Filipino
Bibingka
Modern Filipino rice-flour bibingka baked on banana leaves with coconut milk, salted duck egg, cheese, butter, and fresh coconut.
12 servings · 30 minutes prep · 28 minutes cook
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 fresh or thawed banana leaves
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1/4 cup glutinous rice flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cups full-fat coconut milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 salted duck eggs, peeled and cut into thin wedges
- 4 ounces queso de bola or Edam cheese, coarsely grated
- 1/2 cup freshly grated mature coconut
- 2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
Directions
Prepare the Pans and Batter
- Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the upper third. Pass each banana leaf briefly over a low gas flame or a hot dry skillet until glossy and flexible. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with overlapping leaves, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and grease the leaves with 1 tablespoon softened softened butter per pan; reserve the remaining 2 tablespoons for finishing.
- Whisk the rice flour, glutinous rice flour, baking powder, and salt together. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and granulated sugar until smooth but not foamy. Whisk in the coconut milk and melted melted butter.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until smooth. Rest the batter for 15 minutes to hydrate the rice flour, then stir gently and divide evenly between the prepared pans.
Bake and Add the Toppings
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the surfaces are barely set. Arrange the salted salted duck egg wedges and cheese evenly over both cakes without pressing them down.
- Continue baking until the centers spring back lightly, the edges are browned against the banana leaves, and a skewer emerges with moist crumbs, 12 to 16 minutes. If needed, broil for 1 to 2 minutes to blister the cheese and deepen the top without drying the center.
Butter and Serve
- Brush the hot bibingka with the remaining softened softened butter. Scatter with grated coconut and muscovado sugar. Rest 5 minutes, then cut each cake into six wedges and serve warm while the crumb is tender and lightly chewy.
