Kat Lieu: Gochujang Chocolate Mochi Cake

The My Modern Asian Kitchen writer, best-selling cookbook author, and pet-snail owner shares her son’s favorite recipe plus memories of her Ah Ma's amazing Vietnamese and Chinese cooking.

Kat’s two best-selling cookbooks—Modern Asian Baking at Home and Modern Asian Kitchen—will soon be joined by 108 Asian Cookies. Kat is also the founder of Subtle Asian Baking, a group spreading the joy of Asian baking and fundraising for AANHPI communities and charities. Her work has been featured in Epicurious and Tasting Table among many other sites.

Kat spent childhood summers in Montreal with her granny Ah Ma (a common Cantonese term for paternal grandmother). She remembers Ah Ma’s fresh cream strawberry chiffon birthday cakes (like the ones you find in Asian bakeries) with great fondness.

“Ah Ma taught me how to crack eggs and season my food. She made mooncakes, ice cream, pork floss, Vietnamese ham, papaya salads, durian ice creams, and other Vietnamese and Chinese food, all from scratch. She took me to her favorite phở and dim sum restaurants and introduced me to truffle oil.”

Now, Kat is passing down her love of baking to her son, who eats his mom’s Gochujang Chocolate Mochi Cake right out of the oven. Sometimes, he also has it for breakfast the next day. Even if it’s cold, it’s, "mmm, so good.”

“Chocolate lovers, this is the cake for you,” Kat says. “It’s not too sweet, has a fun chew, and will undoubtedly be a stunner at any potluck. If you love to spice things up, drop a heaping tablespoon of Gochujang into the batter. Decorate the cake however you want. Enjoy it right out of the oven or give it a day for the mochi to cure and get even chewier. Blend up the batter in a blender, load it with chocolates, bake, garnish with confectioners' sugar and paprika, et voila!”

“Gochujang Chocolate Mochi Cake is super-easy to make. You can turn it into brownies or bars if you bake it in a square pan. And it's so good that a Seattle AAPI-owned brewery, Lucky Envelope Brewing, is turning it into a beer: The Gochujang Chocolate Stout.”

Now for Kat’s recipe (plus a vegan modification). If you try the recipe, please share your experience with me.

Gochujang Chocolate Mochi Cake

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs (about 3.5 ounces or 100 g)

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup (59 ml) sweetened condensed milk

• 1 teaspoon miso or 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• Up to 1 heaping tablespoon (17 g) Gochujang, adjust to taste

• 1 cup (235 ml) milk

• 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• About 17/8 cups (296 g) glutinous rice flour

• 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch

• 2 tablespoons (14 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted

• 1/3 cup (60 g) finely chopped or flaked semi-sweet chocolate

Optional toppings

• Confectioners’ sugar

• Cocoa powder

• Paprika

• Sliced strawberries

• Sweetened condensed milk

• Edible gold flakes

Directions

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Yield: One 8-inch (20 cm) cake.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the center. Generously grease with cooking spray or line an 8-inch (20-cm) round cake pan with parchment paper (including the rim).

2. In a large bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the eggs, sugar, condensed milk, miso (or salt), and Gochujang. Once the mixture is fluffy, whisk in the milk and melted butter until combined. Sift in the dry ingredients: baking powder, glutinous rice flour, cornstarch, and cocoa powder. Mix until well combined.

3. Pour the mochi batter into the prepared pan. Spread on the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, evenly distributing them around the top of the cake. Bake until an inserted toothpick or bamboo skewer comes out clean and the top is semi-cracked, with brownie, like crust, about 50 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan itself or take it out to cool on a wire rack. If you prefer cakes sweeter, drizzle with a liquid sweetener of choice. Decorating with sliced fruits, like strawberries, gives the cake a beautiful pop of color, and if you love edible gold flakes like I do, add them! Dust with confectioners’ sugar and/or cocoa powder, if desired, slice, and serve.

5. Store the leftover cake in an airtight container. It should still be good and chewy the next day.

Note: If you prefer a non-spicy chocolate cake, simply leave out the Gochujang. Please note that most Gochujang isn’t gluten-free, so therefore including it makes this cake not gluten-free.

Make it vegan: Substitute the eggs with 3.5 ounces (100 g) silken tofu, the condensed milk with vegan condensed milk (available at health food stores or online) or agave syrup, the milk with water or plain plant-based milk, the butter with vegan butter or neutral oil, and use vegan-friendly chocolate chips.