Strawberry Daifuku Mochi with Rose and Marzipan

This strawberry rose daifuku mochi has a rose flavored mochi shell stuffed with almond paste (aka marzipan) and a strawberry center. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day, Girls’ Day, or any time you want a cute pink treat. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

I could not be more excited about this daifuku recipe. My strawberry rose daifuku consists of a strawberry, wrapped in marzipan, wrapped in ROSE-FLAVORED MOCHI. The flavor is sweet but not overbearingly so, with just a light floral fragrance. It is PERFECT for a Valentines Day or Galentines Day dessert or afternoon tea party… or birthday party… or afternoon snack… or midmorning snack… or really just any time of day because they’re that good. Think Turkish delight – but with a milder flavor and a strawberry hidden in the middle. As with many mochi recipes, it is gluten free and dairy free (although be sure to look at the ingredient list if you buy marzipan from the grocery store just to be safe).

What is Daifuku?

Daifuku, or daifuku mochi, is a type of confection made from mochi rice flour. A classic daifuku is stuffed with red bean paste, but these days there are all sorts of modern daifuku with different fillings. You probably have seen some variation of strawberry daifuku if you’ve ever gone to a mochi shop in Japan.

Daifuku is also fairly easy to make! Especially for this recipe, there’s only a few steps:
1. Wrap strawberry in marzipan (store bought or homemade).
2. Cook mochi dough in the microwave.
3. Wrap marzipan/strawberry balls in cooked mochi.

Making Vegan Marzipan (Almond Paste) At Home

You can use a storebought marzipan, but I like making my own because it’s super easy, and I can also ensure that it’s egg-free for some of my friends with dietary restrictions. Just mix 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 2 Tbsp corn syrup. Many marzipan recipes use egg whites instead of corn syrup, but it’s the corn syrup that’ll keep this vegan and safe for those with egg allergies. You can also add a little almond extract or rose water if you want, but since I’m adding some rose flavoring to the mochi dough, I opt out for this recipe.

Rice Flour for Making Daifuku Mochi

In terms of making the sweet mochi shell, which is actually called gyuhi, you can use mochiko or shiratamako. Both are rice flours made from mochi rice. Shiratamako results in a more smooth and stretchy dough, but can be more expensive and difficult to find in the US. I think either flour works fine, but I do not recommend trying to substitute other types of glutinous rice flours, as the texture will be off.

Making Mochi in the Microwave

I pretty much always make my gyuhi in the microwave. It’s so easy. I just mix the ingredients, cover, and microwave for two minutes. My trick to keeping the mochi from sticking to my dish? Line it with a wet dishcloth! The mochi won’t stick to the wet surface. Just make sure your dishcloth doesn’t have any decorative or metal elements that may spark in the microwave.

If you don’t have a microwave, you can certainly steam your mochi on the stovetop for 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure to either cover your dish with plastic wrap or wrap a towel around the lid of your steamer so the water doesn’t drip into the mochi.

Tips for Wrapping Daifuku

Why are American strawberries so gigantic? If you’ve got large strawberries, they may be difficult to wrap in mochi and marzipan. Try to find small to medium sized ones if you can.

Another trick? Use plastic wrap or beeswax wrap so that the mochi doesn’t stick to your hands! Lastly, dust liberally with potato starch so the daifuku don’t stick to each other. You can substitute cornstarch for potato starch if you want, but I like the texture and taste of potato starch better.

More Celebratory Mochi Recipes

If you’re looking for more mochi recipes to bring to a holiday gathering, here are some ideas! Use cookie cutters with my basic chi chi dango recipe to cut out shapes that match your holiday!

Or try using different holiday (or sports team?) colors in my rainbow mochi recipe.

My tricolor chi chi dango (which is great for Girls’ Day) can also be switched to different colors for any occasion.