Chinese New Year Cake (Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe) - Kirbie's Cravings (2024)

January 29, 2014

by Kirbie

Jump to Recipe

One of the traditional dishes eaten during Chinese New Year is a New Year Cake. It’s a very simple steamed cake, made with glutinous rice flour for a mochi-like chewy texture and sweetened with brown sugar.

Chinese New Year Cake (Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe) - Kirbie's Cravings (1)
The Lunar New Year is this Friday, January 31, 2014.

One of the traditional dishes eaten during the New Year for Chinese people is a New Year Cake.

It’s a very simple steamed cake, made with glutinous rice flour for a mochi-like chewy texture and sweetened with brown sugar.
Chinese New Year Cake (Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe) - Kirbie's Cravings (2)
The name literally translates as “year cake.” It is supposed to be good luck to eat it because the cake name is a hom*onym for “higher year.” Thus, the belief is if you consume the cake, you will have a successful upcoming year. I always eat it simply because I love it, especially with its chewy texture.
Chinese New Year Cake (Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe) - Kirbie's Cravings (3)
The cake is readily available in Chinese markets around this time of year, but you can also easily make it at home. After the cake is finished steaming, it’s soft and chewy. Once it cools and is stored, it will become hard and dense. As a result, it is usually sliced and served either pan fried or dipped in egg batter and deep fried. Both methods heat the cake and restore it to its originally sticky and chewy form.

There’s many variations and flavors, but the most basic one which I grew up with is only three ingredients: glutinous rice flour, water, and brown sugar. You can make these ahead of time, store them in the fridge, gift them to friends.
Chinese New Year Cake (Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe) - Kirbie's Cravings (4)

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Chinese New Year Cake (Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe) - Kirbie's Cravings (5)

Chinese New Year Cake

Servings: 1 cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Chinese

One of the traditional dishes eaten during the New Year for Chinese people is a New Year Cake. It's a very simple steamed cake, made with glutinous rice flour for a mochi-like chewy texture and sweetened with brown sugar.

5 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

  • 400 g glutinous rice flour
  • 300 g dark brown sugar
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

  • Grease the sides and bottom and line the bottom of an 7 inch round cake pan with parchment paper.

  • Bring water to a boil and stir in sugar until it is completely dissolved. Remove from stove and let syrup cool completely. Then, slowly add in rice flour, whisking it into the syrup. Whisk until batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Pour in batter.

  • Steam about 1 hour or until sides begin to pull away from cake and cake is solid and no longer a liquid batter. The cake will still be very soft. This is normal. You can eat as is, though it is more difficult to cut. To make it hard like the kind sold at the store, put cake into fridge. The cake will start to solidify after 1 day but may take several days to fully turn hard. To reheat, slice into 1/2 inch thick squares and pan fry with some oil until the cake is soft and chewy again and no longer hard. Another popular way to reheat is to coat the squares in egg and flour and deep fry.

Notes

  • You can also use light brown sugar though the color of your cake will be lighter.
  • I can never resist eating some right after it is steamed. I then place the rest in the fridge as it will be easier to cut into squares.
  • Store any uneaten cake in the fridge.

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Posted in: Asian dishes, Gluten Free, Recipes

26 Comments // Leave a Comment »

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26 comments on “Chinese New Year Cake”

  1. Elaine February 6, 2022 @ 5:01 pm Reply

    Can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
    If I’m using a 9” round cake pan, how much would you recommend I increase the ingredients by? Thank you!

    • Kirbie's Cravings Team February 8, 2022 @ 3:43 pm Reply

      Sorry, but we’ve only tested it in a 7-inch pan and not sure how the recipe will need to be adjusted for a bigger one.

  2. Chris January 28, 2022 @ 3:18 pm Reply

    Wow! This was so easy to make! Never again am I buying this from the store. I’m all set for Chinese New Year. Go Tigers!

