Chinese New Year Cake (Nian Gao)

• doses: 3 cakes in 7” aluminum p

Ingredientes

1 cup (250 ml/211 g) brown sugar

1 cup (250 ml) milk (cow milk can also be substituted for a plant-based milk if you prefer)

1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk

½ cup (125 ml) oil

3 eggs

1 bag (400g) glutinous rice flour

1 tsp (5 ml/4.5 g) baking powder

Instruções

Grease three 7” pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Mix together sugar, milk, coconut milk, oil, and eggs. Then stir in dry ingredients and blend until smooth. You don’t have to worry about overworking the batter as it is made with glutinous rice flour, not wheat flour.

Divide it evenly amongst three greased pans.

Bake @ 375°F (190°C) for 40-50 minutes. All three can be baked at the same time in the oven. Just rotate where they are in the oven halfway for even browning.

Notas

Cake should have nice brown crust on top and glutinous squishy sticky core.

Tastes better the next day and once fully cool.

Can garnish the top with a little bit of dried date.

If you don’t want a bunch of leftover coconut milk from the can, use the entire can of coconut milk and then add enough milk to get up to a full 2 cups (500 ml) of liquid.

Don’t skimp on the coconut milk. The recipe is simple enough that you will taste the difference.

This recipe is gluten free. Glutinous rice flour isn’t related to gluten. And be sure to get glutinous rice flour, not sweet rice flour or another type. Or your cake will end up hard.

This is not a traditional nian gao. Most of them are steamed, this one is baked. I don't know where my mom got the idea to bake it. She thinks it might have been an old coworker. But we started doing it this way a decade ago and have been since this is hands down the best nian gao I have ever had and have had since.

If anyone uses an egg substitute that works well, please let me know and I will make a note in the recipe.

I've been getting a lot of storage questions so here's some info: I will leave these out on the counter for two or so days (keep in mind I live in Canada and this is winter) and then I'll stick it in the fridge for another week or so. If I want to eat it after being in the fridge, I'll either throw it in the toaster oven for 5 minutes or pan fry it for a nice crispy outside and soft inside.

They also freeze great. I take them out and let them thaw overnight. And then same idea, pan fry with a little bit of oil till golden brown, or throw into the toaster oven. Pan frying makes them crispy on the outside and gooey and chewy on the inside.