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Mochi Donuts Cake

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Crispy mochi donuts with a chewy center, inspired by Japanese pon de ring, made with mochiko and tapioca starch.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 150 g (1.25 c) mochiko flour
  • 115 g (1 c) tapioca starch
  • 8 g (1¾ tsp) baking powder
  • 0.8 g (¼ tsp) salt
  • 75 g (⅓ c) white granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 127 g (4.5 fl oz) whole milk
  • 24 g (2 tbsp) vegetable shortening
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, whisk together mochiko flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, and salt.
  2. In another bowl, cream the sugar and shortening. Beat in the egg, then stir in ⅔ of the milk and reserve the rest.
  3. Sift half of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stir, then repeat with the remaining dry ingredients.
  4. Check that the batter holds its shape when dropped from a spatula; add reserved milk if too thick.
  5. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes at room temperature to hydrate the flours.
  6. Cut parchment into 3″ × 3″ squares and use a 2½″ circle template with eight dots. Fill a piping bag fitted with an 808 tip and pipe eight small balls on each square to form rings.
  7. Heat 2″ of oil in a pot to 350 °F (175 °C). Carefully lower a parchment square with one donut into the oil; fry for 30 sec, remove parchment, then fry for another 30 sec–1 min until light brown.
  8. Drain donuts on a paper towel–lined rack over a sheet pan. Repeat with remaining batter.
  9. For glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and flavoring (vanilla bean paste or strawberry preserves) until the consistency of maple syrup.
  10. Dip warm donuts into glaze, allow excess to drip off, and let set on the rack for 1 minute.
  11. Serve immediately to enjoy the optimal crisp-chewy texture.

Notes

  • Let the batter rest for 30 minutes to fully hydrate the flours and prevent graininess.
  • Consume donuts immediately; they lose crispness after a few hours and are not ideal the next day.
  • Fry the donuts on the same day the batter is mixed for best texture.
  • Adjust milk gradually to achieve a drop-batter consistency; you can’t remove excess liquid once added.
  • Updated April 2, 2025: increased flour ratios and adjusted initial milk amount for consistent dough.

Nutrition

Keywords: donuts, mochi, mochiko

Find it online: https://zesticook.com/mochi-donuts-cake/