WITHOUT Eggs, Butter, Milk or Sugar
I just couldn't resist making another of those cakes with no eggs, butter or milk again after the success I had with the first one- and simply wanted to have a little bit of fun this breakfast time!
On a more serious level though, and far from the pseudo-allergy crowd, I was curious as to just how much of certain ingredients we actually need to add to our dishes in order for them to taste good.
I have many family members that are diabetic and that moved me to make this little cake without sugar. But the main and most important aspect of this baked, breakfast treat was of course... that I didn't even use the oven to bake it!
I have seen many rice-cooker cakes on the internet and was simply SO curious about it that I thought, what have I got to lose? And with the ingredients that went into this... the answer to that question was... NOT MUCH! lol!
Just imagine- this takes care of itself without you needing any kind of machine or whisk or even your oven... and it can be finished in the time it takes for your coffee to brew and for you to wash up the bowl you stirred it together in!
To make this individual-sized cake (it WAS an experiment after all!), I needed 1 good cupful of flour, 2/3rds cup of ground almonds, 1/3 cup of ground pistachio, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 cardamom pod, a little vanilla- "fresh" in this case but essence is fine, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 lemon and 4 tablespoons of honey.
The result was tasty and light, not too sweet, and perfect for breakfast... It may not win any baking awards, but it will start your day with a smile and is nicer and easier... and healthier than your regular pancakes... so why on earth, not?!
I almost wish I had made more batter, so that I would have had a fluffier, higher and larger cake- but that can easily be arranged next time around... hehe! I shall make this again for sure!
And I am sure that certain friends of mine who actually do not have ovens, will indeed be thrilled to know that they can do this with a rice cooker! Some people do indeed live in single-room apartments and have much more limited possibilities than us privileged people- so here is a hat-tip to you too out there!
So- it doesn't get much easier than this... stir together the dry ingredients- including the cardamom, which I ground with a mortar and pestle, the grated zest of the lemon and a little vanilla pod, which I scraped out. Make sure they are mixed evenly into the flour and you are ready to go!
Next, add the honey and oil and the juice of half a lemon.
Finally, add 1 cupful of water and stir everything together into a smooth batter- just a fork or spoon will do! No need for whisking or beating here at all.
Pour into the rice cooker, pop on the lid and let it cook/bake/steam for 20-25 minutes. Depending on the kind of rice-cooker you have, you may have to push the button again if it should cut out half-way through.... You can't blame the poor machine for not knowing that it isn't rice that you have put inside of it!
After around 5-10 minutes it will be smelling like cake and after 20-25 minutes it will be looking like cake too!
Ok- it may not look spectacular- but it smells and tastes pretty-damned-good! Pistachio, almond, honey, lemon, cardamom and vanilla... how much more could you want in that little thing? Mmmm! But we can make it look a little nicer too of course!
I made a "glaze" of the juice of the other half of the lemon and a tablespoon or two of honey- simply warmed together for a minute or two on the stove top (or in a microwave if you have one- which I don't!) and then spooned it thinly over the top...
That of course, not only tasted fruity, tangy and slightly sweet, but also acted wonderfully as a fixing agent for me to sprinkle my little cake nicely with more ground pistachio... looks a whole lot better doesn't it? And tastes it too!
With a thin slice of lemon as a finishing touch... there you have it! A simple breakfast cake... from a rice cooker! Tasting of the Mediterranean summer and coming from an Asian domestic appliance! Ain't life (and cooking) fun?!?! Enjoy it!
Buon appetito!
Small and dainty and all for YOU!
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