Rice Flour Popeye Cake
米粉ポパイケーキ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Popeye cake is a classic Japanese school lunch snack, named after the cartoon sailor who gets his strength from spinach. Blended into a smooth paste, the spinach turns the batter a cheerful green and its flavor all but disappears behind the gentle sweetness, so even children who push greens around their plate happily eat it as cake. This version is made with rice flour, potato starch and soy milk instead of wheat flour, eggs and milk, and the batter comes together in one bowl with just a whisk. The oil and soy milk are mixed until emulsified first, which gives the cake a soft, even crumb.
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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
- 37.5 gspinach
- 26.3 grice flour
Seasonings
- 7.5 gvegetable oil
- 37.5 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.
- 5.3 gsugar
- 5.7 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- 2 gbaking powder
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.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
- 1
Boil the spinach, rinse it under cold running water, then squeeze out the water. Blend it in a blender into a smooth paste.
- 2
Add the soy milk to the oil and mix well until emulsified.
- 3
Add the sugar and mix well. Add the rice flour, potato starch, baking powder and the spinach paste from step 1, and mix well until smooth.
- 4
Pour the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a 170°C (340°F) oven for about 25 minutes.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 232.5 kcal | 465 kcal | 232.5 kcal |
| Protein | 3.8 g | 7.5 g | 3.8 g |
| Fat | 9.1 g | 18.3 g | 9.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 35 g | 69.9 g | 35 g |
| Fiber | 1.7 g | 3.3 g | 1.7 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 78 mg | 156 mg | 78 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg | 2.4 mg | 1.2 mg |
| Potassium | 414 mg | 828 mg | 414 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 232.5 kcal | 3.8 g | 9.1 g | 35 g | 1.7 g | 0.3 g | 78 mg | 1.2 mg | 414 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 465 kcal | 7.5 g | 18.3 g | 69.9 g | 3.3 g | 0.6 g | 156 mg | 2.4 mg | 828 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.
