Steamy Rice Cooker Cakes: A Quick, Easy Treat

Steam cakes are a delicious treat that can be made in a rice cooker. You can make a simple cake using a rice cooker with just a few ingredients and a push of a button. The texture of the cake will not be the same as those made in an oven, but it will turn out moist and good enough to satisfy any cake lover. You can also make steamed Asian rice cakes, which have a slight chewy texture and are a versatile ingredient in Asian cuisine. They can be served plain with sauce on the side, stir-fried, or in stews. Another variety of steamed rice cake is the Chinese steamed rice cake, which requires only three ingredients: rice flour, sugar, and yeast.

Prepare the ingredients

To make a cake in a rice cooker, you will need the following ingredients:

• Eggs
• Flour (all-purpose, rice, or light)
• Sugar
• Butter or oil
• Milk
• Baking powder
• A pinch of salt

You can also add additional ingredients to flavour your cake, such as:

• Bananas
• Cocoa powder
• Chocolate chips
• Cinnamon
• Peanut sauce
• Honey
• Fruits like apples, pineapples, peaches, mangoes, etc.

Some recipes also call for:

• Yeast
• Tapioca starch
• Vegetable oil
• Food colouring

Mix the batter

To make a cake in a rice cooker, you will need to mix the batter. The ingredients you will need for the batter will depend on the type of cake you want to make.

For a banana cake, you will need 4 large eggs, 100g of sugar, 2 ripe bananas, 100g of unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. You will also need a whisk, a food processor or blender, and a rice cooker.

To make the batter, start by pureeing the ripe bananas with a food processor or blender. If your rice cooker pot does not have a non-stick coating, lightly grease and flour the pot. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until medium peaks form, adding the sugar in three batches. Then, add the egg yolks, pureed banana, melted butter, and vanilla essence to the egg whites, mixing each ingredient in completely before adding the next.

Gently fold the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) into the wet ingredients with a spatula, being careful not to overmix the batter. Once the dry ingredients are just mixed, stop folding to avoid collapsing the airy batter.

For a simple cake, you will need a cake mix, eggs, water, and oil. You can use grapeseed oil or butter for a richer-tasting cake. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl, using an electric beater or wire whisk. Make sure the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, but be careful not to overmix, as this will result in a tough cake.

If you want to make a matcha chiffon cake, you will need white chocolate, sugar, warm milk, eggs, all-purpose flour, green tea powder, and baking powder. For a depression mango cake, you will need self-rising flour, sugar, salt, white vinegar, oil, vanilla extract, pureed mango, water, and extra oil.

For an ultra-easy chocolate cake, simply combine a chocolate bar, butter or margarine, milk, eggs, sugar, and pancake mix. Alternatively, you can make a butter-free chocolate cake by mixing chocolate bars, vegetable oil, eggs, plain yogurt, sugar, cake flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.

Cook the cake

Now that you've gathered all your ingredients, it's time to cook your cake!

First, if your rice cooker pot doesn't have a non-stick coating, lightly grease and flour the pot. If it does have a non-stick coating, you can skip this step.

Next, separate your eggs, placing the whites in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the egg whites until they form medium peaks, adding the sugar in three batches. Then, add the egg yolks, mashed banana, melted butter, and vanilla essence to the mixture, combining each ingredient fully before adding the next.

Now, gently fold in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) with a spatula. Be careful not to overmix the batter—stop as soon as the dry ingredients are just mixed in.

Once your batter is ready, pour it into the rice cooker pot and place it into the rice cooker. Press the "cook" button and wait. Once the cooker switches to "warm", wait for 10 minutes, then repeat the "cook" and "warm" cycle three more times for a total of four cycles.

After the fourth cycle, open the rice cooker lid and use a cake tester to check if your cake is fully cooked. If not, simply repeat the "cook" and "warm" cycle until the cake is done.

Finally, remove the pot from the rice cooker and cover it with a plate that's wider than the pot opening. Flip the pot upside down, and your banana cake should easily slide out onto the plate.

And that's it! Your steam cake is ready to be cut into portions and served. Enjoy!

Test for doneness

Testing for doneness is an important step in the cake-making process. Here are some ways to test for doneness when making a cake in a rice cooker:

• Visual cues: One way to tell if your cake is done is to look for visual cues. The cake is usually done when you see the sides of the cake start to pull away from the pan, leaving a gap between the edge of the cake and the side of the pan. The outer edges will look dry when this happens.
• Touch test: You can also try the touch test by gently pressing your finger against the middle of the cake. If the cake is done, it should feel springy and pillowy, and the indentation you make should spring back.
• Cake tester: Another common method is to use a cake tester, a toothpick, or even an uncooked strand of spaghetti. Insert it into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean without any streaks of batter, the cake is done. A few small crumbs are okay!
• Internal temperature: If you want to be more precise, you can use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the cake. The ideal temperature will depend on the type of cake you are making. For denser cakes like flourless chocolate cake, carrot cake, or red velvet cake, the temperature should be 200-205°F. For lighter cakes like angel food cake or sponge cake, the temperature should be 205-210°F. Avoid letting your cake reach 212°F and beyond, as that is when water turns to steam, and you will start losing moisture.

Remember, it is better to err on the side of under-baking than over-baking. You can always put the cake back in the rice cooker for a few more minutes if needed, but you don't want to end up with a dry and crumbly cake!

Cool the cake

Once your cake is ready, remove the pan from the steamer and let it cool slightly in the pan over a wire rack for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, the cake should be cool enough to handle. Gently run a knife along the edges to loosen the cake from the pan. Cover the pan with a plate, and flip the cake onto the plate. Then, flip the cake again onto a wire rack to cool completely.

The cake should be left to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving. This will ensure the cake is not too warm and has set properly.

If you are making a banana cake, you can cut the cake into serving portions and serve.

Frequently asked questions