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Bibingka
Christmas rice cake baked on banana leaves, topped with cheese and salted egg
During the nine dawn masses of Simbang Gabi, from 16 to 24 December, vendors set up outside churches across the Philippines baking bibingka in clay pots with hot coals both underneath and on top. Churchgoers buy them on the way out at 5 am, still steaming in their banana-leaf liners, with a hot drink. The cake is made from rice flour and coconut milk, springy and slightly chewy, with a browned, buttery top covered in salty white cheese, slices of salted duck egg, sugar and grated coconut. This version bakes it in an ordinary oven and finishes it under the grill for that charred top. Chef's tip: warm the banana leaves over a flame for a few seconds until they turn glossy and supple; cold leaves crack and the batter leaks under them.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the batter
For the top
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 375°F (fan 350°F). Pass 2 banana leaves over a gas flame or hot hob for a few seconds until they turn glossy and soft. Line a 23 cm round tin (or 6 small tins) with them, shiny side up, and brush with a little melted butter. Skipping this softening is the common mistake: the leaves split and the batter sticks to the tin.
Step 2: Whisk 7 oz rice flour, 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder, 5 ½ oz sugar and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl.
Step 3: In another bowl, beat 3 eggs until frothy, then whisk in 1 ¾ cups coconut milk and 2 ⅛ oz butter. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and pourable, like a thick pancake batter.
Step 4: Pour into the lined tin and bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, until the top has set and is just turning pale gold.
20 minStep 5: Take it out, lay 2 ⅛ oz kesong puti or mild white cheese and 1 salted duck egg over the top and bake for 8–10 minutes more, until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
10 minStep 6: Switch the oven to grill on high. Spread ⅔ oz butter over the top and sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar. Grill for 2–3 minutes, watching closely, until the top bubbles and browns in patches.
3 minStep 7: Scatter over 1 ⅜ oz freshly grated or desiccated coconut and serve warm, cut into wedges, straight from the banana leaf.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bibingka take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of gluten-free baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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