This dessert could grace a pastry shop window, but its elegance masks its ease (just as the shiny chocolate glaze covers up the bouncy-cushiony-chewy middle). The mochiko, or sweet rice flour, is what gives the cake its unique texture, and the earthy matcha and bittersweet chocolate make it not too sweet. In the spirit of the Hawaiian butter mochi that inspired the recipe, it requires minimal equipment and comes together in the time it takes the oven to heat up. Do take the time to sift the matcha, however—it ensures that there aren’t any dry bits in the final cake—and splurge for ceremonial-grade matcha if you want the most vibrant color possible.
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What you’ll need
Round Cake Pan
$18 At Amazon
Scale
$26 At Amazon
Small Offset Spatula
$9 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Wire Cooling Rack
$18 At Amazon
Cake Tester
$3 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Makes one 8"- or 9"-diameter cake
Ingredients
6
1½
1
½
2
2
1
1
1⅓
4
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Generously butter an 8"- or 9"-diameter cake pan. Whisk mochiko, baking powder, salt, and 2 Tbsp. matcha in a large bowl just to combine. Vigorously whisk eggs and melted butter in a medium bowl until pale and emulsified, about 30 seconds. Add sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and 1 cup cream and whisk until mixture is smooth. Scrape into dry ingredients and whisk vigorously until smooth and very thick. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth surface.
Step 2
Bake cake until it starts to pull away from sides of pan, top and edges are golden, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–45 minutes (cake in the smaller pan will take longer to bake than one in the larger pan). Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; let cool completely.
Step 3
Place chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring remaining ⅓ cup cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Immediately pour over chocolate; let sit 15 seconds. Stir until ganache is smooth.
Step 4
Evenly pour ganache over top of cake. Using a small offset spatula or spoon, spread ganache to edges of cake (drips down the sides are encouraged!). Let sit until ganache is set, about 2 hours. (If you are in a hurry, you can chill cake until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.)
Step 5
Just before serving, dust top of cake with more matcha with a fine-mesh sieve.
Do ahead: Cake and glaze can be made 2 days ahead. Store cake tightly wrapped in several layers of plastic at room temperature. Let glaze cool, then chill in an airtight container. Gently reheat glaze in the microwave or a double boiler over a pan of simmering water (do not let bowl touch water) until just melted before using.
How would you rate Chocolate-Matcha Butter Mochi Cake?
Leave a Review
Reviews (74)
Back to TopThis cake came out well but definitely should be adjusted to taste. It's very easy on sweetness which is nice and the cake itself I think is perfect. I think if i made it again I'd substitute semi-sweet chocolate for the ganache. The bittersweet was just a little too bitter for me! Besides that, following the recipe exactly, it worked really well for me :) I enjoyed it a lot! For the commenter who was asking, I made this using a 9" springform pan and it worked great.
Nora
Chicago
2/2/2024
This was not a home run for me. Yes, interesting flavors, but the texture was wonky. I think it was overbaked, and I even pulled it out early. I will say this, though. You can rescue your slice by nuking it for 10-15 seconds. Even in the dry state my cake was in, that little bit of warming coaxed out the mochi-ness again. But It's not a cute cake or an exciting cake. It's an adult cake and an unusual one at that.
Jeff B.
New Jersey
6/26/2023
I made this recipe twice and love it. The first time I made it, it inflated a lot in the oven and then slowly deflated to match the picture. I love that it's not overly sweet, and gets the majority of its sweetness from the chocolate. The review that mentioned popping it into the oven for a 10-15 seconds before serving is a genius. Gets that actual mochi feeling to it when eating it when it's warmed up a little bit.
Anonymous
Seattle, WA
2/8/2023
Delicious!
Anonymous
Canton, CT
1/24/2023
Made this for Halloween. It was GREAT! My only note would be that if you haven't made ganache before, I'd look up how to do it. I guess I over-boiled my cream and it came out lumpy. It worked well for the Halloween vibe but it was not as elegant as pictured. I also doubled the ganache and I would do so again. More notes: - I live in the UK and here sweet rice flour is referred to as glutinous rice flour. - For cream I used double. - An 8" cake pan is fine as long as it's deep!
Juliet C.
London, UK
11/3/2022
I love this cake! So easy, and delish. One thing that wasn’t mentioned is the recipe or any of the reviews, was that, when you poured the batter into the pan, it seems like it would overflow in the oven, even though I measured everything correctly, and had a nine inch pan. However, even though I was worried, I baked it anyways. And it didn’t overflow, so, for anyone who’s having the same doubts as me, just know that it’s (probably) supposed to be like that.
Anonymous
Washington, DC
10/10/2022
I made a variation of this recipe for my friend's birthday and it didn't last long! I substituted freeze-dried strawberries for the matcha and white chocolate for the ganache. It was delightful!
Anonymous
7/13/2022