Sticky Coconut Cake (Wingko Babat) (2024)

This gluten free Indonesian Sticky Coconut Cake (Wingko Babat) is a coconut filled dessert snack that’s easy to make and so delicious! It’s simply a must make for coconut lovers.

This coconut cake is fudgy and chewy, with a great coconut flavor, and is popular throughout the island of Java. It’s considered a souvenir food to bring home when you visit one of the cities on the island.

The most popular wingko comes from the city of Babat in East Java, hence the name, Wingko Babat. But with this delicious and easy to make recipe for the little cakes, you can make it at home and share it with your family.

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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Is this recipe authentic?

No, this recipe isn’t traditional, and that’s ok. I wanted the recipe to be accessible to people who live in the states, who may not have access to traditional or authentic ingredients. So, this recipe is based on authentic recipes, so that people can learn more about the foods and culture of Indonesia.

And, hopefully you like it so much that you want to try more, and maybe even seek out some traditional ingredients. Or, keep the recipe with simple store-bought ingredients.

Most importantly, this dessert is delicious! I mean, it’s amazing! So yummy that I would say that if you’re a coconut lover, you MUST try this recipe!

Traditionally, wingko babat is baked, and then cooked on a stove top using a special pancake-shaped pan, and giving it a charred look and a dry tough texture. My version, which is adapted from this recipe, is baked in an oven, and cut into smaller squares for serving, producing a nice soft moist chewy snack cake.

These cakes are traditionally made with fresh coconut and often with pandan leaf. Both of these ingredients are going to be difficult to find for many Americans, so I use shredded bagged coconut, and leave the pandan leaf out. Also, white granulated sugar isn’t as authentic, but it is readily available in the US.

glutinous rice flour

One traditional ingredient I leave in, and I think is very important in the texture, is the glutinous rice flour. That’s what gives the cake its wonderful texture. All-purpose flour just won’t work here. You can buy glutinous rice flour on Amazon with my affiliate link.

What is wingko babat?

Wingko babat goes by many names: wingko, wiwingka, or bibika, wiwingka or bibika. It’s a traditional Indonesian bite sized pancake-like snack or dessert made from coconuts. This kind of Javanese cuisine snack is often called a kue in Indonesian.

It’s popular especially along the north coast of Java Island, and is often sold by vendors on trains or at bus or train stations.

Recipe tips

This cake is really easy to make, simply mix everything together and bake. But, here are a few tips to get the most out of the cake.

Also, please keep in mind that this cake is not the same texture as an American or French cake. It’s dense and chewy, sticky and delicious. Not light and fluffy or dry at all like a Costco cake or a box mix cake. It’s made from rice flour just like mochi – chewy and thick. They are just entirely different.

Make sure your coconut milk is well shaken in the can

Can I use Mochiko?

Yes, you can use Mochiko. That’s the Japanese sweet rice flour, or mochi flour, a glutinous rice flour that’s made of glutinous short-grain Japanese rice. Glutinous rice flour is the Thai version of the same basic ingredient.

Watch the cake when you put it under the broiler

After you bake the cake, you brush the egg yolk on top. Make sure you brush gently, as the top of the cake can tear if you use too much pressure. Then, pop the cake under the broiler to brown up the top and give it a nice crust (mimicking the crust that the Wingko would traditionally have).

Serving the cake

After the cake has been baked and refrigerated until it’s set it can be cut into 9 squares, simply by slicing the cake into thirds each direction. If you want smaller slices, cut each of those squares into triangles with a diagonal slice through the square.

I’ve even cut the triangles into smaller triangles for bite sized pieces. These small pieces are great for a potluck, and can be served in colorful cupcake liners.

Kitchen items you may need for this recipe

Note: these are affiliate links

8 x 8-inch pan
glutinous rice flour
spatula for stirring
knife for cutting the squares
whisk
pastry brush
wire cooling rack

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Sticky Coconut Cake (Wingko Babat) Recipe