    • Kirbie's Cravings Team January 28, 2022 @ 3:38 pm Reply

      We’re glad it worked for you!

  3. Dan January 24, 2022 @ 11:30 pm Reply

    Just made this tonight and it was so easy. Thanks! I will be making more for friends and family this weekend

  4. Ruby January 22, 2022 @ 1:18 am Reply

    This is my go-to recipe every year. So easy compared to some of the other recipes out there. Thank you!

    • Kirbie's Cravings Team January 24, 2022 @ 9:42 am Reply

      We’re so glad you love the recipe!

  5. Joanne August 26, 2021 @ 9:07 pm Reply

    Can i bake instead of steam method ?

    • Kirbie's Cravings Team September 24, 2021 @ 8:43 pm Reply

      Sorry, but we haven’t tested the recipe in the oven.

  6. Kohn May 20, 2021 @ 9:16 pm Reply

    I tried this recipe and it is amazing but I was wondering if the recipe is keto friendly.

    • Kirbie's Cravings Team September 13, 2021 @ 7:18 am Reply

      This recipe is not keto-friendly. Our keto recipes are always labeled keto so it is clear. Hope that helps!

  7. Kirsty Tran February 7, 2021 @ 12:36 pm Reply

    Can I use brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar?

    • Kirbie February 11, 2021 @ 11:09 pm Reply

      yes!

  8. Kut February 1, 2020 @ 1:51 am Reply

    To pan fry in egg and flour, how much flour to one egg.

    • Kirbie February 3, 2020 @ 12:34 pm Reply

      You only need a thin coating of egg and flour. 1 whisked egg should be enough. How much flour depends on how many slices you are cooking. You coat each slice in egg just enough so that the flour will stick on. Then you coat in flour. Just a thin layer, shaking off any excess flour. This will create a crispy coating around the new year cake when fried

  9. Diane February 19, 2015 @ 11:13 am Reply

    Can rice flour be used or only glutinous?

    • Kirbie February 19, 2015 @ 11:37 am Reply

      no, it has to be glutinous

  10. Karen February 18, 2015 @ 10:29 am Reply

    Hi! Im attempting to make this for the first time, but I have no idea how to steam in a pan like this! What is an easy way to do this, for those of us who have no knowledge of steaming foods!

    • Kirbie February 18, 2015 @ 10:47 am Reply

      are you using a steamer, or what are you using for steaming? You can use almost any round cake pan for this. And you can line it with parchment paper to make it easier. I put mine in a steamer. if you’re not using a traditional steamer, you want to put water at the bottom of your pot, then have something sitting above it which you can place your cake pan on, so that the steam from the water will rise and cook the cake without the cake floating in the water.

  11. Angel January 29, 2014 @ 7:31 pm Reply

    I already have the steamed nian gao, but I was wondering whether I’d somehow be able to bake it instead of frying. I’ve been raised with the panfried method, but I’ve been attempting to ‘healthify’ New Year treats. 🙂

    • Kirbie January 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am Reply

      If you want to do really healthy, I sometimes slice it, put it on parchment paper and microwave it. It won’t stick to the parchment paper and it becomes nice and chewy again in the microwave. =) Baking should work too but will take longer

  12. Christine January 29, 2014 @ 6:14 pm Reply

    Woo! I was just looking for this recipe to make on Friday. Have you ever made it with red bean? I’m wondering how to adjust the wet/dry ingredient ratio to allow for the increased liquid… Thanks, and happy new year!

    • Kirbie January 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am Reply

      Unfortunately, I have not tried the red bean. It seems like a little too much work for me and I’d just go and buy it. haha. good luck!

  13. Faye January 29, 2014 @ 9:43 am Reply

    I didn’t know these were so easy to make. I always buy mine from 99 ranch. Do you coat it with flour before you pan fry? Mine always gets sooo sticky when I pan fry so I’m wondering if flour will do the trick.

