Easy, home-made sushi cakes

Sushi cakes - The perfect food for a family event! They’re easy to make and taste every bit as good as traditional sushi. Sushi cakes come in all shapes and forms. In fact, you can be as imaginative as you like when you're making them - with fresh fish, meat or vegetarian fillings and toppings. Best of all: making sushi cakes is a fun activity that the kids can get involved in because they’re so easy to prepare. Children love cutting the vegetables, layering the sushi cakes and putting on the toppings. This is definitely a cooking activity you can turn into an enjoyable family event. And the results aren’t just impressive to look at, they also taste great.

Made in a cake tin, not on a sushi mat

The basic ingredient for every sushi cake is sushi rice, of course. And the only other things you need are a few delicious toppings and fillings. You can use prawns, shiitake mushrooms, roast beef, avocado, cucumber or edamame – anything goes. And you can be as creative as you like with any of the ingredients you have in your refrigerator or pantry. Sesame and cress are perfect as a garnish. And, to finish off, Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce is a must. It adds that special, full-bodied umami flavour to every sushi cake. The ingredients are built up layer by layer – without the need to use a sushi mat! It’s helpful to line the cake tin with cling film before you start making the sushi cakes so they are easier to “turn out”.

Simple tricks to perfect your sushi rice

The better the rice, the better the cake. Achieving the right consistency of sushi rice is very important when you’re making sushi cakes. The rule of thumb is to use around seven cups of cooked rice for a 20 cm diameter cake tin. Japanese round grain rice is the best variety because it has that slightly sticky consistency you need to stop the sushi cake from falling apart. If you don’t happen to have any round corn rice, you can substitute risotto rice. The best way to cook sushi rice is in a rice cooker. But don’t worry if you don’t have one, you can also cook the rice in a regular saucepan. Check out our video for some expert tips on making perfect sushi rice. 

The ingredients for sushi cakes are specially selected and combined. Not only are the flavours in perfect harmony, the finished cakes are little works of art! They may look intricate and artistic, but they’re actually incredibly easy to make. Prawns, caviar and wasabi paste are common ingredients for maki, nigiri and other classic sushi varieties. Combine them with snap peas, avocado and shiitake mushrooms to create a sushi cake that look just as professionally decorated as a traditionally baked cake. Serve with Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce as a condiment or dip. 

This sushi cake is made in a box mould instead of a round cake tin. Tender roast beef, rich avocado and fresh scrambled egg are layered together with the sushi rice in a very simple process, and then topped with cherry tomatoes. This is a great dish to prepare with children, and it’s also made from ingredients they like. Finish off with Teriyaki BBQ Sauce with Honey, which really brings out the flavour of the roast beef. This beautiful creation is served with a little bowl of Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce on the side for dipping.  

This Kikkoman sushi cake recipe includes five different varieties. The one thing they all have in common is that they are vegetarian. Cucumber, radish, bell pepper, red lentils and edamame, or shiitake mushrooms, avocado and cherry tomatoes, are the ingredients for these little sushi muffin cakes - as well as sushi rice and Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce as a condiment or dip. What else do you need? A few muffin cases – either silicon or paper - and any other ingredients you want to use!