Matcha Mochi Bundt - Day #28 - I Like Big Bundts

Day 28 of I Like Big Bundts: 30 Days of Bundt Cakes
Matcha Mochi Bundts with An Filling

We are only TWO days away from National Bundt Day!! Today, I'm combining many of my favorite things:

Japanese food: I'm JA. That's Japanese American. (If you want to get all technical, I'm actually Okinawan American...yes, Okinawa pride!) I was conceived, born, and raised in Southern California...seriously, I have an older brother and know that my folks didn't go anywhere nine months before I was born. Just sayin'. Anyway, I've been eating Japanese food before it was cool. Yeah, I was eating octopus and sashimi before you could get it at your local grocery store! :)

Mochi: You may have seen other posts about my love of all things mochi, a Japanese pounded rice cake. No, don't try to make it with basmati rice...you need special short grain rice grown especially for mochi. My family clan makes a boatload of plain mochi before New Years (see posts here and here). Many people are used to a sweetened version of mochi. Here are some samples from my favorite mochi place, Sakura-ya in Gardena, California.

Matcha: Matcha is green tea powder. It's used in tea ceremonies but now you can find matcha flavored candies, cakes, lattes, milkshakes, and now Bundt cakes. I heart the lovely green tea color of Matcha powder. And it has those good-for-you anti-oxidants.

Sweetened Red Beans: We Asians love to cook, smash and sweetened beans. You can find sweetened red azuki beans or lima beans in lots of sweets. Don't be thinking refried beans with sugar...it is an entirely different taste and texture. These beans are called an or anko in Japanese.

Bundts: Of course I had to put my favorite flavors into a Bundt pan, silly! This was a big experiment, and I'm thrilled that it turned out!

In the past, I've made Blueberry Mochi Cake and Cherry Mochi Cakes. These cakes use Mochiko powder from Koda Farms, butter, eggs and evaporated milk, and I used the recipe as a base for the Matcha Mochi Bundts.

Yes, I'm making 30 days of Bundts leading up to National Bundt Day on November 15th! That's THIS Sunday!! I love the Bundt cake and hope you make one for someone special...including YOURSELF!

You need Matcha Green Tea powder. This finely ground powder can be purchased in a Japanese grocery store or tea house. Make sure it is for tea ceremony and not just regular green tea. This canister was about $8...not cheap but a little goes a LONG way. Um, don't be chugging this stuff. It is very bitter and strong as it is used in Japanese tea ceremony.

I bought SMOOTH Sweetened red bean paste (called an or anko) in a can. You can make it yourself....if you are crazy or own a mochi store. Note that anko comes in smooth (koshi) or rough (tsubu) textures. I think smooth worked best in this.

After mixing the batter by hand with just a whisk (sooooo easy), I placed some in the mini Bundt pan. Earlier, I stirred the red bean paste to loose it up (it comes out very thick out of the can) and placed in a Ziploc freezer bag (you can use a pastry bag too). Then I placed some ribbons of beans on the batter. Next time: I'm going to add more an, and not bother putting the an between two layers of batter. The an "fell" down to the top of the cake so I think I will just fill the pan and then pipe on the beans...hopefully, it'll fall closer to the center.

I baked the mini bundts for 30-33 minutes, until a toothpick came out clean and it bounced back to the touch.

A note on the mini Bundts: I made these in a mini Bundt pan (holds 6 per pan) and I think that is the perfect size. I haven't tried this recipe in a large Bundt, and I have reservations about that. Mochi cakes doesn't rise very much and are dense and chewy. I'm afraid a 12-cup Bundt might not work out, but I'll try it someday. If you don't have mini Bundt pans, I would make this into cupcakes or in a 9 x 13 pan. If you use cupcakes, you might even just spray the pans and serve them upside as the an might end up at the top. Anyhoo, this is my way of saying this recipe hasn't been tested on anything but the mini Bundt pan. If you make it, let me know how it turns out in different size pans!

