Thai Rice Cake (Gluten-free)

Thai Rice Cake

I belong to a gourmet dinner group and this round we picked chefs out of a hat. I had pulled Mai Pham from the Lemon Grass restaurant. She makes Vietnamese and Thai dishes and so my dinner next month must reflect that. I came across this cake and thought I would maybe use it for my dessert. I actually made it six months ago for a test run and took it to a potluck. It got a lot of good reviews and requests for the recipe. But recently I've decided on a different dessert for my upcoming dinner.

Don't think rice cakes like those puffy, dry, crispy snack cakes in the store. This is an out-right dense, sweet, moist cake made with rice.


My only comments on making it is that the term of Thai rice in the ingredients is pretty ambiguous. There are so many varieties of rice. I took it to mean jasmine rice, since that is what is most often thought of and used in Thai dishes. But I did find the rice grains to be big and would consider next time pulsing them in a food processor a bit to cut them down a bit.

Thai Rice Cake
(Gluten-free)

1 c  Thai rice
4 c milk
1/2 c sugar
6 green cardamom pods, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 1/4 c whipping cream
6 eggs, separated


Grease and line a 10 inch round, deep cake pan. Cook the rice in boiling water for 3 mins, then drain. Return the rice to pot with milk, cardamom, bay leaves, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow mixture to cool and remove the bay leaves and cardamom pods.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together egg yolks and cream. Add rice mixture. In another bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Fold whites into the rice mixture. Pour mixture into cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until risen and golden brown. Chill overnight in pan. Turn cake out onto a serving plate. Top with whipped cream and fruit.

Note: Cake may be a bit wobbly when removing from the oven.