Baked Red Bean Nian Gao (Mochi Cake)

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. (Be generous greasing the pan, which will yield a deeply golden brown crust.)

2. Step 2

   Whisk the mochiko, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Add the butter, coconut milk and condensed milk, and whisk until the mixture is smooth.

3. Step 3

   Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Whisk, making sure that the whisk makes contact with the bottom of the bowl, until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps or streaks of flour remaining. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

4. Step 4

   Working in batches, fill the batter with the red bean paste: Scatter about a third of the red bean paste in small spoonfuls (about one teaspoon) evenly all over the surface of the batter. Using a large flexible or offset spatula, smooth and gently press the surface of the cake so that the red bean paste naturally falls deeper into the batter and marbling streaks begin to appear. Repeat dotting the red bean paste and smoothing the batter twice more. Scatter the sesame seeds all over the top of the cake. (For a more elaborate design, use a toothpick or the tip of a paring knife to create rustic swirls on the surface of the cake.)

5. Step 5

   Bake until the cake is golden-brown around the edges, deeply blond across the surface and slightly puffed, 35 to 45 minutes. (A cake tester, toothpick or paring knife should come out mostly clean, with perhaps a few clingy crumbs. There should be some bounce when you touch the cake without it feeling too tough.)

6. Step 6

   Cool the cake for at least 20 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.