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Hey, turns out you don't need an oven to make a banana cake! I used an old-school electric rice cooker that requires users to just press a button to start cooking.
ST PHOTOS: FELINE LIM
It is more tiresome, as the cooking cycles are shorter - from one to four minutes - unlike multi-function rice cookers, which can cook for about 10 minutes at one go. But it is worth the trouble when the banana cake pops out moist and soft.
(Besides waiting for the cake to cook, I also had to wait for about five minutes after each cooking cycle for the rice cooker's thermostat to be reset. Only then could I press the button again for the appliance to switch from "keep warm" to "rice cooking" mode.)
The "baking" process took eight cooking cycles and 55 minutes in total.
Ingredients:
- 250g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 11/2 tsp baking soda
- 250g white sugar
- 5 eggs
- 3 large bananas, peeled and mashed
- 150g unsalted butter, melted
- Aluminium foil
- 2 Tbs vegetable oil
- Sliced banana to garnish
(Also read: 5 Chocolate Ice Creams That Are Worth The Calories - Tried & Tested)
Method:
1. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. With an electric mixer on low speed, whisk sugar and eggs in another mixing bowl till the mixture becomes light and creamy.
3. Add mashed bananas into the egg mixture and whisk till the bananas are fully mixed in.
4. Fold in sifted flour mixture gently, then fold in melted butter quickly.
5. Brush the insides of a rice cooker pot with vegetable oil.
6. Cut a round piece of aluminium foil that is the same size as the diameter of the rice pot, and line the pot with it. Brush oil on the aluminium foil.
7. Pour batter into the rice pot. Press the button of the rice cooker and cook till it pops up and the pot switches to "keep warm" mode. Wait for about five minutes before pressing the button again to return to "rice cooking" mode.
8. Repeat the above step seven times. To check if the cake is completely cooked, insert a toothpick into it. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Pat the cake surface to check that it is firm and dry.
9. Remove the pot from the rice cooker. Place a plate larger than the pot over it and flip it upside down to turn the cake onto the plate.
10. Carefully peel off the hot layer of aluminium foil.
11. Place another large plate on top of the cake and flip it back. Garnish with banana slices and serve.
Serves 10
Tips:
1. Lining the bottom of the rice pot with aluminium foil and oiling the sides make it easier to wash the pot afterwards.
2. Do not press the rice cooker switch button continuously as that will overwork the pot's heating element and burn the cake bottom.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on February 19, 2017, with the headline 'Recipes'.