Popeye Cake
ポパイケーキ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Named after the spinach-loving cartoon sailor, Popeye Cake is a soft, gently sweet cupcake that gets its cheerful green color from spinach blended into a smooth paste, so there are no leafy bits to pick out. Ground white sesame adds a nutty, comforting flavor. It is made with sweetened soy milk and no egg or dairy, and baked in small cups that are easy for little hands to hold.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 18 gspinach
- 24 gflour
- 24 gsweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu)Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
- 1.5 gground white sesame seeds
Seasonings
- 1.5 gbaking powder
- 9 gsugar
- 8.4 gvegetable oil
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- sweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu) (調製豆乳)
- Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
Directions
- 1
Put the frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and add 1 tbsp of water (not included in the ingredient amounts). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave at 1200W for about 1 minute. Blend in a blender until it becomes a smooth paste.
- 2
Whisk the flour, baking powder and sugar together well.
- 3
Add the vegetable oil, soy milk, ground white sesame seeds and the spinach paste from step 1, and mix until combined.
- 4
Pour the batter into cups and bake in an oven preheated to 170°C (340°F) for about 25 minutes.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 223.5 kcal | 447 kcal | 223.5 kcal |
| Protein | 3.5 g | 6.9 g | 3.5 g |
| Fat | 10.4 g | 20.7 g | 10.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29.7 g | 59.4 g | 29.7 g |
| Fiber | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 75 mg | 150 mg | 75 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 mg | 1.8 mg | 0.9 mg |
| Potassium | 256.5 mg | 513 mg | 256.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 223.5 kcal | 3.5 g | 10.4 g | 29.7 g | 1.5 g | 0.3 g | 75 mg | 0.9 mg | 256.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 447 kcal | 6.9 g | 20.7 g | 59.4 g | 3 g | 0.6 g | 150 mg | 1.8 mg | 513 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
