First dib into Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts (Artisan Books, May 2014) by Jeni Britton Bauer was Salty Bitch, a cocktail.

We finally get around to putting a dessert recipe on your map.

Mochi Cake

A buttery, not-too sweet rice flour cake has delightful chewiness

This is one of our favorite recipes. We originally made it to cut into cubes and through into our bubble-gum-pink Magnolia Mochi Ice Cream (page 45). It has an enjoyably chewy texture when frozen and is soft, buttery, and dense at room temperature.

If you so desire, you can trim off the outer layer to give the cake super-sharp square corners. Aesthetically, that's pretty cool, and you can't do that with other cakes. You can then slice it into crisp-edged squares or rectangles or cubes of whatever size. Saute them in butter until golden and crispy on the outside, and wow! Or brush them with butter and put them on the grill. Serve these with tea-infused or flower-scented ice-cream and with exotic fruits. like fresh rambutants on the half-shell.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

2 cups sweet rice flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups evaporated milk
1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

2. Sift together the rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon into a large bowl.

3. Add the evaporated milk, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, and butter in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Create a small well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the liquid ingredients, and stir until fully combined.

4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 35 minutes.

5. Rotate the cake pan and bake for about 35 minutes longer, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely. 

In case you missed it, read Jeni's 10 Do's and Don'ts of Columbus (Ohio), her hometown.

(* Credit: “Excerpted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photographs by Kelsey McClellan.")