Biko Cupcakes with Mango Sorbet - Gluten-Free Filipino Dessert

Biko is a new dessert to me, and unless you are Filipino, it's probably new to you as well.  Biko is a coconut sticky rice cake.  When I say rice cake, please, please don't picture those flavorless Styrofoam-like "desserts" enjoyed by dieters all over America. Biko cupcakes are like eating a bowl of brown sugar-topped coconut-flavored oatmeal in cupcake form. Enjoy them warm out of the oven for breakfast or top them with mango sorbet and latik (read my post about latik if that word means nothing to you) as a sweet end to a home-cooked meal. 

Coconut Sticky Rice with Almonds and Raisins

Coconut sticky rice made with coconut milk and brown sugar is the oatmeal of Asia - simple, satisfying and sweet.  Coconut sticky rice is not, however, what I planned to make.

You know those people who tell you that to be successful you should give everything 110% effort?  Regardless of my math-related pet peeve that 110% effort is impossible, I hold that success can and often does come with 100% fun and only 50% effort.  I call it the Full Fun Partial Effort Rule (FFPER).  One of the most popular posts on this blog is my raw cookie dough recipe. I made the cookie dough recipe because cookie dough is FUN and I didn't need that extra 50% effort required for baking.  This coconut sticky rice is another example of the power of FFPER.  

I set out to make biko cupcakes.  Biko is a Filipino dessert consisting of coconut sticky rice topped with coconut cream and brown sugar, then baked and cut into squares.  While I did end up with biko cupcakes, I couldn't help but stop halfway through the process and eat a big bowl of the pre-baked coconut sticky rice - throwing in some almonds and raisins for added fun (I could have added different things, but that would have required a store trip - extra effort).  The biko cupcakes were definitely worth waiting for, but if you can't wait, the not-so-showy coconut sticky rice is a treat in its own right that I'd be proud to serve for breakfast, snack time, or dessert.