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This mochi cake recipe is a quick one-bowl dessert that you can customize with your favorite fruit. It has a wonderful chewy texture that is a cross between a regular cake and Japanese mochi. This version has fresh cherries but there are so many other ways to flavor the cake. It’s a great dessert for potlucks and parties because it can be made in advance.

Mochi cake is a gluten-free dessert that is very easy to make from scratch. I adore Japanese mochi and have experimented with turning the chewy treat into a cake form. If you’ve been following along you might have seen some previous mochi cakes I’ve made. Lately, I’ve been loving it with different kinds of fresh fruit mixed into the batter.

What is Mochi Cake?

Mochi is made with glutinous rice flour which is completely gluten-free. You can buy it at Asian markets or on Amazon. I like Mochiko rice flour, but any brand will work.

The best way to describe mochi cake is that is like a cross between a regular cake and mochi. It has a chewy texture, much like a brownie, and you can flavor pretty much however you like.

I’ve made a lot of mochi cakes and they are great for taking to potlucks or parties because you need to make it in advance.

How to Make It

It’s a very easy dessert to make with just one bowl. This recipe is for a basic mochi cake, which you can customize with different kinds of fruit.

1 cup of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
12 ounces evaporated milk
4 eggs
16 ounces glutinous rice flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of vanilla

All you do is cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the milk and eggs and stir to combine. Add the rice flour, baking powder, and vanilla and stir again until the batter is smooth.

At this point, you can add about 1 cup of chopped fresh fruit:

The recipe I’m sharing today has chopped fresh cherries. Be sure to pit them first.
I’ve also made a version with fresh strawberries. Or add some blueberries to the batter.
You don’t have to use fruit – I’ve made pumpkin mochi and a version with matcha green tea powder, too.

Fold the fruit into the batter and then pour it into a 9×13” baking dish. Bake the cake for about an hour at 350°F.

Storing the Cake

It’s important to cool the cake so it has time to set up. Once cooled it will keep at room temperature for a few days. Just tightly wrap it. Don’t keep it in the refrigerator because it will lose its chewy texture and turn hard.

When I make it for parties, I make it a day ahead. Once it’s cooled, I just wrap it up and then slice it when I’m ready to serve it.