Butter Rice Cakes

Ingredients

• 10 tbsp unsalted butter (Melted; 6 tablespoons go into the batter and the remaining 4 tablespoons coat the muffin tin.)
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp honey
• 0.25 tsp fine sea salt
• 50 g large egg (At room temperature.)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2.25 cup mochiko (sweet rice flour)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 400°F, positioning a rack in the middle.

2. 2

   Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just melted, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. 3

   Pour 6 tablespoons (84 grams) of the melted butter into a large bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, honey, and fine sea salt, then whisk until well blended. Set the mixture aside to cool.

4. 4

   Meanwhile, brush the remaining 4 tablespoons (56 grams) of melted butter into the cups of a standard muffin tin, coating the cups generously and evenly.

5. 5

   Whisk the room-temperature egg into the cooled sugar mixture until just blended.

6. 6

   Whisk in the milk.

7. 7

   While whisking, gradually add the mochiko and continue whisking until the batter is smooth.

8. 8

   Divide the batter evenly among the buttered muffin cups, using about ¼ cup (60 grams) per cup. Smooth the tops if necessary, then set the muffin tin on a sheet pan.

9. 9

   Bake on the middle rack for 10 minutes.

10. 10

    Lower the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until the cakes are dark golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes more.

11. 11

    Let the cakes cool in the muffin pan for a few minutes.

12. 12

    Lift each cake out with a small offset spatula or a very thin paring knife, then transfer the cakes to a rack to cool slightly.

13. 13

    Serve warm. The cakes are best eaten the day they are made because their crust softens overnight.

Notes

The recipe skips tapioca starch because different brands can produce inconsistent results. The cakes may be baked in a madeleine pan instead of a standard muffin tin. Their crust softens overnight, so the author recommends eating them the day they are made.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• baked
• East Asian
• mochi
• gluten-free
• vegetarian
• warm dessert
• crunchy