Low Sugar Red Bean Craisin Walnut Almond Sticky Rice Year Cake

Average: 5 (1 vote)

Serving Size:

8-10 people

Preparation Time:

20-30 minutes

Cook Time:

55-60 minutes

Unlike the traditional sticky rice year cake (a lucky food to eat during Chinese new year celebration as the name implies rising higher) which is steamed, this sticky rice cake is baked but tastes just like the sticky rice year cake we know. Maybe even better. Though it's inevitable to eat more than our share of fat and sugar during the new year celebrations, wouldn't it be a win win if we can make this year cake a tasty and healthy indulgence with guilt-free low oil and sugar?

Ingredients:

A. Mixing and baking

Large bowl 1
13x9in baking pan 1
Olive or canola oil spray 1 bottle

B. Batter

Olive or canola oil 1/4 cup
Eggs 3
Low fat milk (1 or 2%) 2 1/2 cup
Brown or dark brown sugar slightly <1/8 cup (I used dark brown sugar，best for Chinese dessert)
Salt 1/3 tsp
Baking powder 1 Tbsp
Sticky rice flour 1 lb
Wheat bran (optional) 4 Tbsp (adding dietary fiber content, recommended if you have diabetes)
Wheat germ (optional) 4 Tbsp (adding dietary fiber content, recommended if you have diabetes)
Flex flour (optional) 4 Tbsp (adding dietary fiber content and omega-3, recommended if you have diabetes)

C. Filling and toppings

Sukina red bean paste ~1/6 can
Craisins) (dry cranberries) ~1/4 cup
Raw walnuts ~1/4 cup
Raw almond slices ~1/4 cup

Procedure:

Pour all ingredients in B into the large bowl in A and mix well.
Preheat oven to 350^oF.
Spray oil on the baking pan. Pour the mixed batter into pan.
Get two metal spoons. Scoop a spoonful of red bean paste. Use the other spoon to scrape off a little at a time into the batter. Evenly distribute the 1/4 can of red bean paste into the batter in the baking pan. Red bean will sink and become the filling.
This Sukina brand red bean paste（see picture below）is not as sweet as the other varieties of the same brand, but every 40 grams of red bean pastes still contains 13 grams of sugar. This recipe used 80 grams of red bean paste which has 26 grams of sugar, enough of sugar to make it sweet.
Evenly sprinkle craisins on top of the batter in the baking pan.
Evenly sprinkle walnuts and almond slices on top of the batter in the same manner.
The amounts of craisins, walnuts and almond slices are approximate. You can add more or less depending on your preference.
Put the baking pan into the pre-heated oven and bake for 1 hour. Check if the year cake is cooked: stick a toothpick into the cake and comes out clean.
Wait till it cools down enough. Pour the cake out onto a large enough cutting board and cut into small pieces. Now you can enjoy your year cake! We added a lot less sugar on purpose, so the year cake tastes only slightly sweetened, but the red bean paste should give you enough of sweetness. If you couldn't resist and get a bowl of sugar to dip the cake with, then we lose our battle with our own willpower 。