An Ambitious Effort Yields a Sweet Payoff

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Butter rice cakes, a chewy and caramelized treat popularized on Korean social media and likely inspired by Shanghai bakeries, have been perfected through careful recipe adjustments involving butter content, flour type, and baking technique. This refined home recipe achieves the cake’s signature crisp crust and tender interior, explaining its viral appeal and offering a detailed method for enthusiasts to recreate the delicacy.

Butter rice cakes, also known as Shanghai butter mochi or butter tteok, have recently gained popularity on social media platforms, particularly in Korea. This confection, characterized by its subtly sweet and richly buttery flavor, presents a distinctive texture with a crisp, caramelized exterior that contrasts with a soft, chewy interior.

The precise origins of butter rice cakes remain unclear, though they are often linked to bakeries in Shanghai. One prevailing theory suggests a fusion of the traditional Chinese rice cake nian gao with the French canelé, potentially stemming from a baker in Nantong, a city just north of Shanghai. Other influences cited include Hawaiian butter mochi and Filipino bibingka, which share similar batter consistencies despite differences in ingredients and preparation methods.

Developing a home-friendly version of this treat posed several challenges, primarily achieving the desired balance between a browned, crisp crust and a tender, elastic center when baked in muffin tins. Initial attempts using a fluid batter containing tapioca flour and a relatively high milk content resulted in uneven browning and poor pan release. Adjustments to the recipe included reducing the milk to increase batter density and replacing tapioca flour with mochiko—sweet rice flour—based on editorial advice citing variability among tapioca flour brands.

A critical factor in the final recipe was the amount of butter used, both within the batter and for coating the muffin tin. Contrary to initial assumptions, reducing the butter to minimize steaming did not yield better crust texture; instead, it resulted in a harder, unevenly browned surface. A generous application of melted butter was necessary to achieve the signature crispness and even caramelization.

The choice of baking pan also affected the outcome. Testing revealed that uncoated standard muffin tins produced more consistent browning compared to nonstick versions, where the butter tended to spread unevenly, impairing crust development.

After more than a dozen iterations, the refined recipe calls for baking the buttered batter first at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, then lowering the temperature to 375 degrees to continue baking for an additional 35 to 40 minutes until the cakes reach a dark golden brown with a deeply caramelized crust. The finished cakes are best enjoyed warm, as their crust softens with time, and can be enhanced with a drizzle of condensed milk.

The recipe yields approximately one dozen butter rice cakes and requires roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes from start to finish. Ingredients include unsalted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, honey, fine sea salt, a large egg, whole milk, and mochiko. The process involves melting and partitioning the butter for both the batter and muffin tins, careful mixing to ensure smooth batter, and precise baking to achieve the distinctive texture that has contributed to the treat’s viral appeal.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.