Chocolate Mochi - Catherine Zhang (2024)

Soft and chewy chocolate mochi filled with a smooth chocolate ganache, all rolled in cocoa powder, the chocolate lovers' mochi of choice!

What is mochi?

Mochi is a traditional Japanese food made from glutinous rice that has been pounded into a sticky, stretchy paste, and molded into various shapes with sweet or savory fillings.

Similar foods made from glutinous or sticky rice are also found in other cultures, such as tteok in Korea, tangyuan in China, banh tet in Vietnam, and ketan in Indonesia. These foods share a similar texture and are used in both sweet and savory dishes in their respective cultures.

This mochi is a little different from the traditional kind of mochi. Rather than sweetened bean pastes as a filling, this one uses a chocolate ganache filling. You can imagine it as a kind of mochi chocolate truffle!

Ingredients

Mochi

• Glutinous rice flour:Aka sweet rice flour. If you have access to shiratamako where you live I highly recommend using that! It's a Japanese glutinous rice flour made from short-grain rice (mochigome). Otherwise, you can use mochiko or Thai-style glutinous rice flour which can be found in almost all Asian grocery stores.

• Granulated sugar:Aka white sugar, is used to sweeten the mochi dough as well as give it a softer texture.
• Corn starch:Corn starch helps to thicken the mochi dough as well as give it more structure.
• Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder gives the mochi dough chocolate flavor! Feel free to use regular or dutch processed cocoa powder.

• Whole milk:Milk is used to hydrate the dough as well as add extra fat and protein to the dough, this results in a softer mochi with a smoother mouthfeel. If you want to make this dairy-free you can replace this with water.
• Vegetable oil:Kneading vegetable oil into the dough not only makes it softer and chewier it also makes it easier to handle as it'll be less sticky.

Chocolate Ganache

• Semi-sweet chocolate: I like to use semi-sweet chocolate as this prevents the mochi from getting too sweet. If you prefer darker or lighter chocolate feel free to substitute it. I like to use bars of chocolate rather than chocolate chips or melts as they are typically higher in quality.
• Heavy cream: Aka thickened cream. The cream makes up the body of the ganache, giving it that silky smooth consistency.
• Unsalted butter: Butter gives the ganache a richer flavor and texture,while also firming it up.

Assembly

• Cocoa powder: The cocoa powder here is needed to coat the outside of the mochi. Make sure you use a high-quality cocoa powder as it will be the first thing to hit your tastebuds!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does this last?

These will last up to 2 days when stored in the fridge, or a day when stored at room temperature. Mochi is always best the day it's made as it is the softest and chewiest!

How should I store mochi?

Keep the mochi stored in an airtight container in the fridge. As the ganache has cream in it it should be stored in the fridge. If they are left out at room temperature for too long they will go off.

I can't seal the ganache into my mochi

The mochi will have a hard time sealing if you get the ganache on the edges of the dough. The ganache has a lot of fat from the cream and butter and will cause the mochi to lose the tackiness needed to close it up.

Make sure you flatten the mochi dough enough that the chocolate ganache can sit in the center. Then pull the edges over it to enclose it!

Why is my mochi falling apart?

There are a couple of reasons why your mochi is falling apart:

• The mochi wasn't sealed properly
• The ganache inside is too warm
• The mochi has been left at room temperature for too long

How should I serve chocolate mochi?

If you want the mochi to have a fudgier, firmer texture keep them stored in the fridge and eat them chilled. Keep in mind that if you eat them straight from the fridge the mochi will have a chewier texture.

If you want the mochi to have a smooth, soft center eat them at room temperature.

Let's Get Cooking

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.

Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtubeand tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!

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