Passion Fruit Mochi Cake

An alternative cake for gluten free and dairy-free diets, Passion Fruit Mochi Cake has coconut milk and sweet rice flour as ingredients .  Plus the passion fruit purée gives the cake a unique and exotic tropical flavor.  I substitute melted butter for vegetable oil.  It requires ¼ cup of neutral oil such as sunflower oil.

The sweet rice flour is made of short-grain glutinous rice or “sticky rice “.  It adds the sticky texture needed in a good Mochi cake. This cake is dense and delicious.  It is moist and chewy.  Mochiko is the brand of glutinous rice flour I used.    

It takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes to prepare and bake, and this yummy Mochi Cake is super easy to make.

What is Passion Fruit?

If you aren’t familiar with it, passion fruit is a flavorful tropical fruit from South America.  It is egg shaped and you can normally find for two types in the market: a purple passion fruit and a yellow passion fruit.  The pulp has a lot of seeds which are eatable or can be strained out and removed.  The smell is sweet and aromatic.  It tastes a little acidic and is often mixed with sugar or another sweetener.  In the US, I find passion fruit as a purée and in the frozen section of Latino markets.  You can also find Passion Fruit Puree on Amazon.

Brazilian cuisine has many savory sauces, desserts, and beverages flavored with passion fruit pulp.  The yellow variety is more popular and found all year round in many supermarkets in Latin America.

How to use the Passion Fruit Purée in desserts?

I used frozen passion fruit pulp, Goya brand.  I recommend defrosting the purée first and leaving it for about 2 hours in the refrigerator in order to separate the pulp of the passion fruit from the water. Pour out the water and save the pulp. The more concentrated pulp will add more flavor to your dessert.  The Boiron brand comes as a large amount, so you can defrost it, separate what you don’t need, and refreeze the rest for later use. 

Mochi Cake Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the oven rack to the center.
2. Place the parchment baking paper on the bottom of the round baking pan. There is no needed to grease the pan.
3. Flour: Use the medium bowl to mix the sweet rice flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Mixture: Use the large bowl to mix the sugar and sunflower oil.  Whisk for a couple of minutes, then add the eggs one at the time and beat well until the color changes to a pale light yellow.
5. Liquids: Add the coconut milk, passion fruit pulp, and vanilla extract and mix well.
6. Combine all ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture into the creamy ingredients. Try to mix gently.
7. Time to bake: Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.  Let cool completely before serving.  Dust with powder sugar after the cake cools.  Serve at room temperature. 

Equipment you’ll need:

1 medium bowl for the dry ingredients

1 large bowl for mixing the all the ingredients

Measuring cups (1 cup, ½ cup and ¼ cup sizes)

Measuring spoons (1 teaspoon and ¼ teaspoon)

1 silicone spatula

1 medium size whisk

Round baking pan (9-inch) 

Parchment baking paper

How to Serve

• Dessert
• Potluck
• Lunch box to school

Yield: 10 Servings

PASSION FRUIT MOCHI CAKE | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

If you like mochi cake and passion fruit, then this is the recipe for you. The passion fruit adds just the right amount of fruitiness without overwhelming the taste buds. It still tastes like mochi.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour or Mochiko)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat)
• 1/2 cup passion fruit puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven for 350° F. Use a 9-inch springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the glutinous rice flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Using a large bowl, add the sugar and the eggs. Beat the ingredients until creamy. Add the vegetable oil, and whisk the cream mixture until a pale yellow color. Pour the passion fruit puree and whisk well. Add the coconut milk and the vanilla extract and whisk to incorporate all the liquids. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the mixture and whisk together.
4. Pour the batter into a pan lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake at 350° F until medium golden brown, 55-60 minutes.
6. Let the cake cool completely.
7. Dust with confectioner's sugar before serving (optional).

Notes

Set the passion fruit puree in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight, so the concentrated pulp sinks to the bottom and the light "watery" passion fruit syrup remains on top.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 147mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gProtein: 4g