The most popular ingredient in desserts right now is corn. At least, that’s what my Instagram algorithm will have me believe. I’m absolutely invested in this trend because corn is one of my favorite summer vegetables. I love seeing it used creatively in recipes like these corn ice cream sandwiches (from Constellation Inspiration) and browned butter corn madeleines (from Easy Gay Oven).
When I first saw Sonia Wong’s sweet corn mochi recipe a few years ago, I was immediately drawn to the combination of corn and butter mochi. Sonia’s recipe inspired me to develop a savory corn mochi with cheese and scallions, which is a big hit with my family and friends.
This year, I wanted to try my hand at a sweet version that incorporated summer fruits. I tested many iterations of this recipe, first as a mochi cake and then shifting over to the muffin form. I also tried a variety of fruits, including apricots, figs and plums. In the end, the corn mochi muffin base with red plum combination was my favorite. The colors were striking, and I enjoyed the taste and textures of the chewy mochi together with the fragrant jammy plums in the center. I also like it when desserts have a surprise of savory flavor, so I added fresh thyme to the muffin and topping. Consider this my first foray into developing corn dessert recipes. It sure won’t be my last.
COOKING NOTES FOR CORN MOCHI MUFFINS
USING MOCHIKO (SWEET RICE FLOUR)
To give these mochi muffins its chewy texture, you’ll need mochiko, a stone-ground rice flour made from sweet rice. I typically use Koda Farms mochiko (see photo above), though Bob’s Red Mill’s sweet rice flour can also work. Some of you may wonder if Thai-style glutinous rice flour (the green bag) can be used instead. Yes, you probably can but it won’t be a simple one-for-one substitution. As I explained in my rice flour guide, mochiko and Thai rice flours undergo different manufacturing processes, yielding flours with very different textures. You’ll probably need more Thai glutinous rice flour to get the batter to be thick enough for these muffins.
USING RED PLUMS
The plums I used are called elephant heart plums. They’re more round at the stem end and taper to a point at the bottom. When you slice them in half, the fruit looks heart-shaped, and the flesh is a strikingly bright ruby hue. Besides their gorgeous color, elephant heart plums have a rich flavor, reminiscent of fruit punch, that holds up nicely against the corn mochi base.
I generally find elephant heart plums at the farmer’s market. If you can’t find this specific variety, feel free to use any other plums, pluots, apricots, or figs (more on this below). When selecting plums, I tend to go for ones that are firm and small–about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches wide and 2 inches long. They’re the perfect size for fitting into the wells of a muffin pan. If you can only find larger plums, simply cut them into smaller pieces.
When using plums for this recipe, make sure to peel the skin off before baking with them. This is important because the skins are tart, and I think that tartness tastes weird against the corn mochi base. I don’t normally peel the skin off plums when I bake with them, but I think it’s a necessary step here.
FIG ALTERNATIVE
I tried a version of the corn mochi muffins with black mission figs that worked quite well. Slice the figs in half along the equator. The half containing the stem will be more pyramid shaped and the other half will be bowl-like. The baking process is the same as the plum version.
BAKING WITH VERY RIPE FRUITS
If you’re using fruits that are very ripe and soft, the muffins will get messy as they bake because of the juices that ooze out of the fruits. The muffins still taste great but cleaning the pan is more of a hassle. If your pan looks like mine in the photo above, I recommend that you clean it while it’s still warm. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes and transfer them to a cooling rack. Then, immediately soak the pan in soapy water.
USING A DARKER PAN
I tested this recipe with a dark-colored nonstick muffin pan (like you see above) and a silver aluminum one. I preferred the darker pan because it absorbs heat faster, giving the muffins browner and crisper edges. If you only have light-colored muffin tins, no worries. Just bake the muffins a few more minutes to get the desired golden-brown color.
Corn Mochi Muffins with Plums
Ingredients
- cooking spray or butter for greasing muffin pan
Plum Topping
- 5 red plums, preferably small and firm ones
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lightly chopped fresh thyme
Corn Mochi Muffin
- 1 cup (160g) mochiko or sweet rice flour, measured with the dip-and-sweep method (see note 1)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/3 cups (185g) corn kernels, (see note 2)
- 1/3 cup (75mL) full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (35g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon lightly chopped thyme
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin pan
Instructions
Preheat Oven & Prepare Muffin Pan
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Grease 9 wells of a muffin pan with cooking spray or butter.
Prepare Plums
- Use a paring knife to peel the skins off the plums. With the stem side of the plum facing down, slice off the flesh of the plums, right along the left and right sides of the pit. Check the size of the plum pieces by hovering them over a well of the muffin pan. You want the pieces to be slightly smaller than the bottom of each well. If they are much bigger, slice the pieces in half. Keep slicing the plums until you get 9 pieces that are roughly the same size. Set the pieces of plums aside. Snack on any remaining fruit while you finish the mochi muffins.
Make Batter
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mochiko, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the corn kernels and coconut milk into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, egg, and melted butter to the bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the flours to the wet ingredients at once. Whisk the wet and dry ingredients together until you get a smooth batter. Add 1 teaspoon of thyme and whisk until incorporated.
- Scoop the batter the greased wells of the muffin tin, aiming for each well to be about 2/3 full. There should be enough batter for 9 muffins.
Finish Topping & Bake
- Carefully place a piece of plum into the center of each batter-filled well.
- Heat the butter and sugar for the topping inside a saucepan. Once the butter has melted, whisk the butter and sugar together. Continue heating the mixture until it is bubbling and frothy. Turn off the heat and mix in the remaining teaspoon of thyme.
- Immediately spoon this sugary thyme mixture over all of the plums. Some sugar will stick to the bottom of the saucepan. Make sure that off and spoon over the plums and batter.
- Bake the corn mochi muffins for 32 to 34 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process. The muffins are ready when the edges are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven. Run a small spatula or butter knife along the edge of each muffin to loosen them from the pan. The juices that bubble from the plums can cause the muffins to stick to the pan.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before eating.
- You can store the mochi muffins in an airtight container overnight. If you are not planning to eat them the next day, refrigerate them (for up to 3 days). Reheat the muffins from the fridge at 350ºF (175ºC) for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Mochiko: I typically use Koda Farms mochiko; Bob’s Red Mill sweet rice flour works as well.
- Corn: You’ll need corn kernels from about 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 ears of corn. I like using sweet yellow corn because the batter contrasts nicely against the red plums.
- Fig Version: Feel free to substitute the plums with 5 large figs. Slice them along the equator so that you get one half that is more pyramid shaped and the other half more bowl-like. The rest of the cooking process is the same.
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