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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Published: Jul 25, 2022 · Updated: Nov 16, 2023 by Joanne

    Ube Butter Mochi

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, Sees Food, Will Travel will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See terms and conditions for details.

    Butter mochi is somewhat similar to Japanese mochi, but made with butter and coconut milk. This is oversimplifying it! Most importantly, it was one of my favorite treats growing up in Hawaii. This butter mochi is purple because it includes ube! Another tropical ingredient that makes butter mochi so dang good.

    Slices of ubt butter mochi stacked on top of each other

    Update Disclosure: This post has been updated for one or more of the following reasons: easier reading, updated photos, clearer instructions, and just plain ol' improvements to the recipe (as noted).

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Dessert
    • Ingredients
    • Substitutes & Special Ingredients
    • Recipe Tips
    • How to Make Ube Butter Mochi
    • Haiku Break
    • How to Store
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Ube Butter Mochi Recipe
    • Have You Tried This Recipe?

    Why You'll Love This Dessert

    It's purple, it's sweet, and it's shareable!

    I also developed this recipe for my fellow coconut fiends and ube addicts. If you are both, then this butter mochi will become a luscious guilty pleasure for you!

    Ingredients

    These are the ingredients you'll need to make vibrant and tasty ube butter mochi:

    • Mochiko Flour
    • Baking Powder
    • Granulated Sugar
    • Eggs
    • Coconut Milk
    • Whole Milk
    • Heavy Cream
    • Unsalted Butter
    • Ube Extract
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Salt

    Substitutes & Special Ingredients

    • Sweet Rice Flour: You will need a particular sweet rice grain to achieve that chewy but structured consistency of butter mochi. Sweet rice flour that comes from mochigome is strongly recommended! The brand I grew up with is called Koda Farms and almost always stocked by major Asian grocery stores.
      • If you decide to use a different type of sweet rice flour, be prepared for the butter mochi to come out looking different with a cake-like texture.

    • Heavy Cream: No judgements here, you can opt out of using the heavy cream and use milk instead. Coconut milk is a must though so there is no substitute for that!

    Recipe Tips

    • No Lumps: This is a simple recipe that comes together in one bowl. So when you are mixing your ingredients, do it thoroughly so that you are sure there are no lumps in the batter.

    • Do Not Over Beat: If you are using an electric beater do not over beat the batter once it is smooth, especially if you are using heavy cream because it might curdle.

    How to Make Ube Butter Mochi

    Here is a snapshot of what you'll do:

    1. Preheat your oven.
    2. Grab a bowl and add the dry ingredients, mix them together.
    3. Add your wet ingredients to the same bowl and mix again.
    4. Prepare a baking dish by lining it with parchment paper.
    5. Pour the batter into the baking dish.
    6. Bake for one hour or until the middle is only slightly jiggly.
    7. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely on the counter.
    8. Remove the entire ube butter mochi from the pan then slice into even squares.

    Haiku Break

    Purple and chewy
    Mochi with ube vibrance
    Love you all year long

    How to Store

    Butter mochi will last in a covered airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. If you want to really make them last, you can wrap the square individually and put them in the freezer. Just reheat the ube butter mochi in the microwave for about twenty to thirty seconds or until the center is no longer frozen. Be careful not to reheat these for too long because they will lose structure and you will end up with a sticky mess. I have only managed to keep butter mochi in the freezer for about two weeks. These disappear pretty quickly!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is Butter Mochi?

    The moniker butter mochi is a bit misleading. The dessert does contain butter and uses mochi flour made from mochigome - a variety of short-grain sweet rice that yields chewy desserts. But traditional mochi is made by pounding sweet rice flour until it becomes smooth, sticky, and chewy. Butter mochi is simply a baked cake reminiscent of traditional chi chi dango. Butter mochi, chi chi dango, and mochi all produce a chewy, sweet treat.

    Butter mochi is a type of 'local food' in Hawaii. Different cultures across Asia, the Americas, and even Europe may have influenced this dessert, the foundational aspect of every Hawaii local food.

    What is Ube?

    Ube is a purple yam from the Philippines, where people incorporate it in various local desserts. Ube has a subtle, almost vanilla-like flavor while being nutty, sweet, and earthy. Many Filipino sweets usually pair ube with coconut milk (or cream) because coconut brings out its subtle flavor profile. So adding some ube flavoring to butter mochi is a no-brainer!

    Ube butter mochi squares of different sizes

    Ube Butter Mochi Recipe

    Ube butter mochi is a chewy rice cake dessert that comes from the Hawaiian islands! It is considered a local food, a dish made from different cultural influences that make up the diversity of Asian backgrounds in Hawaii. Made with coconut milk, ube extract, and butter, it is a decadent dessert.
    4.75 from 16 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Hawaii Local, Hawaiian
    Servings 16 people
    Calories 370 kcal
    Disclosure

    The equipment and ingredients sections contain affiliate links to products I love to use as well as items that I personally believe make this recipe the best version of itself.

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 454 grams Mochiko flour (1 box Koda Farms brand)
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 400 grams granulated sugar
    • 4 large eggs, room temperature
    • 400 ml coconut milk (~1 14 oz can)
    • 310 grams whole milk
    • 185 grams heavy cream
    • 125 grams butter, melted
    • 1-2 teaspoon ube extract add more if you prefer
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • pinch salt

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). In a bowl add, rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix together with a whisk. Add eggs, milk, heavy cream, and coconut milk. Mix together until smooth.
      Raw eggs on top of rice flour in a bowl
    • Add melted butter, ube extract, and vanilla extract. Mix until well-incorporated.
      Raw ube butter mochi batter in a bowl
    • Pour into a 23x33 cm (9x13 in) baking dish lined with parchment paper
      Raw ube butter mochi batter in a pan
    • Bake in the preheated oven for up to 1 hour or until the tops are golden brown and center doesn't jiggle.
      Baked ube butter mochi in a pan
    • Remove from the oven and let it cool complete before removing from the pan and slicing into squares.
      Fingers holding a piece of ube butter mochi

    Nutrition

    Calories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 133mgPotassium: 132mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 456IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 76mgIron: 1mg
    Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated with the Spoonacular Food API and should be used for informational purposes only.
    Keyword baked dessert, coconut, coconut milk, ube, ube dessert, ube recipe

    Have You Tried This Recipe?

    Simply rate the recipe by clicking on the ⭐️s on the recipe card. Have something to say? Please leave me a comment down below telling me what you think of this recipe.

    Bonus: Let me and other readers know what you did to make this recipe your own - 💫 let's inspire each other!

    Also, follow me on Instagram [@seesfoodwilltravel] and send me a DM with a picture of what you made. I would love to share and celebrate YOUR creation with our budding community 💞

    Check out Sees Food, Will Travel on Pinterest and Facebook for more delicious updates.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Y. Armitage says

      February 07, 2025 at 2:24 pm

      I plan soon to make & bake this delicious Ube Mochi. However, can you please convert sugar, whole milk, heavy cream, and the butter I do not know how to measure in the grams! Let me know soon! Thanks!

      Reply
    4.75 from 16 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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    Living abroad has taught me how food plays an important role in making connections worldwide. I love pies, Asian food, anything made from potatoes, and wine when it comes to food.

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