Rice Pudding Cake with Mango Caramel

I have eaten plenty of cake in my life…but never rice pudding cake (again, it always sounded very adult). Claire’s Rice Pudding Cake with Mango Caramel recipe definitely made me get out of my comfort zone, but also taught me how to make my first gluten-free dessert!

For funsies, I looked up where a rice pudding cake originated; I found that rice pudding likely originated in China or India, and it seems many European countries also have their own ways of making it. I did not find much, however, on rice pudding cake, so I’m not sure exactly how it evolved into a recipe like this one (I also spent like five minutes looking this up, so…yeah).

This recipe had several ingredients I have never used. I found Arborio rice at my grocery store. It’s an Italian short rice that is very pebbly in shape compared to jasmine or wild rice, which is what I often cook with. My husband helped me find a Jamaican dark rum for this one (he’s the expert on cocktails in our household). I’ve eaten mangos before, but they’ve always been prepared ahead of time. This was my first experience cutting them myself, and it’s a lot harder than you’d expect! I researched how to cut a mango several times and was shocked to find how much of the middle is not used. The pit is not as evident as other fruits, but if it’s hard to cut through, don’t use that part of the fruit. This did make it a bit challenging later to cut some pretty slices for the final touches.

Arborio Rice

Cutting mangos

This recipe doesn’t take extremely long to make, but it requires a lot of attention. Much of it is made on the stovetop. For the caramel mixture, I made sure to have my ingredients measured out already, because I knew from reading through the directions I wouldn’t have much time to measure it as I go (Claire and many other chefs recommend having all your ingredients measured out before you start any recipe). I’ve made simple syrup plenty of times, but this time I completely butchered my first attempt at turning the sugar mixture into a dark amber color. I was stirring the mixture too much as it boiled and only used a spatula to push the splattered sugar off the sides. Suddenly I noticed the boiling mixture was quickly losing moisture. I thought this must have been the turning point to amber—but no. Instead, it crystalized before my eyes! It looked like I had made snow.

Whoops!

In a second attempt, it took longer to get that amber color, but I swirled the pan often and watched it the whole time. I also used a kitchen brush dipped in water to wet the sides and get the splattered sugar off. This was a success! However, once the sugar turns to amber, it turns VERY fast, so don’t wait too long to take it off the stove. While adding the other ingredients was simple, I wasn’t sure if I was getting a real caramel texture when it was simmering. Once I blended it in my stand mixer, it looked much more like caramel—marking the first time I’ve made caramel from scratch! While we’re on the subject…how do you say ‘caramel’? I grew up saying “car-mall”. My husband and many other people who did not grow up in the Midwest say “care-a-mell”… so now I’m trying to change my ways and say it in what’s likely the correct pronunciation.

Second attempt went much better!

I didn’t realize until I read the introduction of this recipe again that the rice mixture was actually that of a custard; another first for me! Claire mentioned unlike other rice pudding recipes, the rice is fully cooked on the stove. I have never cooked any rice in something other than water. The vanilla bean seeds were fun to add here because it smells so good! This process was easy in making the rice pudding cake batter, but again, I reread the directions several times to make sure I wasn’t missing a step. It definitely is not a typical cake batter recipe.

I highly recommend following Claire’s directions on using parchment paper at the bottom of this cake pan. Once I let this rice pudding cake completely cool (the top may have more oily liquid than you’re expecting on a cake, just give it time and it will go away on its own as it cools), I carefully cut around the sides with a paring knife. I then added more parchment paper to the cooling rack, which helped flip the cake on the cooling rack, then on to a serving dish. I was worried a cooling rack might mess up the top of the cake by essentially scratching it, so the parchment paper serves as a protector of this custard texture when plating.

Once I drizzled mango caramel sauce and topped this cake with sliced mangos, it was time to try it out. I won’t lie, I was a little nervous, but the flavor is really fantastic. Truthfully, I do not think the texture is for everyone; if you’ve never had rice pudding cake before, it might take getting used to (I would say the rice texture is exactly how you’d imagine it). My husband really enjoyed this dessert, and suggested even adding other fruits to it. I think this is a great dessert to try whether you’re looking for something different in flavor or interested in testing your baking skills; there aren’t a ton of cakes that are made almost entirely on the stove!

If Claire makes this recipe on her YouTube channel I’ll be sure to post it!