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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this recipe and successfully adapted it to a vegan recipe for my husband. (Not all recipes veganify well, but this has been consistently good!) I’ve noticed every region in the Philippines makes traditional desserts, snacks, and entrees with their own spin; it’s great to celebrate all of them… especially when they are delicious! Being Filipino, I’m selective about bibingka, and I prefer the traditional flat type that this mimics over the cakey ones. Well done!
Made this a few times for family gatherings and it has been a hit. I would like to make it small mini pans like your father in law to give to family. Would you be able to tell me how long to bake it for?
I’ve made a few similar recipes using sweet rice flour, and if you’re baking these in mini pans (like muffin tins or small foil cups), you can shorten the bake time quite a bit. I’d start checking around the 25–30 minute mark at 350°F. The top should be lightly golden, and the center should look set but still have a soft, mochi-like chew once cooled.
Every oven is a little different, but this timing usually works great for smaller portions — and they hold up really well as gifts once they’re fully cooled! 😊
Can I use Red mill gluten free flour?
I’ve never tried it, but I see that it’s made of beans and not rice, so I don’t think it would give you the same consistency.
I’ve made this several times and people love it. Great recipe. The last two times with *two* cans of crushed pineapple. Even better.
Great! Thanks for letting us know 2 cans works well too.
Wow! thank you Christie for sharing your dessert recipe. I can’t wait to make it.
Not sure if you can call this bibingka, more butter mochi to me.
When preparing it in
mini aluminum pans, how long do you bake it in the oven for? And how many mini pans does the recipe make?
Can this be made without the pineapple?
Yes. However, if the batter seems to thick, add a couple tablespoons of milk.
Hello! Is the flour the one you use to make mochi? I did not find sweet rice flour. And also, if I want to use fresh, ripe ananas with its juice, do I have to add some other liquid?
Thank you!
Yes. The brand I use is called Mochiko. Fresh pineapple would be great. The can has about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of liquid in it. If you don’t get that much fresh pineapple juice, just add a bit more milk.
Can you use Farina instead of sweet rice flour
I can only find 20oz crushed pineapple in my area. Can I put the whole can? If not, how should I measure 8oz? With or without the juice?
With the juice.
I’ve seen a few questions about substituting the sweet rice flour — so I just wanted to help clear up some confusion 😊
Glutinous rice flour (also called sweet rice flour) is naturally gluten-free despite the name “glutinous.” The word just describes the sticky, chewy texture it gives when cooked, not gluten content. It’s made from short-grain sticky rice, which is what makes desserts like Bibingka and Butter Mochi soft and slightly bouncy.
Regular gluten-free flours (like rice blends, almond flour, coconut flour, or even farina/cream of wheat) don’t work as substitutes because they don’t form the same chewy structure. Using them will change the texture completely — instead of that signature mochi-like bite, it’ll turn out more like a crumbly or cakey dessert.
If you’re looking for the right ingredient, here are some names and brands to look for:
• “Glutinous Rice Flour” or “Sweet Rice Flour” (often labeled interchangeably)
• Mochiko (popular Japanese brand — blue and white box)
• Koda Farms Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour
• Erawan Brand (Thai brand — red label that says “Glutinous Rice Flour”)
• Thai Rice Flour with Green Label (just be sure it says “glutinous” — not plain rice flour!)
You can find these at most Asian grocery stores or online (or download the instacart app on your phone and search by typing the name. It will narrow down what stores you can find it). Once you use the right kind of flour, you’ll get that deliciously chewy, slightly custardy texture that makes this dessert so special! 💛
My kids loved this dessert, they compared it to the American Coffee Cake:)
We used canned coconut milk instead of cream of coconut.