I love this kind of mochi! The type of mochi skin on filled mochi such as Ichigo Daifuku (strawberry mochi) or ice cream mochi is called gyuhi. It's softer than other types of rice cakes, allowing it to be molded around the fillings. You can also use it as a topping for anmitsu/parfaits/ice cream, or just eat it as a snack! (I've even stuffed it inside cookies!)

You can roll out the gyuhi and place it on plastic wrap, then pinch it closed around the filling like a dumpling/bun (best method for ice cream), or you can carefully stretch it around your filling if your filling is frozen/solid (such as a fruit, frozen bean paste, or ganache). 

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Mochi skin recipe (using shiratama-ko):

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• 150 g shiratamako powder (or mochiko if you can’t find shiratamako, but shiratamako yields a softer, slightly bouncier mochi)

• 293 g water

• 125 g sugar

• Potato starch or cornstarch for dusting

• Filling options: red bean paste, other bean pastes, chocolate ganache, fruit, ice cream
   

Instructions​

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1. Mix first three ingredients in a large, microwave-safe bowl and loosely cover bowl with plastic wrap.

2. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir. Continue to microwave and stir in 30 second intervals until surface is translucent and shiny

3. Pour onto a tray covered with potato starch. Dust top surface with potato starch, flatten with your hands, and let cool. It should be about 1/4-inch thick (doesn't have to be exact, just not too thick or thin)

4. Roll mochi a little to create more surface area, and cut into about 18-20g pieces (depending on desired size and thickness of daifuku). Do not reshape, roll, or stretch these pieces too much, as they can not come back together, and the surface will no longer be smooth.

5. Put a 23g piece of filling in the center, and bring edges together and pinch to seal (use more potato starch to prevent sticking to your hands). Roll into ball shape and set seam-side down. Can be refrigerated for several days or frozen and thawed in an airtight container.

   • ​Fillings should be pre-portioned and frozen (if possible) before placing inside the mochis.

   • For ichigo daifuku, flatten some bean paste in your hand. Place a small strawberry on the bean paste and wrap the bean paste around the berry.  Pinch away excess bean paste. Keep cold before use (but do not leave in freezer too long, otherwise the texture of the strawberry will change when thawed and eaten). You can also make plain red bean daifuku and freeze. When you want to assemble, cut a slit into the top and add a strawberry, top down, into the mochi.

   • Chocolate ganache meant for filling should be made in a 2:1 chocolate to cream ratio for dark chocolate, or a 2.5:1 chocolate to cream ratio for milk or white chocolate.

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NOTE: You can also make daifuku skin by cooking mochigome (sweet glutinous rice) and mashing it with some sugar until it's smooth.