Espasol Recipe

Espasol is a sweet rice cake with a chewy texture and subtle coconut flavor. These cylindrical or rectangular rice cakes are cooked in a pan and rolled in powder for a satisfyingly delicious treat. The best part? Making this treat at home is incredibly simple, requiring just a few ingredients!

Jump to:

• What is Espasol?
• Ingredients you'll need
• Notes and substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Recipe FAQs
• Try other Filipino rice cakes (kakanin)
• Other dessert recipes you may like
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

What is Espasol?

Espasol is a sweet rice cake with a chewy, slightly gritty texture and subtle coconut flavor. It is made with glutinous rice flour and coconut milk, combined to form a dough, then shaped into rectangular or cylindrical rice cakes and rolled in toasted rice flour.

In the Philippines, it is a popular snack or dessert, enjoyed for its unique texture and coconut undertones.

Ingredients you'll need

Notes and substitutions

• Glutinous Rice Flour: Also known as sweet rice flour or Mochiko, this type of flour is gluten-free and not sweet. It becomes sticky and chewy when cooked, unlike regular rice flour.
• Coconut Milk: I used canned coconut milk, though fresh is always best. You can also use coconut cream for more of that coconut taste, but it makes the dough oily due to its higher coconut content.
• Optional Ingredients: You can elevate the flavors and textures by adding optional ingredients like macapuno (sweetened young coconut), buko (young coconut), or pinipig (pounded young rice).

How to make this recipe

Step 2 (Toast the Glutinous Rice Flour)

Step 3 (Prepare the Parchment Paper)

Step 4 (Combine the Ingredients)

Add the coconut mixture to the pan with the rest of the flour. Turn the heat to medium and gently combine them, creating a smooth mixture.

Step 5 (Mix until Thick)

Step 6 (Transfer and Spread the Mixture)

Transfer the mixture to your parchment paper and immediately spread it out while it's warm and manageable. Use the spatula to spread it out evenly to create a thickness of about ½ inch, or adjust to your preference.

Step 7 (Coat the Espasol)

Generously dust the top with toasted flour and cut it into pieces using a knife or a dough scraper. Roll each piece in more toasted flour to provide an extra layer of coating and shake off excess.

Serve and enjoy your Espasol! Many people prefer it while it's still warm for that sticky and chewy texture. It's also delicious after it has slightly firmed up, providing a somewhat different, chewier experience.

Recipe FAQs

Try other Filipino rice cakes (kakanin)

• Bibingka: A soft and fluffy rice cake traditionally cooked in banana leaves, topped with slices of salted egg and cheese.
• Kutsinta: A sticky, chewy rice cake with a jelly-like texture, usually brownish in color and topped with grated mature coconut.
• Sapin-Sapin: A glutinous rice cake dessert with colorful layers, typically purple (with ube flavor), yellor or orange (with langka flavor), and white (with coconut milk or cream). It is often topped with caramelized coconut curds or toasted coconut.
• Puto: Steamed muffins made with rice flour, often topped with cheese or salted egg (itlog na maalat).
• Biko: A sweet rice cake made with glutinous rice, coconut milk, and brown sugar, typically topped with caramelized coconut curds.
• Palitaw: Boiled sweet rice cakes coated with grated coconut, topped with sugar and sesame seeds or crushed peanuts.
• Ube Kalamay: A sticky and sweet purple yam rice cake made with glutinous rice, coconut milk, and ube or Ube Halaya.
• Espasol: A cylindrical or rectangular rice cake made with toasted sticky rice flour and coconut milk, then rolled in more toasted rice flour for a powdery finish.
• Suman: Glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and sugar, wrapped in banana or palm leaves, and steamed until soft and chewy.

Other dessert recipes you may like

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