Enjoy this simple and easy Bibingka Rice Flour Muffins recipe, a classic Filipino rice cake, that all Filipinos adore during the festive season and most celebrations. The Bibingka Rice Flour Recipe serves as a quintessential illustration of a beloved Filipino Christmas delicacy. However, with this recipe, I made both large muffins with banana leaves and little bundt cakes for my husband’s breakfast.
What are Bibingka Rice Flour Muffins?
The Bibingka Rice Flour Muffins yield exceptionally delightful, tender, and airy bibingka, traditionally baked in banana leaves. It possesses a subtle sweetness and is enriched with the flavors of coconut milk and, optionally, banana leaves.
While all-purpose flour serves as the dependable foundation for a wide range of comfort foods, including moist cakes, chewy cookies, and fluffy dumplings, when I yearn for an elevated texture, I turn to sweet rice flour, also known as glutinous rice flour or mochiko flour.
My Uncle was the first to introduce me to this recipe, and while it’s possible to create Bibingka without banana leaves, the addition of banana leaves imparts a distinctive flavor to the cake, complemented by a light sprinkling of cheddar cheese.
Certainly, Filipino bibingka offers a multitude of variations. With this Bibingka recipe, there’s no need to wait for the holiday season in the Philippines to savor the simplicity of freshly baked bibingka in the comfort of your home.
This is a dessert I always eagerly anticipate at our family gatherings and celebrations. For an even more spectacular dessert, consider combining this Bibingka Rice Flour Cake Recipe with a delectable layer of Leche Flan as the initial layer.
What is the origin of bibingka?
Similar to other rice cakes in Filipino culture, such as puto or biko, bibingka is a highly popular dessert or kakanin. Traditionally, bibingka is prepared on the streets of the Philippines using terracotta pots lined with banana leaves and cooked over charcoal. Although the exact origin of bibingka remains somewhat uncertain, it bears similarities to Indonesian rice cakes, as they both involve the baking of rice-based cakes.
In its traditional preparation, bibingka (much like puto) is crafted from a fermented glutinous rice mixture known as galapong, imparting a subtly tangy flavor. In specific regions like Cebu, bibingka is renowned for its tanginess and yeasty taste due to the addition of the traditional ingredient tubâ, which is palm wine. This recipe offers a slightly contemporary twist to the classic bibingka. To save time without compromising on its delectable flavor, this recipe employs rice flour as a convenient shortcut.
Toppings
To avoid overcooking and burning, it’s essential to add various toppings at specific intervals. For salted egg slices, incorporate them into the bibingka after it has been baking for 9 minutes. For dried, unsweetened coconut shreds, introduce them to the bibingka at the 11-minute mark. If you’re using cheddar cheese or velveeta, sprinkle them onto the bibingka after it has been baking for 19 minutes.
Please keep in mind that these timing recommendations are based on my personal experience with a standard family-sized electric oven, and they may vary depending on your specific oven model. The objective is to add the toppings early enough while the batter is still slightly moist and can adhere to them, but not so early that they will bake excessively and become burnt.
Cooking Suggestions
Prepare the banana leaves by gently warming them before lining the molds. Soften the banana leaves by holding them over a gentle heat source, such as a warm stove or electric burner. Avoid exposing them to direct flames or intense heat to prevent burning.
Opt for rice flour instead of glutinous rice flour. Rice flour will yield a soft and moist bibingka, while glutinous rice flour will result in a distinctly different, mochi-like texture, akin to ube crinkle cookies or sesame balls.
Vigorously whisk the ingredients until no lumps remain. The batter should possess the consistency akin to that of pancake batter.
To ascertain the bibingka’s readiness, employ toothpicks or a cake tester. Insert the cake tester into the center of the bibingka—it should emerge clean. A fully cooked bibingka should exhibit a stable structure without excessive wobbling and a slightly golden top.
What is the Flavor Profile of Bibingka?
Bibingka boasts a flavor profile reminiscent of sweet rice cakes infused with a subtle note of coconut milk. It pairs harmoniously with a variety of toppings, such as salted egg. The hallmark of bibingka is its soft and mildly chewy texture.
Bibingka Rice Flour Muffins
Ingredients
- frozen banana leaves, as needed to line molds or tins
- melted unsalted butter, for brushing
- 1 cup rice flour*
- 1 cup sweet rice flour
- 2 Tablespoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut milk, well-shaken
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- Desiccated coconut for topping
- 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Preparing Banana Leaves: Thaw frozen banana leaves at room temperature or rapidly under cool running water. Rinse the banana leaves thoroughly to remove any dirt or dust, and then pat them dry using either paper towels or a cloth kitchen towel.
- If necessary, remove the thick rib that runs down the center of the banana leaf. This can be done using scissors or a sharp knife to cut the banana leaf to fit your baking vessel.
- Hold the banana leaves with kitchen tongs and pass them over an open flame, such as a gas stove burner, several times until they become shiny and take on a deep green color. Repeat this process for all the banana leaves. Be cautious not to burn the banana leaf.
- Grease a giant muffin tin with melted butter, then press the banana leaf into the muffin tin cavity to line the mold. Brush the banana leaf with melted butter and set it aside while you prepare the batter.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Preparing the Batter: In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks are broken, then add the sugar. Use an electric hand mixer or a sturdy whisk to beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add the coconut milk and melted butter, and continue to beat until they are well combined.
- Gradually add half of the dry rice flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring to combine. Then, add the remaining rice flour mixture and mix until the batter is smooth, with no dry streaks of flour.
- Pour 1/2 cup portions of the batter into the prepared giant muffin tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes, and then add slices of cream cheese on top of each bibingka.
- Continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the bibingka from the giant muffin tin. Bibingka is at its best when served warm, and fresh from the oven.
NOTES
Rice flour is milled from medium-grain or long-grain rice. It is usually sold in RED-labeled packaging.
Do not use glutinous rice flour, which is made from short-grain rice. Glutinous rice flour uses GREEN packaging.
This is helpful when the labels are not written in English.
RED= Rice Flour
GREEN = Glutinous Rice Flour
Rice flour will create airy sponge cake- like texture. Glutinous rice flour will result in dense, sticky cake.
BANANA LEAF:
Banana leaves were traditionally used to line the clay pot vessels that bibingka was baked in. The banana leaf imparts a distinct flavor that is difficult to mimic. However, if you cannot access the banana leaf, I suggest adding 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the batter.
Frozen banana leaves are available at well-stocked supermarkets and widely available in Asian or Latin markets.
You may use parchment paper or cupcake liners in place of banana leaf.
Batter can also be baked in one 9-inch to 12-inch cast iron skillet, two 8-inch round cake pans, or two 8-inch square pans, or one 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
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