    • Kirbie January 29, 2014 @ 10:30 am Reply

      No, I usually just use some oil. You can also try just pan frying with egg though.

Chinese New Year Cake (Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe) - Kirbie's Cravings (2024)

FAQs

What is Chinese New Year cake made of? ›

It's a riff on a traditional Chinese New Year Cake— in Cantonese 'Nin Go' (which translates to 'year cake')— which is cake made of glutinous rice flour that's traditionally steamed and then often times sliced and then pan fried for a crispy golden crust.

What is the lucky cake for Chinese New Year? ›

New Year Sweet Rice Cake (红糖年糕), or nian gao, is a welcome sight during Chinese New Year and a must-have dish. Nian gao 年糕(高) symbolizes progress, advancement, and growth. Nian Gao is also a popular gift to give when visiting family and friends during the holiday.

What kind of cake do you eat for New Years? ›

Try a classic chocolate Bundt cake with a decadent ganache glaze or the mini versions with different flavor frostings. Of course, if you really want to make the night feel fancy, you can always serve up a black and white tuxedo or a pretty-in-pink cake made with rosé wine.

What is the flower cake for Chinese New Year? ›

Making flower cake, or huagao, is a New Year tradition in the western region of Shandong province. Mainly using flour, red dates, some simple molds and vegetable juice to color the dough, local artisans are able to create a variety of vivid images.

Why do Chinese people eat new year cake? ›

Nian gao, or 'year cake', is a sticky rice cake which represents prosperity; the words 'nian gao' sounds like 'getting higher year on year', and this symbolises raising oneself taller in each coming year.

What is the tradition of Chinese cake? ›

Ever since the Chinese have followed the custom of sending dowry cakes, sometimes also called marry girl cakes, to friends, relatives, and guests. This gesture is meant to confirm that the marriage will be taking place. Over the years, the tradition has evolved.

What is the lucky drink for Chinese New Year? ›

Festive Chinese New Year Drinks
  • Different Tea And Coffees. Different kinds of coffees and tea variants are common but the tea usage mostly remains on top. ...
  • Rice Wine. ...
  • Plum Blossom Wine. ...
  • Orange co*cktails. ...
  • Herbal Tea. ...
  • Fruits co*cktails. ...
  • Bubble Tea. ...
  • Red Date Tea.
Feb 15, 2024

What are 4 Chinese desserts? ›

Chinese desserts
  • Banana roll.
  • Black sesame roll.
  • Black sesame soup.
  • Bingfen.
  • Bubble tea.

What is the lucky dessert for New Year? ›

Ring-Shaped Desserts

Donuts, cakes, cupcakes, you name it: all are lucky on New Year's Day. Circular foods represent "coming full circle."

What is a traditional Chinese wedding cake made of? ›

Yellow is considered an imperial color in Chinese symbolism and represents power and prosperity. The yellow twill cakes are traditionally made with mung bean paste and, in some cases, salted egg yolks. Lastly, white twill wedding cakes are made with lotus seed paste and represent fertility.

What is Chinese rice cake made of? ›

This rice cake is a sweet dessert made with glutinous rice flour (also called sweet rice flour) and red bean paste. The recipe was given to me by my Chinese sister-in-law. It has a firm custard-like texture, which is different for many Western palates and is a favorite of my family.

What is Chinese New Year candy made of? ›

Other must-haves in a traditional LNY box include the “eight sweets,” which are actually candied fruits and vegetables – lotus roots, coconut strips, carrots, lotus seeds, coconut wedges, winter melons, kumquats and water chestnuts. It's all about pronunciation, not taste.

What is nian gao made of? ›

In the Southern region of Fujian, nian gao, natural amber, is mainly used for the New Year ritual and gifts. It is made of glutinous rice and taro, which are then usually sliced and cooked before eating. It can also be wrapped in egg or cornstarch (corn flour) or sweet potato to fry.

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