Star Anise and Honey Rice Pudding Cake

Star Anise and Honey Rice Pudding Cake!

Star Anise and Honey Rice Pudding Cake

The dilemmas of sugar-free baking are complex. What to make for a birthday treat when the special person ought not to have too much sugar? Add the complexity of the fact that sugar alternatives are also to be avoided since they are after all like sugar. If I was blessed with ripe and sweet fruit the dilemma would be less fraught. So, for Mrs NMFS's birthday, one of the cakes I made was this rice pudding cake which ticked all of the books. I was slightly worried as I wanted something that was like a cake and my fear was something runny like rice pudding. The addition of the breadcrumbs though added an edge and solidity which gave me some comfort.

Ingredients

2 slices gluten free brown bread

3tbsp dairy free margarine

300g pudding rice

1300ml rice milk

2 star anise

grated zest of 2 lemons

salt

6 tbsp honey

2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 180C. Rub the base and sides of a 10 inch loose-bottomed cake tin with some margarine. Pop the bread into a food processor and blend until you have fine breadcrumbs. Use just over a half of the breadcrumbs to coat the base and sides of the tin. Pop into the fridge whilst you prepare the cake.  

Melt 1 tablespoon of margarine in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Then add the pudding rice and stir until glistening and coated. Add the milk and star anise and leave to simmer over a low heat for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the rice catching to the bottom of the pan. The rice should not be too watery but should be satisfyingly firm. Leave to cool.

Add the lemon zest, salt, honey and eggs to the rice pudding and mix to combine. Carefully pour into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs over the top of the rice pudding and dot small knobs of the margarine evenly on top. 

Pop into the oven for 45 minutes. Leave to cool overnight in the fridge before removing the cake onto a serving plate. You can decorate with your choice of fruit. Berries are my personal favourite.  The pudding should taste creamy with a subtle sweetness which should satisfy the sugar avoiders out there!



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