Baked Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake Recipe (Lian Gao)

Growing up, I always looked forward to having sweet rice cake or lian gao/nian gao for Chinese New Year!  I loved all chewy glutinous Asian desserts such as mochi, tong yuen and tapioca, and sweet rice cake was no exception!  Typically we would buy pre-made rice cake at the store and pan fry it after dipping it in egg.  My grandma knew how to make the steamed version from scratch, and I always loved it when she made it for us!  After Ryan and I got married, Ryan’s mom and sister introduced us to a delicious BAKED rice cake recipe that is extremely simple to make!  I was so excited to try out this recipe and make it on my own!  Whenever I have a craving for a delicious and chewy dessert, I can whip some up in no time as this recipe is so easy!  This sweet rice cake is a popular dessert to bring for potlucks and events, and it’s so special being able to make this traditional dessert for Chinese New Year (or any time of the year like I do)!

The recipe calls for only six ingredients: glutinous rice flour, baking powder, milk or coconut milk (I like using a can of coconut milk and topping it up with 3% milk), eggs, vegetable oil, and sugar!  Pictured below is the glutinous rice flour that I like to buy from my local Asian grocery store (T&T and even Superstore).  Coconut milk gives the rice cake a delicious and rich coconut flavour!

Baked Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake Recipe (Lian Gao)

You simply put all the ingredients in a bowl…

Baked Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake Recipe (Lian Gao)

And mix them all together!  The girls love helping me mix when we bake together!

Baked Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake Recipe (Lian Gao)

Pour the batter into a greased pan.  Then you bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes!

Baked Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake Recipe (Lian Gao)

And voila, your baked rice cake is finished!  So incredibly easy, right?

Baked Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake Recipe (Lian Gao)

The outside crust is crispy while the inside is chewy!  It is such a delicious and simple dessert!

Baked Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake Recipe (Lian Gao)

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RECIPE:

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag glutinous rice flour (400 g)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 2 1/2 cups milk or coconut milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar


  1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9″ or 9″ x 13″ cake pan.
  2. Mix all the ingredients until batter is smooth.
  3. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
  4. Serve warm or cold.

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Have fun making your own baked rice cakes, and have a wonderful Chinese New Year, everyone!  Our pups can’t wait to dig in!  If you would like to crochet your own dogs, check out the step-by-step blog post HERE and the free pattern HERE!

Baked Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake Recipe (Lian Gao)

Enjoy this scrumptious treat and let me know if you’ll be giving this recipe a try!

Baked Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake Recipe (Lian Gao)