Last Updated on February 7, 2025 by Chef Mireille
Baked Nian Gao is an easy gluten free Chinese Sticky Rice Cake that is usually made to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This easy Baked Nian Gao recipe is not overly sweet and makes the perfect end to any Asian meal even if it not the Lunar Festival season.
When enjoyed warm straight out of the oven, this Chinese New Year Cake will have a super gooey texture and as it chills it will have a chewy sticky mochi-like consistency, representing family cohesiveness.
Nian Gao is one of the most traditional recipes to make during the Lunar Festival, often referred to as Chinese New Year. Don’t forget to check all of my other Chinese New Year Recipes from across the Asian diaspora you can make for your Lunar New Year Celebration.
Almost every country in the world has a Chinese population and the Chinese New Year celebration is the most celebrated holiday that is always acknowledged no matter what country they may be residing in for countless generations. The Lunar Festival is celebrated throughout Asia and Southeast Asia in addition to countries around the world with large Chinese descended populations like Trinidad, Jamaica and New York City.
Chinese culture is very symbolic. The foods that are cooked for the holiday represent things like good luck, good fortune, wealth, longevity, prosperity, and family unity.
This gluten free cake is one of the most important cakes to eat for Chinese New Year. Made with sticky rice flour, the sticky texture of the resulting cake symbolizes family cohesiveness. Nian Gao, the Chinese name for it means increasing prosperity every year.
History Time
So why is the Lunar Festival Celebrated?
Legend says that thousands of years ago a monster named Nian (year) would attack villages at the beginning of every new year. This monster is afraid of loud noises, bright lights and the color red.
It is believed you have bad luck in your birth year because you are offending Tai Sui, the God of Age. So how do you ward off this bad luck?
Wear red and eat good luck foods to ward off the evil Nian monster. What foods bring good luck?
Good Luck Foods for Chinese New Year
- Noodles like this Hong Kong Noodle Soup for longevity and happiness
- Nian Gao – Sticky Rice Cake for family cohesiveness
- Fish or Shrimp like this Laksa Recipe for prosperity
- Dumplings or Spring Rolls for wealth
- Tang Yuan (sweet rice balls) for family togetherness
- Citrus Fruits for fullness and wealth
There are many Happy Chinese New Year greetings you can use. Here are a few:
- nián nián gāo shēng – May you rise higher year after year,
- gōng hè xīn xǐ – Good Luck in the year ahead.
- wǔ fú lín mén – May the five blessings (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and a natural death) come to you
- jí xīng gāo zhào – May good fortune fall upon you
- xīn xiǎng shì chéng – May all your wishes come true
FREE CHINESE NEW YEAR DOWNLOAD HERE: Infographic to teach your kids more information about the Lunar New Year.
Traditional Nian Gao Recipe
My recipe here has a vew slight variations from the traditional Chinese New Year Cake. However, this baked version is becoming more popular due to its ease of execution.
Traditionally, it is steamed and usually made with dark brown sugar. Just like any country of the world, there will be variations in the traditions. Chinese people come with much variety, depending on the region of China their family is from. In some nian gao recipes, nuts, dates, taro or red beans in the form of sweet red bean paste is added to the batter.
In some Chinese families who make the steamed version, after steaming the cake is sliced, dipped in egg and then pan fried. Because of the slightly crusty top in this baked version, it makes pan frying unnecessary.
As with all Chinese desserts, these are just barely sweet. Due to the gelatinous nature of sticky rice flour, it’s difficult to cut, but that’s the whole point – so that you can maintain close familial relations that are unbreakable. Even if you are not Chinese, baking and eating this for all it symbolizes is a great way to celebrate both familial and global unity.
Nian Gao – Chinese Sticky Rice Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups lowfat milk
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup chopped nuts almonds and/or walnuts
- 1 lb. glutinous rice flour
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds white and/or black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray a 13x9x2″ rectangular pan with cooking spray or brush with a little bit of oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut milk, milk, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, oil and almond essence. Mix well.ll to combine.
- Add the nuts and stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk, aerate the flour to remove lumps if you did not sift the flour.
- Slowly add the flour to the wet ingredients, a little at a time, until thoroughly combined.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds or more chopped nuts on top.
- Bake for 60-75 minutes, until the edges become golden brown.
- When you remove from the oven the middle will appear a little wobbly if you touch it. Let it rest for 15 minutes and it will set.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Complete the menu with some other Chinese New Year Recipes!
Chinese New Year Recipes
- Orange Chicken
- Chicken & Mushrooms in Black Bean Sauce
- Hong Kong Noodle Soup
- Nian Gao – Coconut Sticky Rice Cake
- Scallion Pancakes
- Hetaosu – Walnut Cookies
- Puteri Ayu – Steamed Pandan Cakes
- Kuih Dadar – Coconut Stuffed Pandan Crepes
- Chicken Curry Puffs
Don’t forget to visit the RECIPE INDEX with over 1000 recipes from around the world including lots of Vegetarian Recipes and Gluten Free Recipes!
I always love to read the intro paragraph in your post. Good to know about the chinese culture. This cake sounds very interesting and i bookmarked it .. gonna try it soon.
This sticky rice cake looks absolutely stunning, you are pulling me to give a try soon..
Let there be a shower of blessings on you, dear. 🙂
This cake looks and sounds interesting because of the sticky rice flour.
Need some blessings as well :-). Bookmarking the cake 🙂
Great. Let me know how you like it when you try it.
What a lovely cake and it is always interesting to learn the story behind the cake as well. All of us need blessings throughout the year, will try this cake some time.
interesting chinese culture..love the cake’s flavors..
I am also doing Chinese New Year recipe for the same theme, but a different recipe. Love your recipe. So flavorful!
Festival or not we need the Divine blessings all the time!! The cake sounds so festive and rich!!
Must try these delicious rice cake.
Good read of the chinese traditions… This rice cake recipe is new to me…
Very interesting to read about the chinese new year and the dish looks very new too..I had tough time trying to think of festivals, must say it was quite challenging for me..you have come up with very good ones..
Since so many cultures celebrate their festivals here in NY, we are exposed to so many.