Well hello again! It’s been a while. Remember this guy? Yeah, he’s pretty great. As you might have guessed he’s keeping me fairly busy. That toothless grin makes my days extra happy, and I feel like I’ve taken more photos that I can look at (totally not true!). That said, I’ve had considerably less time in the kitchen. Well, that’s really only half true. I’m still cooking & baking, but I haven’t quite had the time to photograph or write about it.

Mostly I’m sticking to my usuals, so there hasn’t actually been much to report as of late. Cooking or baking one of my go-to menu items is more economical when it comes to time management. The problem with the usuals is that I find myself wishing for more adventurous culinary experiences – whether or not I have the time/resources for them. There are so many unique recipes & techniques out there, so I know there has to be something simple that could satiate my need to put an end to my kitchen monotony. What do I have in my cupboards that could turn into something unusually delicious?

When I first moved to California for school I had to find a place to live that was within walking distance to the campus. Lucky for me there was an apartment complex about half a mile from the school, and I was fortunate enough to find a shared apartment with some other students via craigslist. These fantastic girls I ended up living with introduced me to all kinds of convenient kitchen gadgets – my two favorites being an electric kettle for boiling water, and a rice cooker.

Enter the rice cooker. 

What else could you possibly use this for other than cooking rice? I’m glad you asked. I too had this question, and once again the internet has come to my rescue! I found this recipe over at Key Ingredient for…wait for it…CAKE! Yes, someone had the ingenuity to figure out how to bake a cake in a rice cooker. Hallelujah! Time to put a new twist on something I’m probably too familiar with :)

The ingredient list is short, but each rice cooker is different and cooking times may vary. What’s listed below is what worked for me – you may find you need more or less time depending on your equipment. Once you do get through the baking though you should end up with a lightly sweetened spongy cake to share with a few of your favorite friends. Its taste is very unique, and may not suit everyone – but I will always encourage you to try something new.

Rice Cooker Cake

1 c flour
4 eggs, separated
1/3 c + 1 Tbsp sugar, divided
1/4 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt

In a medium bowl combine egg yolks, 1/3 c sugar, milk and vanilla. Whisk everything together until the mixture is well blended and has turned a light yellow color. Combine the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl before adding to the wet mixture. Stir together until combined. 

In another bowl beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt and beat on high until you have stiff peaks. 

Gently fold the egg whites into the rest of the cake batter until completely incorporated. 

You’ll need to “preheat” the rice cooker by pressing down the cook button. If you cooker is like mine it will pop back to warm mode after just a few minutes. Line the bottom of the cooker with 2-4 sheets of parchment paper, or you can brush oil/cooking spray on the bottom and the sides of the rice cooker. I like to do both – that way I’m sure it will come out. If you use more paper your cake will end up lighter, and less paper will result in a darker cake. 

Pour the cake batter into the rice cooker. If the lid of your rice cooker has a hole in it like mine cover it with a small wet paper towel. 

Press the cook button down and set a timer for 10 minutes. It will probably pop up to warm in a few minutes, but wait for the full 10 minutes before setting it back to cook. 

You will definitely have to repeat this process, but you should find your cake is finished after 5-8 rounds of cooking & warming. You’ll know the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. It took me 50 minutes, or 5 rounds of cooking in my rice cooker.

Once the cake is finished, remove it from the pan and cool it upside down to avoid too much sinking in the middle. If you have that lovely little plastic paddle that came with your rice cooker it makes getting the cake out of the pan that much easier.

The finished cake isn’t too sweet, and I found that a nice sprinkling of powdered sugar made this a very tasty treat. Also, we enjoyed this most while it was still warm. If you do let it cool all the way to room temperature 10 seconds in the microwave should do the trick!I hope you find ways to put a twist on your kitchen adventures that turn out as delicious as mine!