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I first had Bibingka at a Filipino family barbecue when I started dating my husband. My now father-in-law taught me how to make it years ago. Now every time there is a family gathering, either he or I are asked to make it, which says a lot about the recipe because neither one of us are Filipino.
Sweet rice flour has an interesting texture. It’s very fine, but has a bit of grit to it. Once it’s cooked, the starches explode (not really, but they do something magic) and the cake becomes spongy and sticky like a cross between Jell-O bars and pudding.
My father-in-law taught me to use cream of coconut instead of coconut milk. It has more fat, sugar and flavor. He also adds in an undrained can of crushed pineapple for an enhanced tropical flavor.
My only change to his recipe is that I sprinkle the top with brown sugar and granulated sugar to create a nice caramelized crunch.
THE BATTER
Like many baking recipes, this one starts with creaming together sugar and fat. Instead of butter, use cream cheese. We’ll add the butter in later.
Once the two are nice and smooth, beat in the eggs one at a time.
You can use a spoon or a hand mixer, but I find I get the smoothest texture by using my stand mixer.
Next, add in the remaining ingredients. Use the whole can of pineapple, juice and all.
Be gentle stirring in the rice flour, so it doesn’t end up all over the counter.
You can find sweet rice flour either in the Asian aisle of your grocery or in the gluten-free section with the Bob’s Red Mill.
Here’s where the butter comes in, along with milk and cream of coconut.
Be sure to use cream of coconut instead of coconut milk. It has a different consistency. You can find cream of coconut near the alcohol and pina colada mix.
Pour the batter into a greased pan. I usually bake it in a 13×9 pan, but my Pops likes preparing multiple batches in mini aluminum pans, so he can give them away to family.
After it bakes, the texture will be sticky. It’s not like traditional American cake. It has an ooey gooey texture that is irrisistable.
I hope you journey to the Philippines with your fork and try this unique, yummy dessert.
More Filipino Inspired Recipes
Bibingka – Filipino Coconut Cake
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 1/2 cups sweet rice flour, (1 lb.)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 15 oz can cream of coconut
- 1 cup milk
- 8 oz can crushed pineapple
Topping
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and sugar.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients and stir, until smooth.
- Pour into a greased 13×9 pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour. Allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you recommend a great Filipino cookbook?
Love the chewy, gooey texture of these bars. I’m a huge fan of baking with rice flour, so these are perfect. They are decadent, buttery, sweet, overall heavenly!
How long do you bake it using the mini aluminum pans?
I had been searching for this, one of my favorite desserts ever! I absolutely love how bursting with flavor it is and the coconut + pineapple combination is great. Definitely had to go to the alcohol section to find the cream of coconut. I made some into donut holes and cooked ~20+ min and those were very fun and bite size. This was extremely sweet so next time I might cut the sugar to 1.5 c instead of 2 and see how it comes out or maybe skip the brown sugar dusting; the pineapple and rice flour adds a lot of sweetness naturally. Will definitely be making this again in the future though!
I see comments asking about banana leaves, but I can’t find a mention of them in the recipe. Did it change? If I want to incorporate banana leaves, how should I do that? I’m making this for my Filipino sister-in-law (she was adopted as a teenager) as a surprise for Christmas and want it to be as authentic as possible! Thanks in advance!!
I don’t use banana leaves in my recipe. I use it sometimes when I make Suman, but not bibingka. Some families do and some don’t. It’s a personal preference. She’s going to be so thrilled with your surprise. How thoughtful.
Looks delicious! Would love to surprise my daughter’s Filipino boyfriend for his BIRTHDAY!
That would be a fun surprise.
How far in advance can I make this?
You can make it 1-2 days in advance.
Can you make this into mini cupcakes? Or would the texture not be fit for that?
I’ve never tried it. If you grease the pan well, it should work. If you use cupcake liners, the cake may stick to them. Maybe make the batter and test a couple cupcakes and see what happens. You’ll also probably need to reduce the cook time.
My 3 year old daughter had seen this on Blue’s Clues and wanted to try it. Your recipe was not only easy to follow but so much fun for the both of us. Thank you greatly for sharing!
Oh thank you so much. I’ll have to go find that episode now.
I’ve been looking for a long time for a good Bibinka recipe! This was fabulous! I didnt change a thing. My husband is Filipino and very particular about any Filipino dish; this reminded him of his Moms! Thank you for sharing.
That is the most meaningful feedback ever. Thank you!!