LEYTE- Desserts Bibingka Recipe

Bibingka is a dessert native to the Philippines, talking to some elder Filipinos that has ties to Leyte Island where coconut production, and rice farming is part of their economic engine, this dessert can be found here on Maui, and where ever Filipino stores are set up. It is a dessert common in the Christmas season where street vendors will be seen selling this sweet soft dessert. Made with rice flour, this home version can be made with modern equipment, where the traditional version takes a lot of time. Traditionally this dessert mixture needs to be cooked in a clay pot, lined with banana leaves, and cooked over hot coals, charring the leaves it adds a unique flavor. But for the home cook, this recipe will work, and if you cannot find banana leaves where you reside, one Filipino woman told me, "Line your cake pan with banana peels to give it the flavor." Hmmm, that's thinking alternatively. 


BIBINGKA For Home


1 cup rice flour
1 tsp. salt
2 - 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. butter
1 1/4 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup fresh whole milk 
1 cup coconut milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup grated cheddar
Ripe Banana Peels to line cake pan


1. Preheat oven 375 deg f
2. Combine rice flour, salt and baking powder, mix it well and set aside
3. Cream butter, then whisk in the sugar well
4. Add the eggs and mix  well
5. Slowly add the rice flour mixture to the creamed butter and egg mixture well
6. Slowly add in the fresh whole milk and coconut milk to the mixture and whisk well
7. Set up banana leaves, or in this case banana peels evenly on the bottom of a stainless steel pie pan or cake pan
8. Pour mixture into pan
9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes keep an eye on it, remove from oven to add the grated cheese on the top.
10. Return to baking for another 15 to 20 minutes
11. Remove from oven, let cool, brush some melted butter on top, and top it with generous amounts of raw sugar, or any other sweet dessert concoction you want.


Slice into portions conducive to eat per person, wrap in plastic and set in a cool area, best eaten the same day.