Coconut Butter Mochi Cake Recipe – Gluten Free (2024)

Savor a taste of the Hawaiian islands with this scrumptious coconut butter mochi cake which just happens to be gluten free. With extra coconut milk and sesame seeds, it’s a fantastic treat for any luau or tropical themed party!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Mochi is a Japanese cake made with sweet glutinous rice flour. Plain mochi is delicious and one of my most anticipated treats when going to Little Tokyo in downtown LA.

This buttery coconut rice cake takes plain mochi to a new level of moistness and flavor. A favorite in Hawaii and soon to be a favorite in your house.

I know what you’re thinking though; you see the words “Gluten Free” in a recipe and you may say, “That’s not for me, I can eat gluten, therefore, I should make a regular cake and not a gluten free cake”. I hear you. Although I only came across butter mochi cake when looking for a dessert to make for a friend with celiac disease, it quickly became one of my family and friends’ favorite treats.

And it’s also is a best seller at the church’s bake sale! It really stands out in an endless sea of breads, cookies, and brownies. I have included a free download of catchy tags for bake sales at the bottom of this post.

I’ve tweaked the original recipe to make it extra “coconuty” (like my daughter would say) and added the sesame seeds, which blend perfectly with the Asian theme. A friend, whose wife is Hawaiian, admitted in confidence my butter mochi was better than his wife’s. (Well I hope she’s not reading this right now. No, really, yours is good too and was my first inspiration!).

Definitely, an easy cake to make and the perfect dessert for a tropical party.

Scroll down for a visual of the ingredients and of the finished product. Check out the full recipe at the bottom of this post. Jump to Recipe

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you use glutinous sweet rice flour and not just regular rice flour. They’re made of different types of rice and will yield very different results.

There are several brands of sweet rice flour but, although I used Bob’s Red Mill in the photo, I recommend using Mochiko flour. The box comes in a convenient 1lb weight and it makes a fabulous mochi texture.:

You probably won’t need to go to a Japanese market or Asian grocery stores to find these ingredients. Coconut milk and roasted sesame seeds are pretty common, and my Walmart, Krogers, and Whole Foods often carry the Mochiko flour too.

Most of the ingredients are separated into wet and dry then mixed.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, rum, coconut milk, and regular milk.

In a separate bowl, stir together the rice flour, sugar, and baking powder.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. The melted butter and shredded coconut flakes go last.

Mix well and pour in a buttered pan.

After the mixture is poured into the baking pan, the sesame seeds get sprinkled on the top like this:

Which turns into a delicious crispy crust:

YUM!

Mochi is best served at room temperature and will keep for several days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Butter Mochi Cake recipe with coconut

Share your favorite recipes, pin it this Hawaiian butter mochi recipe: