Baked Sticky Rice Cake with Red Bean Paste
(Hong Dou Kao Nian Gao | 红豆 烤年糕)

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We love this baked sticky rice cake with red bean paste (红豆 烤年糕 or hóngdòu kǎo niángāo), particularly at Chinese New Year. It is one of the lucky foods to eat when celebrating the new year, so why not make it at home to enjoy all year round?

Niangao literally means "year cake", but nian is a homonym for sticky, hence the use of sticky or glutinous rice in this recipe, and gao is a homonym for high, so niangao sounds like "year high" and is supposed to bring luck by symbolising achieving new heights in the coming year.

There are many different ways to prepare niangao, and it can be either sweet or savoury, depending on which region you're from. I can't resist the sweet baked sticky rice cake with red bean paste, which is super quick and easy to make (and even quicker and easier to eat!). Although, I do also love a good stir fried savoury niangao...

This recipe has been updated to make a baked sticky rice cake in a 20cm (8in) square tin - a more sensible quantity for four people! But I'll leave the original recipe down below, for those that prefer slightly larger quantities. The ingredients and methodology remain largely unchanged between the two recipes.

For this baked sticky rice cake, I made my own sweetened red bean paste (you can also make red bean paste in an Instant Pot!). If you're short on time, pre-made tinned versions are perfectly fine to use can usually be found in East Asian food markets, along with glutinous rice flour. Make sure you use glutinous rice flour and not normal rice flour, or you will not achieve the sticky texture. Glutinous here simply means sticky - this recipe is, in fact, gluten free.

I also used flavourless coconut oil for the fat, but feel free to use any other vegetable oil, or even butter, in your baked sticky rice cake. This really comes down to personal taste preference.

This traditional treat is a sweet way to celebrate Chinese New Year and can be served warm or at room temperature. I hope you'll enjoy it, and 恭喜发财 (gōngxǐ fācái) - Congratulations and Happy New Year! If you haven't got much of a sweet tooth, try this savoury Chinese rice cake stir fry - equally delicious and just as lucky to eat!

Some other foods to make for Chinese New Year:

• Homemade Chinese Dumplings (Shui Jao | 水饺)
• Chinese Rice Cake Stir Fry (Chao Nian Gao | 炒年糕)
• Glutinous Rice Balls with Black Sesame (Tang Yuan | 汤圆)

Here's what you'll need to make this baked sticky rice cake:
(Click here to jump straight to the recipe)

65g demerara sugar
100ml flavourless vegetable oil or butter
2 large eggs
250g glutinous rice flour
200ml milk
250g sweetened red bean paste

And here's what you'll need to do:

• Preheat oven to 180C / 160C Fan. Lightly grease a 20cm (8in) square baking tin and line with a strip of parchment.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the oil (or butter) and sugar, and whisk together until smooth and combined.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

• Add a third of the glutinous rice flour, mixing until fully combined.
• Then add half of the milk, again mixing until combined.
• Repeat these steps, until all the flour and milk has been used, and you have a smooth batter.

• Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking tin, and use a spatula to ease it into the edges and corners, smoothing it into a single layer.
• Drop spoonfuls of red bean paste evenly over the batter. I like to first flatten the red bean paste with my fingers before layering it onto the batter, which makes it easier to cover fully.
• Pour the remaining batter on top of the red bean paste, and again push it into the edges and corners and smoothing the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top.

• Remove the baked sticky rice cake from the oven, and cool slightly before lifting it out of the tin and slicing to serve.

Baked Sticky Rice Cake with Red Bean Paste
(Hong Dou Kao Nian Gao | 红豆 烤年糕)

By Wendy | Serves 4

No Chinese New Year celebration would be complete without sticky rice cake, and this sweet baked sticky rice cake is the perfect way to end your feast.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Yield: 16 slices
Course: Dessert, Pudding, Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Tags: Nian Gao, Hong Dou, Red Bean, Adzuki, Chinese New Year

Ingredients

65g demerara sugar
100ml flavourless vegetable oil or butter
2 large eggs
250g glutinous rice flour
200ml milk
250g sweetened red bean paste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C / 160C Fan. Lightly grease a 20cm (8in) square baking tin and line with a strip of parchment.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the oil (or butter) and sugar, and whisk together until smooth and combined.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Add a third of the glutinous rice flour, mixing until fully combined.
5. Then add half of the milk, again mixing until combined.
6. Repeat these steps, until all the flour and milk has been used, and you have a smooth batter.
7. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking tin, and use a spatula to ease it into the edges and corners, smoothing it into a single layer.
8. Drop spoonfuls of red bean paste evenly over the batter. I like to first flatten the red bean paste with my fingers before layering it onto the batter, which makes it easier to cover fully.
9. Pour the remaining batter on top of the red bean paste, and again push it into the edges and corners and smoothing the top.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top.
11. Remove the baked sticky rice cake from the oven, and cool slightly before lifting it out of the tin and slicing to serve.

Original Baked Sticky Rice Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Yield: 20 large or 35 bite-sized pieces
Course: Dessert, Pudding, Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Tags: Nian Gao, Hong Dou, Red Bean, Adzuki, Chinese New Year

Ingredients

450g glutinous rice flour
540ml milk
3 large eggs
215ml vegetable oil or butter
120g demerara sugar
425g sweetened red bean paste
Oil for greasing

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C / 160C Fan. Lightly grease a rectangular 9 x 13in (23 x 33cm) baking pan and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together, except for the red bean paste. Mix well until thoroughly incorporated.
3. Pour half of the mix into the greased baking pan.
4. Drop spoonfuls of red bean paste evenly all over. I like to first flatten the red bean paste with my fingers before layering it onto the mixture, which makes it easier to cover fully.
5. Pour the remaining mixture over the red bean paste, and smooth it evenly across.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes until golden brown on top.
7. Remove, and cool sufficiently before cutting into pieces and serving.

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