sometimes labelled as sweet rice flour. However, glutinous rice flour is not sweet in flavour.

Also, contrary to the use of “glutinous” in its name, glutinous rice flour does not contain gluten. Glutinous rice flour is gluten-free. This means that Butter Mochi Cake is gluten-free.

The term “glutinous” refers to the thick and sticky consistency of the rice flour when it is cooked.

When buying glutinous rice flour from an Asian grocery store, be careful that you are not buying rice flour. Both products look the same but, when cooked, they behave very differently.

Most Asian grocers will stock glutinous rice flour and rice flour side-by-side. One trick which seems to work for most Asian brands is that glutinous rice flour has green packaging, whereas rice flour has red packaging.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Mochi Cake

Step 1

Whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture is light and pale.

Step 2

Add the melted butter, coconut milk, vanilla, and pumpkin purée. Whisk to combine.

Step 3

Add the glutinous rice flour, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg.

Step 4

Whisk until you have a thick and smooth batter.

Step 5

Generously grease a round baking dish measuring 24 cm/9.5 inches with some butter. For this recipe, I like to use a ceramic dish which will look nice for serving.

Pour the batter into the dish, and use an off-set spatula to evenly spread the batter. Tap the dish a few times on the bench top to remove any air bubbles.

Step 6

Bake for about 40-55 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden all over and the centre feels firm when lightly touched. The cake will rise and crack a little upon baking, but it will settle as it cools.

Let the cake cool in the baking dish for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.