Black Forest Cake, but in mochi form!
This Lunar New Year, I’m making this delicious black forest cherri mochi for my family.
Growing up, my family never expressly said ‘I love you’. But they always made sure that I was full and had enough food. Food is my family’s love language.
These cherry mochis are perfect for sharing. It’s a combination of sweet juicy cherries, creamy filling and a chewy chocolate mochi.
The mochi
It’s super easy to make mochi at home.
All you need is glutinous rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa powder and milk.
In terms of equipment, you don’t need anything special. All you need is a microwave.
Sounds simple, right?
The key to a good chewy mochi is:
- Use the right amount of ingredients (see recipe below)
- When microwaving the mochi, don’t overdo it or else it’ll be overcooked. But also don’t undercook it, or else you’ll have raw flour.
- Add enough butter (fats) to the mochi and knead to incorporate it into the dough, as soon as the mochi comes out of the microwave.
The cherries
I’m using juicy and sweet Tasmanian cherries for this recipe. They’re plump and big – very easy to work with for this recipe!
Make sure to wash them and remove the pits.
In this recipe, we make a simple cherry compote for the mochi filling.
I like my cherry compote to still retain its shape.
I slightly smashed the cherries to release its juices. But if you prefer your cherry filling to be less chunky, you can chop the cherries before making the compote.
Cream filling
I included a combination of whipped heavy cream and ricotta cheese for the cream filling.
You can absolutely replace the ricotta cheese with just whipped cream if that’s what you prefer.
Forming the mochi
There is definitely some technique to assembling the mochi.
You can use your palm to assemble the mochi, but I definitely prefer using a shallow small bowl.
I place the flattened mochi onto a shallow bowl, then spoon in some creamy filling and cherry compote. Then I pinch the edges together to seal it completely.
One tip I have is to not overfill the mochis – less is more. Or else you’ll risk it all overflowing out and it gets super messy!
Black Forest Cherry Mochi
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl, whisk together glutinous rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, and cocoa powder.
- Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until the mixture is completely smooth and lump-free.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve into a large microwave-safe bowl.
- Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap and poke a few small holes with a toothpick.
- Microwave on high for 2 minutes, then stir.
- Continue microwaving in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until the dough is fully cooked and no liquid remains (about 3–4 minutes total).
- Add the butter and knead with a spatula or gloved hands until fully incorporated and glossy.
- Cover and let cool for 15 minutes.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine cherries, sugar, and lime juice.
- Cook gently for 5–6 minutes, until the cherries soften and release their juices.
- Lightly mash the cherries with a spatula for a chunky texture.
- In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water to form a slurry.
- Stir the slurry into the pan and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until thick and jam-like.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, mix ricotta cheese and whipped cream until smooth and fluffy.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Generously dust your work surface with cornstarch.
- Transfer the cooled mochi onto the surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- Divide into 4 equal portions.
- Flatten each portion into a round disc, keeping the center slightly thicker.
- Place one mochi disc in your palm or a shallow bowl.
- Add a spoonful of creamy filling and cherry compote to the center.
- Carefully gather the edges and pinch to seal completely.
- Flip seam-side down and gently shape.
- Top with fresh Tasmanian cherries.
