Rice Cooker Yogurt Cake

After months of search, I got a new rice cooker a couple of months ago. I have some thoughts to share about the whole process, buying a new rice cooker and cooking rice and others in this new vessel, but I'll do that separately later on. Today, let's get to a delicious, convenient recipe first.

The first cake I made in the new rice cooker was this yogurt cake, probably to self-justify purchasing a giant rice cooker for myself, and I was happy with the result.

Liberally adapted from the blog Kongzi's No Oven Baking (in Korean), it tastes like a cross between sponge cake and cheesecake. A friend of mine described it as "cheese poundcake" - a lighter, softer version of typically dense cheesecake but with all the tangy flavor and moist texture you know from cheesecake. A thick Greek yogurt in a rice cooker will get you there.

I've also made this since I came to Korea, where I can't easily find Greek yogurt. A big sized, spoonable yogurt (I used strawberry-flavored Yoplait Original, 220g) worked without altering the recipe below. The result came out more like a light sponge cake, well, surprise surprise, with a hint of strawberry flavor. I wouldn't use drinkable yogurt for this recipe.

The size of any rice cooker cake is determined by your rice cooker bowl. This recipe should work in the rice cooker big enough for 10 portions (a big flat cake, which is what I got) or 6 portions (a nice tall cake).

To make a rice cooker yogurt cake)

1 C flour
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder
4 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C vegetable oil + a few drops to grease the rice cooker bowl
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 (7 oz.) low-fat plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%) or other spoonable yogurt (220g, ~8 oz.), at room temperature

Grease the rice cooker bowl with vegetable oil (you can also use butter). You can do this by squirting a few drops of oil in the rice cooker bowl then wiping it with a piece of paper towel.

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Whisk egg whites. When egg whites turn white and foamy, add 1/2 of the sugar and continue to whisk. When sugar has been incorporated and the meringue starts turning glossy, add the rest of the sugar and continue to whisk. Stop when the meringue is firm and silky-glossy. When you lift the whisk, the tip should gently fall, which is about soft-medium peak (see picture above).

Add egg yolks and whisk gently to incorporate.

In a separate bowl, whisk Greek yogurt to soften. Then add oil and vanilla extract and whisk gently to combine until yogurt, oil and vanilla extract become one creamy mixture.

Mix in 1/2 of the yogurt cream to the egg white meringue first, then fold in the rest gently.

Time to add flour into egg meringue. With a wooden spoon, gently incorporate 1/2 of the flour mix into egg meringue first. Add the rest and fold in gently just until there are no lumps of flour. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the greased rice cooker bowl. Tap the side of the bowl to release big air bubbles. Place the bowl in the rice cooker.

Press 'Steam' (a.k.a. 'Multi-Cook') for 40 minutes if your rice cooker has the option. Alternatively, 'Cook' twice, i.e., press 'cook' and when it's done, press 'Cook' again. You might have to wait for the rice cooker to cool a bit before starting the second run in case of some older/simpler rice cookers.

When it's done, flip gently on a plate. Let it cool to room temperature. Of course you can eat it at this point, but you'll notice the difference when you give some time for the cake to rest. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to allow time to moisten and its flavors to settle before serving.

Optional) feel free to trim (see pictures below) as you wish.