Nian Gao (Baked Sweet Potato Sticky Rice Cakes)

A modern spin on classic nian gao from southern China, incorporating coconut milk, butter, and mashed sweet potato for a rich, fudgy insides and crisp outer layer.

Original recipe source

Nian Gao (Baked Sweet Potato Sticky Rice Cakes)

Cook time: 120 minutes

Servings: 42

Ingredients

  • 1.75 cups glutinous rice flour preferably Erawan brand
  • 0.75 cup water
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes orange or purple
  • 1.25 cups coconut milk full-fat
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons
  • 0.5 teaspoon fine salt
  • 2.5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 0.33 cup tapioca starch
  • 1 egg large
  • 0 canola oil for greasing pan

Instructions

  1. Combine the glutinous rice flour and 3/4 cup of water in a bowl to form a dough. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
  2. Heat oven to 400°F. Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes and pat them dry thoroughly. Poke holes all over the sweet potatoes with a fork. Bake on a foil-lined pan until a fork can pierce them with no resistance, 40 to 50 minutes.
  3. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin from the sweet potatoes. Pass the sweet potato through a ricer or mash with a fork. Measure out 1 1/4 cups of the mashed sweet potato. Reserve any remaining for another use.
  4. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot but not boiling, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring until it melts.
  5. Mix in the sweet potato mash, followed by the tapioca starch, then add the refrigerated wet glutinous rice flour gradually in chunks, whisking as you go. Add the egg and whisk until smooth.
  6. Heat kuih bahulu pans, or cakelet/mini muffin tins, until very hot, about 7 to 8 minutes. Brush with oil, stir batter, and fill hollows 80 to 90 percent full. Bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 40 minutes.
  7. Use a wooden skewer or butter knife to pry out the nian gao from the pan. Serve slightly warm for best texture. Store any leftovers in a covered container and reheat them by steaming, pan-frying, or microwaving.
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