Old-Fashioned Ground Rice Cake

A ground rice cake on a red patterned vintage cake plate, with vintage tea cup and saucer, and serving plate in background, pink and white flowered table cloth.

Course: Afternoon tea, Dessert, teatime

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 20

Servings: slices [or 6 larger slices]

Calories: 312kcal

Author: Jacq

This Old-Fashioned British Ground Rice Cake is an egg-free and dairy-free version of the traditional family favourite: Ground Rice Cake. This cake comes from the Victorian era and is prepared with everyday ingredients.

With a texture similar to Madeira, Seed, or Pound cakes, the ground rice adds its own unique texture. It also shares similarities in flavour and texture with the sponge from a British Battenberg cake.

Each bite is so moist, light, and soft with the flavours similar to almond frangipane and marzipan.

As we are a plant-based family we use soya milk and Stork baking spread for this recipe but of course you can use your usual type of milk and baking fat such as butter.

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

6 inch cake tin
greaseproof or baking paper
Mixing bowls
mixing spoon
small jug or bowl
electric hand whisk optional, as can whisk by hand with a hand whisk or mixing spoon
sieve
cooling rack

Ingredients

Mix together:

220 millilitres milk [we used soya milk but your usual milk will work fine for this recipe]
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons almond extract

Rest of cake:

170 grams margarine [use one suitable for baking or use butter baking block, or a baking spread - we used Stork baking spread which is vegan-friendly]
140 grams caster sugar [or granulated sugar]
142 grams self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
85 grams ground rice
⅛ teaspoon salt [we used sea salt, UK self-raising flour contains no added salt, if using US self-rising flour the salt can be omitted as this usually contains salt]

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan / 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4.
Pour the milk, vinegar, and almond extract into a small jug or bowl. Stir and set aside while you prepare the cake.
220 millilitres milk, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
Grease the cake tin with margarine and line with baking paper.
[For this bake do try and use a 6 inch cake tin as the size is important to achieve the good rise. We picked up an inexpensive cake tin from our local hardware store for just a couple of pound -£2.50 to be exact! It was the Wham brand]
Add the margarine and sugar to a mixing bowl and cream together using the electric hand whisk, or an alternative such as a hand whisk or a mixing spoon, and mix until well combined.
This will take about 1 minute using the electric whisk and longer using the alternatives.
170 grams margarine, 140 grams caster sugar
Sift the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl and add the ground rice and salt. Stir everything together.
142 grams self-raising flour, 85 grams ground rice, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder
Next add about a third of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl with the creamed margarine and stir it in. Next add a third of the milk mixture and stir.
Repeat two more times until the flour mixture and the liquid mixture are all mixed through the creamed margarine.
If the mixture decides to split don't fret as the cake will bake fine.
Scoop the cake mixture into the cake tin and level out the surface. Bake on the middle shelf for 1 hour. If using a fan oven check at 55 minutes baking time as fan ovens tend to bake faster. Don't be tempted to check the cake before these times unless you know your oven bakes unusually fast!
Cake is ready when its risen, firm, and has a good golden colour on top although not too brown. A skewer popped in the cake will come out clean.
Leave the cake in the cake tin to cool for at least an hour or for longer until its completely cool before removing from the cake tin.
Your cake may dip very slightly in the middle this is normal and doesn't affect the cake at all.

Notes

Nutritional data is for guidance only and is not an exact calculation as ingredients vary.
Store the rice cake wrapped in parchment or baking paper and a second layer of kitchen or Aluminium foil and place into a cake tin or food container. The cake can be stored for 3-4 days, potentially a day or so longer if kept somewhere cool and dry.
Or wrap well with food wrap and a second layer of kitchen foil and pop it into a freezer bag and freeze the entire cake or individual slices, for 2-3 months.
Your ground rice cake may dip slightly in the middle of the cake surface but it doesn't mean that it is under baked rather it just means that this is a deliciously moist cake with a tasty denser crumb compared with other sponge cakes. Its more like a Madeira cake, Seed cake, or a Pound cake. However, this ground rice cake texture is also soft and light.
Ground rice cake was traditionally prepared to be enjoyed over the Christmas festivities as well as part of a Hogmanay [New Years Eve] buffet or spread where it could be found along side slices of fruit loaf cake.
It was also a popular old-fashioned afternoon tea, tea time, or High tea bake.
Many people remember enjoying slices of cheese, such as Wensleydale cheese, along with ground rice cake. Slices of cheese are a nice accompaniment especially for a buffet. We like having dairy-free cheese with our rice cake as part of our Hogmany family buffet.

Nutrition