Soft and spongy steamed sweet rice cake infused with fragrant osmanthus flower and with a layer of sugar and black sesame in the middle. It is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
If you use one large pan, line a 6-inch round pan or 5-inch square pan with a crumpled up parchment paper or about 2 layers of gauze or cheese cloth. Set aside
If you use cupcake size mold, lightly grease with some non-stick spray or with some oil and wipe off any excess grease. I didn't grease mine and did not have problem unmolding the cake
Prepare the black sesame filling:
Toast the black sesame seeds on a dry pan over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes and then remove from the heat and let them cool down
Put the toasted seeds and sugar in a food processor and process into a powder consistency
Prepare the cake mixture:
Put rice flour, glutinous rice flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add 1/4 of the water and use your clean hand to rub the flour mixture with the water and gradually add a bit more of the water. You want to keep adding the water until you get a texture of a coarse powder
How to test for the correct consistency:
When you press and squeeze the cake mixture with your hand and release, it holds the shape and when you shake it around a bit (not vigorous shaking), it will still hold the shape. When you push it with your fingers, it crumbles into large chunks. This is the right consistency we want. If it crumbles into fine powder, you need to add a bit more water.
Shaping:
Bring the water in the steamer to a boil. Use a fine sieve and sift the cake mixture to get a fine powder consistency.This is important so that your cake will be light and fluffy. Sieve the mixture twice if necessary. Then add the dried osmanthus flour and VERY lightly mix it. Do not put any pressure while mixing
If using cupcake mold:
Spoon about 2-3 teaspoons of the cake mixture into the cup (you may need a bit more if your cup is bigger). Shake it a bit to level the surface. DO NOT use a spoon to press on the cake mixture to level. It should be a loose mixture. Spoon about 2-3 teaspoons of the black sesame mixture on top. Then top with another layer of cake mixture. You can repeat with another layer of black sesame and finish off with the cake mixture. You can also just do 1 layer of black sesame in the middle. It's up to you. Use the back of the knife or scraper to level off. Remember, DO NOT press on the cake at all. If you press on it, the cake will come out very dense after steaming.
Sprinkle with some osmanthus flower on top
If using a large pan:
Sprinkle about half of the cake mixture onto the prepare pan and use a brush or a bench scraper to very gently leveling the surface so it's even. DO NOT press on the cake mixture at all. It should be a loose mixture. Then sprinkle the black sesame mixture on top. Level with a brush again and finish up with the rest of the cake mixture and level the surface again so it's flat and even. Use a bench scraper to cut into 8-10 slices. Sprinkle with some osmanthus flower on each slice
Steaming:
Wrap the lid of the steamer with a cloth so water condensation won't fall on the cake surface as this will ruin the look and the wet spots will be densed
Once the water in the steamer is rolling boil, put the pan or cupcake cups in. Cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium and steam for about 20 minutes for large cake and about 10 minutes for cupcake size. Do not overcook the cake or they will dry up and crack on top
The cake will detach from the side of the pan when they are cooked through
Serving:
If you prepare cupcake size, gently unmold the cake onto a serving plate. Put some osmanthus syrup on top of the cake just right before serving
These steamed osmanthus rice cakes are best served while they are still warm. The texture will be soft and spongy. They will toughen up a bit once they have cooled down completely and this is normal. A simple reheating in the steamer will bring them back to life