Baked Rice Cake with Dates

Jump to:

• About the dish
• Ingredients
• Cooking procedure
• How to store
• Other Chinese treats
• 📋 Recipe card

About the dish

Today’s recipe, Baked Rice Cake with Dates, is a delightful alternative to Nian Gao (aka Chinese New Year Cake), a festive delicacy traditionally steamed. After perfecting this baked version through multiple trials, it has become a family favorite whenever we crave something sweet.

Recently, I brought this cake to a charity fund-raising bake sale in London, where it received many compliments for two standout qualities: its pleasingly gooey texture and its “not too sweet” taste. As I mentioned in my post on Almond Cookies, this is high praise for Chinese treats.

The cake’s sweetness partially comes from Chinese dates, which have a natural, honey-like sweetness with hints of caramel and a warm, fruity depth. For the London bake sale, I enhanced the recipe by blending Chinese dates with Medjool dates to reflect the event’s cross-cultural theme. The “Double-Date” flavor was a hit, and I must say, it added an irresistible twist!

 

Ingredients

Here is a list of ingredients you need for this recipe:

• Glutinous rice flour. It’s ground, extra fine powder of glutinous rice (糯米, aka sticky rice or sweet rice), a popular ingredient commonly found in Chinese sweet treats, such as Tang Yuan, Snow Skin Mooncake, and more.
• Coconut milk. It adds a pleasing fragrance. Regular milk can be used as a substitute.
• Eggs
• Neutral cooking oil, such as sunflower, canola, corn, and vegetable oil.
• Sugar. Both white and brown sugar work well.
• Baking powder
• Dates. A mixture of Chinese dates (aka Jujube or red dates) and Medjool dates creates an outstandingly sweet and fragrant flavor. You can also use either one on its own.
• Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Note: See the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.

Cooking procedure

Step 1: Make the batter

Begin by lightly beating eggs in a mixing bowl, then add coconut milk and cooking oil. Mix until all is well incorporated.

Add sugar, glutinous rice flour, and baking powder. Gently stir them into the wet mixture until a thick, smooth, and lump-free batter forms.

Step 2: Add the dates

The next step is to cut the dates into small pieces. I like using scissors for this job, but a knife will work too. Discard all the pits.

Put the chopped dates into the mixing bowl. Stir well to evenly distribute the pieces.

Line a small baking pan with parchment paper, making sure to cover the sides as well. For shooting this recipe, I use a rectangle pan measuring 11” x 7” (28 cm x 18 cm). You may also use a square one measuring 9” x 9” (23 cm x 23 cm) or a round pan with a 10” (25 cm) diameter.

Pour in the batter and level it with a spatula. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds all over the surface.

Step 3: Bake in the oven

Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C), or 300°F (150°C) if it’s fan-assisted.

Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 25 minutes until the top turns slightly brown.

🌟 NOTE: Since ovens vary, check for doneness at 22 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is done; if not, bake for a few minutes longer.

Step 4: Cool and slice

Transfer the baked cake to a wire rack. Once it’s cool enough to touch, cut it into bars. They taste good both warm and at room temperature.

How to store

Store the leftover rice cake in airtight containers once they are completely cool. It’s fine to keep them on the counter for a day, away from heat sources and direct sunlight.

Otherwise, keep the container in the fridge for up to 5 days (they’re so delicious, I doubt they’ll last that long, though!). Bring the cake back to room temperature before serving, or warm it up in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time.

Other Chinese treats

Looking for more classic Chinese sweet treats? Try these popular recipes:

📋 Recipe card

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!