Klepon Cake Recipe – Klepon is a sweet rice cake treat you’ll want to whip up again and again. Bite into hot, bursting coconut sugar or arenga sugar, surrounded by chewy pandan and soft coconut, in this awesome Indonesian original snack. The standout experience at klepon is the sweet burst of coconut sugar in the middle of the klepon filling.
Klepon is a typical Indonesian sweet food that people usually make from glutinous rice flour with an extraordinary combination of pandan, grated coconut and coconut sugar flavors. It’s a popular street food snack, often found at morning and afternoon markets around Indonesia.
This is for lovers of chewy rice cakes – if you’ve tried Japanese mochi or Korean tteok – you’re going to love making these sweet delights at home!
Making and cooking Klepon cake recipe only takes 20 minutes to make, since we’ll be using glutinous rice flour, rather than cooking and breaking down glutinous rice from scratch.
Ingredients for Coconut and Pandan Rice Cakes
Six ingredients stand between you and creating these delicious sweet morsels. Klepon cake recipe makes some ingredients. Salt and coconut milk may already be in your pantry, but here’s a little more info about what else you need :
Coconut Sugar – This is usually a coconut sugar that comes in a solid shape that can we can chopp, grate, and melt. You can use Gula Jawa (Coconut Sugar) or Arenga Sugar. Or, just swap out for chocolate!
Pandan Flavouring – Some recipes call for fresh pandan extract, but to keep things simple we use the popular pasta pandan flavouring.
Glutinous Rice Flour – This flour has a very different texture to regular flour, and you’ll feel the difference as you make the dough. It’s usually in a clear bag with green writing.
Shredded coconut – If you can shred or grate fresh coconut, this will taste best. If not, use any dried shredded or desiccated coconut and steam it to soften and fluff it up.
How to Make Klepon Cake:
- Steam or thaw shredded coconut to get it soft and fluffy (around 5-10 minutes). Optional: Cover with a towel to keep moist until ready to use.
- In a small saucepan, add the cup of coconut milk, teaspoon of pandan flavouring and pinch of salt. Warm on low heat for a few minutes and remove.
- In a medium bowl, add 1 & ½ cups of glutinous rice flour and warmed pandan coconut milk. Stir with a spoon until combined, then knead until it turns a soft dough. It should be flexible and pliable at this stage.
- Begin to shape klepon balls by taking heaped teaspoon of the dough and rolling it around into a ball (around 3cm / 1 in, in diameter). Work quickly here so the dough doesn’t dry out. Tip : Place the dough in a plastic bag to hold in the moisture.
- Now it’s time to stuff them with the coconut sugar! Take a ball and push an indent into the centre, making a hole. Pop in a piece of chopped coconut sugar and close the dough over the hole.
Make sure it’s sealed by pinching the dough back together, then roll it back into a ball with your sugar. Repeat until all the klepon are ready to cook! - Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Once boiling, place the klepon into the pot. Avoid overcrowding, and do them in batches if necessary. The dough is cooked when they float to the top.
This usually takes around 5-10 minutes, you can cook them a little longer to ensure the gula melaka melts and heats up on the inside. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon once cooked. - Next, grab the bowl of steamed coconut and roll around the klepon to coat them. Use a fork or spoon if you want to avoid the coconut and klepon sticking to your fingers.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Make sure not to burn your mouth on the hot coconut sugar inside!
Cooking Tips:
- If your coconut sugar melts too quickly as you make the klepon, just pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to help hold its shape before you boil.
- If your coconut sugar doesn’t melt, you need to boil the klepon for longer, remembering to give them at least 5-10 minutes.
- Klepon are best eaten on the same day or you can freeze them to eat later.
- Use a fork to coat the klepon in coconut, similar to when making Australian lamingtons.
- The klepon may stick a little to the bottom of the boiling pot. To clean, leave a little hot water in the pot so it stays soft, then you can then easily scrape off anything left with a dish brush.