Baked Nian Gao

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1. 1Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. 2Step 2: Get out decorative aluminum molds or a muffin tin. You can grease them or not; leaving the decorative molds ungreased yields a more distinct pattern.
3. 3Step 3: In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup dark brown sugar and 1 cup canned coconut milk (give the can a good shake before opening and measuring). Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
4. 4Step 4: In a separate bowl, pour in 2 cups glutinous rice flour. Make a well in the center, then add 1 beaten egg.
5. 5Step 5: Slowly whisk in the sugar-coconut milk mixture. Stir to combine and add in ¼ cup neutral oil (like vegetable oil or refined coconut oil).
6. 6Step 6: If you want, you can mix in 1 15-oz. can sweetened red beans.
7. 7Step 7: The consistency should be close to a loose pancake batter and easily pourable—add a splash of water if it seems too thick.
8. 8Step 8: Pour the nian gao batter into your pan of choice.
9. 9Step 9: Bake for about 40 minutes, until a skewer comes out batter-free. It will be sticky—it is sticky cake, after all—but there shouldn’t be any wet batter on it. (It firms up upon standing, so don’t fear a little bit of jiggle.)
10. 10Step 10: Let the cakes cool completely in the molds before removing.
11. 11Step 11: In an airtight container, these keep for up to three days.