Mini Bibingka
Updated Dec. 20, 2023
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:2 dozen mini cakes
- 1large sheet banana leaf (from a 1-pound package), optional
- 9tablespoons/128 grams unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing pans
- 1½cups/355 milliliters unsweetened coconut cream
- 2large eggs
- 1cup/200 grams superfine (caster) sugar
- 2cups/250 grams self-rising flour
- 1cup macapuno (coconut sport), optional (see Tip)
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry the banana leaf, if using. Cut into 24 5-inch squares and use the squares to line 2 (12-cup) standard muffin tins. If not using banana leaf, drizzle a little melted butter in each muffin cup and coat the cups with it.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 9 tablespoons of melted butter and half the coconut cream. In a separate, larger mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the superfine sugar until lighter in color.
- Step 3
Sift the flour into a medium bowl. Add about a third of the flour to the eggs and fold in by gently running a flexible spatula through and around the mixture until everything is combined. Then, fold in a third of the butter mixture. Alternate folding in the flour and the butter mixture, making sure not to overmix. Fold in the remaining coconut cream.
- Step 4
Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until set along the circumference but still loose at the center. Take the tins out of the oven and raise the temperature to 375 degrees. Top each cake with a couple strands of macapuno, if using (see Tip).
- Step 5
Return the tins to the oven and bake for another 4 to 7 minutes, until golden at the edges and springy at the center when lightly pressed. Cool and serve.
Tip
- Macapuno, also labeled as coconut sport or coconut strings, is the jellylike flesh of prized mutant coconuts, and can be found in Asian grocery stores and online. If you are not using it, you can instead sprinkle each cake with an even coating of toasted unsweetened shredded coconut and granulated sugar before baking, if you wish.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Nigella
If I had rice flour, would the recipe be the same?
Enggirl
For those looking for the rice flour based recipe- search here in the NY Times app for “bibingka” - there is a recipe adapted by Tejal Rao.
lynn
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed. Step 2: Get baking! Be aware that this flour has a shorter shelf life than regular flour, as the baking powder tends to lose potency over time. So make a small batch and save it in an airtight container in a dark, dry place.
Anne
The recipe calls for 1.5 cups of coconut cream. You mix half of that with the butter, and fold it into the batter. What do you do with the rest of the coconut cream? Why doesn't the recipe just call for 3/4 cup of coconut cream?
Aisha
it's added with the flour, alternating by thirds, as in recipes with milk/buttermilk
Cathy
I also wonder where the other 3/4 cup of coconut cream gets added?
klb
I’ve read the recipe three times. Where does the other half of the coconut cream come in? What am I missing?
terror
I too am confused about the coconut cream. What happens to the remaining 3/4 cup that isn’t whisked into the melted butter?
beth
What do you do with the other half of the coconut cream? Half is mixed with melted butter and the other half goes where??
Elizabeth
I wonder, like another poster, why is it that only half of the coconut cream in the ingredient list appears to be used in the recipe?
Dfuser
"In a medium bowl, whisk together the 9 tablespoons of melted butter and half the coconut cream. " What do you do with the other half of the coconut cream?
Hammy
The last step before putting into the pans is to fold in the rest of the cream.
Cathy Lo, NYT Cooking
Hello! I'm one of the editors at NYT Cooking. The other half of the coconut cream should be folded into the batter at the end of the step 3. Thanks to all who noted that the recipe was unclear; we've reworded it to address the issue. Happy baking!
LC
Lots of questions about what to do with the other half of the coconut cream in the comments. I whisked the first half into the melted butter as instructed... and then whisked in the other half and kept going with the rest of the recipe as written. It worked perfectly. The bibingka came out beautifully - light, tender, delicious. If you can get your hands on the macapuno, it really makes a difference. I also sprinkled a little turbinado sugar on the top for the final bake.
Dfuser
"In a medium bowl, whisk together the 9 tablespoons of melted butter and half the coconut cream. " What do you do with the other half of the coconut cream?
Elizabeth
I wonder, like another poster, why is it that only half of the coconut cream in the ingredient list appears to be used in the recipe?
Cathy
I also wonder where the other 3/4 cup of coconut cream gets added?
klb
I’ve read the recipe three times. Where does the other half of the coconut cream come in? What am I missing?
Aisha
it's added with the flour, alternating by thirds, as in recipes with milk/buttermilk
terror
I too am confused about the coconut cream. What happens to the remaining 3/4 cup that isn’t whisked into the melted butter?
beth
What do you do with the other half of the coconut cream? Half is mixed with melted butter and the other half goes where??
GF
So inauthentic, yet still powerful enough to lucidity evoke my childhood memories enjoying bibingka.
Anne
The recipe calls for 1.5 cups of coconut cream. You mix half of that with the butter, and fold it into the batter. What do you do with the rest of the coconut cream? Why doesn't the recipe just call for 3/4 cup of coconut cream?
Anne
These taste like corn muffins. The self-rising flour gives it that distinct "baking powder muffin" flavor. The coconut sport is the most interesting thing about it. Otherwise not much of a coconut flavor. I would not make these again. Oh, I compared this recipe to basic cupcake recipes and decided that the original measure of the coconut cream is just describing the volume of a full can. You only use 3/4 cup in the recipe.
SC
Can I use rice flour?
Enggirl
For those looking for the rice flour based recipe- search here in the NY Times app for “bibingka” - there is a recipe adapted by Tejal Rao.
lynn
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed. Step 2: Get baking! Be aware that this flour has a shorter shelf life than regular flour, as the baking powder tends to lose potency over time. So make a small batch and save it in an airtight container in a dark, dry place.
Kj26
Very helpful! And I think by doubling these amounts there is just the right amount (2 cups) of the flour needed for this recipe. Basically.
G
Where is the "featured in" link? Sweet backstory: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/28/magazine/bibingka-coconut-cake-recipe.html
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