Bibingka is a type of rice cake native to the Philippines. This is traditionally made from galapong (milled glutinous rice), coconut milk, margarine, and sugar. During dawn masses on Christmas season, side street vendors are a common sight preparing and selling this delicious rice cake along with “puto bumbong”.
The traditional way of cooking Bibingka is unique and quite time consuming. The mixture is poured on a clay pot lined with pre-cut banana leaf. A special clay oven known as “Bibingka oven” is needed to bake this rice cake. The clay pot is placed between the layers of the Bibingka oven and lit charcoals (locally known as “uling”) are placed below and above the clay pot to evenly cook the mixture.
The recipe that we have here is an alternative to the traditional. Since most of us do not have clay pots around and it is impossible to find Bibingka ovens in you local Home Depot, we’ll be using ordinary cake pans and our kitchen oven instead. As for the galapong, I’ll try to feature another recipe variation in the future using that. For now, we’ll settle for an alternative ingredient that needs no preparation at all – rice flour.
We will need ordinary rice flour for this recipe, not the glutinous one. This should be available in any Asian or Pinoy store in your area. If in case you are having a hard time distinguishing between the two (since most of the labels are written in Chinese), always remember that the package with the red print is the ordinary rice flour while glutinous rice flour is printed green.
By the way, I like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, our loyal readers, who gave time to send feedback and comments.
Bibingka Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup fresh milk
- 1 piece salted duck egg sliced
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- 3 pieces raw eggs
- Pre-cut banana leaf
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine rice flour, baking powder, and salt then mix well. Set aside.
- Cream butter then gradually put-in sugar while whisking.
- Add the eggs then whisk until every ingredient is well incorporated.
- Gradually add the rice flour, salt, and baking powder mixture then continue mixing.
- Pour-in coconut milk and fresh milk then whisk some more for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Arrange the pre-cut banana leaf on a cake pan or baking pan.
- Pour the mixture on the pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven then top with sliced salted egg and grated cheese (do not turn the oven off).
- Put back in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the color of the top turn medium brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Brush with butter and sprinkle some sugar on top. You can also top this with grated coconut.
- Serve. Share and enjoy!
Nutrition
Watch the Video on How to Make Bibingka
plouis says
Is there a special type of oven for baking bibingka or we can use the conventional kitchen ovens? I saw bibingka outlets use a certain 3-layer oven.
bryan says
do you have recipe for the Cebu (Visayan) kind of Bibingka??? They use rice flour ..not malagkit rice flour!
tnx in advance
Vanjo Merano says
Bryan, I can certainly whip one up for you soon. Let me see what I can do about it; I might need some time in my test kitchen to produce a good version, but I will assure you that will be worth the wait.
natzsm says
Have you tried using the glutinous rice flour with this recipe so as to be closer to the original and more traditional bibinka?
Vanjo Merano says
Natz, I have another recipe for bibingka using glutinous rice flour. There are a few differences in terms of amount of ingredients and timing. I will post the recipe soon.
Emelda de Leon says
All your recipes are really good. I tried some. I want to try your COL SLAW RECIPE but i want to ask you if i can cut the cabbage in advance but i’m afraid it will become black. Can u give me some advice how it will retain the freshness . Thanks and more power to you.
Jo Berueda says
Thank you very much for your recipe!
More power to you!
Alma says
Can the coconut milk be of a canned variety? Thanks!
Vanjo Merano says
You can use canned coconut milk.
Charisma Piñera says
Thanks for your recipe. I tried it and so yummy! I used paper cups instead of banana leaf and 2 eggs instead of 3 but it still good.
Vanjo Merano says
You are welcome, Charisma.
Joanna Alvarado says
Love all your recipes esp. the desserts. I’m starting a small cake business and I’m looking for Ube Macapuno Cake recipe…. please share if you have it :)……was never a bibingka fun because of the texture but this bibingka recipe is delicious!!!!
trish says
Thanks sa mga recipe ! Although I was born and raised here in the US, I did spend 5 years when iI was around 5 and was taught the language by a tutor that my dad had hired specifically for me to learn. My father himself was a well-known executive chef at the Hilton Hotel in Palm Springs California during his times. I learned my talent of cooking by observation and have been requested numerously to cater to both Filipino parties and American ones as I do have excellent cooking skills..not really bragging hehe! A lot of people are surprised when they find out that I can fluently speak the language and can cook most Filipino foods better than full-blooded Filipinos that were raised in PI. My mother is of Irish-French decent so I most commonly mistaken for either being Hispanic or Native American (Indian) but I am light-skinned. But anyway, before I end up telling a short novel, I just wanted to let you know that I am truly excited to have found your website as I have been searching for some time now for an online site that had LOTS of down to earth Filipino recipes. Other websites that I have came across showed mostly only traditional ,basic recipes and not like your website that has a lot to look over! Im excited to browse thru some more and then get started in the kitchen 🙂 Thank you so much!
Vanjo Merano says
Jan, you can get packaged rice flour in grocery stores.
Janette says
I tried this recipe today and I was so happy with the result. It tastes so good! Thanks for this recipe!!!
Clark Pelaez says
Hi!
Thank you for having this website. Indeed it is very informative. As a matter of fact I am using your site as one of my referrals.
Although after going thru your article of the Bibingka and doing a research on bread and cakes, it would be proper to call the bibingka a rice bread rather than rice cake. The reason is that a cake is normaly turned upside down and bread is not. As in the case of the Bibingka.
None the less, keep up the good work.
Very truly yours,
Clark
Regineck says
Hello po kuya! How ’bout merengue? wla po kc sa list nyo eh.
arlena says
Good day Kuya! It was really nice watching your show.I’ve tried it and it was really looks closest thing to our street bibingka we had in the philippines. At least dito sa jeddah saudi kapag pasko at new year na di kami makauwi ng pinas,we still can eat puto bungbong and bibingka, then hot tea parang nasa pinas na rin kami habang ka webcam aming pamilya.THANK YOU AND MORE POWER!!!
sharmaine says
could someone tell me where bibingka originated?specifically in what province?
tnx!
Juv says
Easy to follow and taste better than aling melly’s Filipino bakery in Canada. Thanks very much, how about sapin sapin recipe?
Gener says
Hello as of this writing I just put the grated cheese and salted eggs. Ang napansin ko lang natuyo yung dahon ng saging. I must suggest to brush it with canola oil or butter para hindi matuyo yung dahon.
Can’t wait for the result though … I tweaked/adjuct it a little bit.
Thank you so much for this easy to follow instructional video recipes.
God bless you and your family.
cora browning says
Thank you for all the lovely recepies that you have been sharing now i can make them without ringing my mum in the US for recepies i cannot remember…
Please keep on sharing your yummy recepies..
God bless and thank you again.
boy sato says
sir i would like to know the alternative of banana leaves? its so hard to find here.
phen says
can i used glutinous rice flour as a substitute for the rice flour? i
i really like all ur recipe….Godbless