Rice Cooker Cake Recipe

Rice Cooker Cake is a fluffy Japanese-style sponge cake made right in the rice cooker. Its fine, springy crumb and delicate flavor rival those of oven-baked cakes, and its effortless method has been winning over home cooks in Japan for decades.

What’s Rice Cooker Cake?

Rice Cooker Cake is a relatively new addition to Japanese home baking. Its exact origins are unknown—no one can say who first made it or when—but it’s easy to imagine that the idea emerged naturally. In most Japanese households, a rice cooker is always sitting on the countertop, ready to use, and that everyday convenience likely sparked the creation of this unique cake.

The electric rice cooker was invented in Japan about 70 years ago, and for a long time it served a single purpose: cooking steamed rice. Over the years, however, manufacturers began adding new functions to make the appliance more versatile and appealing. Because built-in ovens are not common in Japanese kitchens, many people don’t own a full-sized oven at all. Rice Cooker Cake offered a solution—a cake that anyone could make at home using an appliance they already had.

People quickly took notice of how easy it was to make a cake without an oven. And rather than being introduced by rice cooker brands, the recipe seems to have developed organically as home cooks experimented and thought, “Maybe I can bake a cake with this?” By the early 2000s, home rice cookers began including dedicated settings for baking bread and even cakes. The spread of these bread-making functions further encouraged people to try baking cakes in their rice cookers, helping the idea gain even more popularity.

The appeal of Rice Cooker Cakes lies in their simplicity and versatility. You just mix the ingredients, pour the batter into the rice cooker, and press a button—no complicated steps required. They’re also hard to mess up: there’s no need to control the temperature, and burning is far less likely. Using pancake mix, which became popular around the same time Rice Cooker Cakes emerged, makes the process even easier and opens the door to endless variations. Today, the phrase “rice cooker cake” is completely familiar in Japan, and new recipes continue to appear every day.

But it’s not only the convenience that makes Rice Cooker Cakes so beloved—they’re genuinely delicious. They aren’t fancy or elaborate, but their warm, homey quality appeals to many people in an age of ever-more indulgent gourmet desserts. The sponge has a fluffy yet elastic texture, and its gently “steamed” crumb stays soft and moist. The lightly sweet flavor also makes it easy to dress up with fruit, sauces, or any favorite toppings. It’s almost the ideal everyday cake—simple, comforting, and perfectly suited to any dessert.

Tips for making Rice Cooker Cake

Rice Cooker Cake is meant to be very easy, but there are a few tips worth knowing before you start. These will help you understand what to expect and ensure the cake turns out well.

• Different rice cookers come with different functions. Some models include a “Cake” mode, which makes the process especially simple. In this recipe, we used Zojirushi NS-TSC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker, which has a cake mode.
  If your cooker doesn’t have a cake mode, don’t worry—you can still make a great cake. Here’s what to keep in mind:
  • Run one full cycle on the regular rice-cooking setting. When it finishes, check the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out with batter on it, cook the cake a bit longer.
  • Some rice cookers won’t start a second cycle right away. If that happens, close the lid and let the cooker cool down slightly, then run the regular rice-cooking mode again. This is usually enough to cook the cake through.
• Once the cake is done, cool it upside down—just like a chiffon cake—to prevent it from sinking. After it has cooled completely, gently loosen the edges and remove it from the bowl.

How to decorate Rice Cooker Cake?

There are many simple and delicious ways to dress up a Rice Cooker Cake.

• Slice the cake and serve it with sweetened whipped cream, fresh berries, or any cut fruits you like.
• For a layered cake, slice the whole cake horizontally and spread whipped cream or jam between the layers.
• You can also frost the entire cake with whipped cream or your favorite frosting, then finish it with shaved chocolate, fruit, or sprinkles.

More recipes like Rice Cooker Cake

• Sponge Cake
• Swiss Roll Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Matcha Chiffon Cake