Seriously, how cute are these?! Oh, the mini-Bundt...I heart you.

And, it's gluten free! Whoo hoo!

The key ingredient is the box of Mochiko (sweet rice flour) - it cannot be substituted. Really, no substitutions. I used Koda Farms Mochiko sweet rice flour (see their website for information about mochi and this California family-owned Japanese American farm). You can find this in a Japanese, Asian, or health food store (it's gluten-free). You can find it for $1.50-$2.00 a box. Mochiko is made from special sweet short-grain rice and is very soft in texture. It will make the cake a bit chewy and, well, mochi-like!

Matcha Mochi Bundt - Click here for the printable recipe

1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted
2 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons matcha green tea powder
1 pound (1 box) Mochiko from Koda farms

1/2 cup (or to your liking) sweetened red bean paste (smooth)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together, by hand, the sugar and melted butter. Add evaporated milk and vanilla and mix well. Add eggs and mix to combine. Finally, stir in baking powder, mochiko, and matcha powder.
2. In a small bowl, mix red bean paste until smooth. Scoop into a pastry bag or small freezer bag.
3. For Mini Bundts: Pour some batter into the mold, pipe some bean filling over the batter, and cover with more batter. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-33 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and cake bounces back to the touch.
4. For 9 x 13 pan: Baked at 350 for 1 hour. I haven't tested this in a 9 x 13 pan, but I think you could swirl in the sweetened red beans...let me know what you do!

Printable Recipe

Los Angeles Peeps!! Kiss My Bundt, Los Angeles' own BUNDT bakery is celebrating National Bundt Day in a big and yummy way! On November 15th, stop by for a free slice of Bundt cake between 1-4 pm . Everything they make is delicious and owner/chef Chrysta Wilson coming out with a cookbook - I can't wait to buy that! And come back tomorrow...you might see a Bundt a la Kiss My Bundt!

Two more days. Oh my gosh! Thanks to everyone who has hung out with me during this journey! See you tomorrow! - mary the food librarian

Finally, have you started your holiday shopping yet?! My friend JustJenn made the logo for I Like Big Bundts and her stationery company JustJennDesigns is having a FREE shipping offer right now. Her cards are hilarious! One of cards reads:

For Christmas I hope you get:
__ the man of your dreams
__ a pony
__ corporate bailout
[...and other funny options]

I Like Big Bundts recap:
Introduction: The Food Librarian confesses: I Like Big Bundts
Recap: Bundts made in the past by the Food Librarian
Day 1: Pumpkin Spice Bundt with Buttermilk Icing
Day 2: Chocolate-Cinnamon Bundt Cake with Mocha Icing
Day 3: Pumpkin-Apple Spiced Bundt
Day 4: Cinnamon Ripple Sweet Potato Bundt
Day 5: Chocolate Zucchini Bundt
Day 6: Cardamom Vanilla Bundt
Day 7: Monkey Bread in a Bundt
Day 8: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day 9: Coconut Bundt
Day 10: Sweet Potato Bundt
Day 11: Mom's Apple Cake Bundt
Day 12: Meyer Lemon Bundt
Day 13: Candy Corn Jello Bundt
Day 14: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day 15: Blueberry-Buttermilk Bundt
Day 16: Nutella Bundt
Day 17: Carrot Walnut Bundt
Day 18: Pear Ginger Bundt
Day 19: Persimmon Bundt
Day 20: Banana Chocolate Marble Bundt
Day 21: Martha Stewart Chocolate Bundt
Day 22: Whipped Cream Bundt
Day 23: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bundt
Day 24: Brown Sugar and Chocolate Chip Pound Bundt with Maple-Espresso Glaze
Day 25: My Big Fat Greek Yogurt Lemon Bundt
Day 26: Orange Cranberry Bundt
Day 27: Peanut Butter and Jelly Swirl Bundt