Baked Crispy Tapioca Pudding 脆皮西米焗布甸
I’ve included the recipe for a simple black sesame paste but you can also use lotus seed paste, red bean paste, puréed chestnuts, taro paste, peanut butter, Kaya jam, chocolate sauce, Nutella, fruit preserves, just to name a few!No filling is also a great option!I wanted to make the crust simple with easy to find ingredients, so it’s not exactly a pineapple crust (as in the crust on the pineapple bun) but it’s very similar and it’s crispy. No crust is also an option. It’s actually how the original Hong Kong style baked tapioca pudding was made. Just finish with an egg-wash.
Approximate cost (CAD) $6
Ingredients
Ingredients for Crispy Topping:
- 50 g Unsalted butter
- 50 g Sugar
- 100 g Cake flour
- 1 Egg yolk
- ¼ tsp Baking powder
- 1/8 tsp Baking soda
Ingredient for Sesame Paste:
- 60 g Black sesame powder
- 15 g Butter
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 65 g Sugar
Ingredients for Tapioca Custard:
- 100 g Uncooked tapioca pearls (approx. ½ cup)
- 250 ml Milk
- 5 tbsp Sugar
- 20 g Unsalted butter
- 2 Egg yolks
- 1 Egg
- 30 g Corn starch (approx. 2 ½ tbsp)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Egg (for egg-wash)
Instructions
Instructions for Crispy Topping:
- Combine 100g cake flour with ¼ tsp baking powder and 1/8 tsp baking soda in a bowl. Mix well and set aside
- Place 50g of unsalted butter in a mixing bowl. Add 50g of sugar. Mix well.
I find that using your hands to blend is quick and effective 
- Add 1 egg yolk to the butter mixture and mix well
- Add the cake flour mixture, mix well and form into a ball
- Put it in-between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and press with your hands or roll with a rolling pin until it can cover the baking pan that you’ll be using
I used a 9.5” pie plate 
- Place in the refrigerator to set for 45 minutes
Instructions for Black Sesame Paste:
- In a non-stick pan, on medium heat, add 15g butter, 60g black sesame powder and 4 tbsp sugar.
- Stir and mix into a paste
- Add 2 tbsp milk
- Cook for approx. 5 minutes
- Remove from heat and set aside
Instructions for Tapioca Custard (pastry cream)
- Bring a pot of water to a boil
- Add 100g of tapioca pearls, boil for 1 minute using a timer. Turn off heat and cover with a lid. Wait for 15 minutes
- After 15 minutes, check if tapioca is cooked (it’s cooked when they turn completely transparent). If you still see white in the pearls, put the cover back on and wait for another 5 minutes
- Drain tapioca in a colander and rinse with cold water
- Submerse the tapioca in cold water until ready to use to prevent clumping
- Combine 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks in a mixing bowl and add 2 tbsp sugar. Whisk until smooth
- Add 30g corn starch and whisk until smooth. Set aside
- In a sauce pan, add 250ml of milk and add 3 tbsp sugar. The sugar will help prevent scorching
- Bring the milk to a boil and pour ¼ of it into the egg mixture. Mix quickly until smooth
- Add the rest of the milk to the egg mixture. Mix until smooth
- Pour the egg mixture into the sauce pan
- Turn heat on medium-high
- Whisk vigorously until mixture thickens and is smooth. Turn off heat.
Shamefully, I have never been able to make the custard completely smooth. I don’t think I whisk fast enough. This recipe is very forgiving though. Once you add the tapioca, you won’t notice any lumps. 
- Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 20g unsalted butter. Mix well
- Drain the tapioca pearls. Shake off excess water and pour into the custard. Mix well
- Scoop half of the tapioca custard and spread it evenly on the bottom of the pie pan
- Spread the black sesame paste on top of the tapioca custard
It may be difficult to spread since the custard is soft so you may want to add dollops of the black sesame paste instead 
- Cover with the remaining half of the tapioca custard. Spread it out evenly
- Take the crispy topping out of the fridge, unwrap the plastic wrap and place it on top
- Beat 1 egg and brush egg onto the top of the crust
- Bake at 200˚C or 400˚F for 20 minutes
- Let cool for 5 minutes before serving
Nutrition
Calories: 368kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 7gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 80mgPotassium: 122mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 480IUCalcium: 142mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!