Soft, light, and spongy, my Japanese Steamed Cake (Mushi Pan) recipe is easy to make at home. Take my basic cake in a sweet or savory direction with my variations for chocolate or cheese-and-corn mushi pan. Enjoy them as a tasty breakfast or after-school snack.
These treats may look like muffins, but as you might have guessed – they’re not. We call these Steamed Cakes “Mushi-pan” (蒸しパン) in Japanese. The biggest difference between these cakes and muffins is that these delicious little treats are steamed instead of baked.
What is Steamed Cake (Mushi-pan)?
The Japanese cakes are made with very simple ingredients: flour (all-purpose flour or cake flour), baking powder, eggs, milk, sugar, and neutral-flavored oil (such as vegetable oil). While Chinese steamed bun called Mantou (饅頭) uses yeast as a leavening agent, Japanese steamed cakes use baking powder.
After WWII, when a massive amount of wheat flour was imported from the U.S., and the Japanese started to eat more bread. We call it “pan” (パン) in Japanese. Around the same time, steamed cakes started to appear in Japanese kitchens. As sugar was expensive back then, the Japanese included small chunks of Japanese sweet potatoes (Satsumaimo) to sweeten the steamed cakes. These Satsumaimo Steamed Cakes are still the most popular flavor today.
In the late 1980s, convenience stores in Japan started to sell Cheese Mushi-pan (チーズ蒸しパン) and Chocolate Mushi-pan (チョコ蒸しパン) that became really popular. I remember being addicted to the cheese version. The savory, cheesy flavor was really too hard to resist.
My homemade version is not the same as those Cheese ones. However, homemade steamed cakes are equally delicious and you can play around with various flavors. Unlike store-bought cakes, there are no preservatives and additives.
These healthy steamed cakes are soft and easy to digest, so they are perfect for small children!
3 Reasons To Make Mushi-Pan (Japanese Steamed Cakes)
1. Quick and easy to make
This recipe is so quick and easy to make! Even my children can make them as long as I help with the steaming. It only takes 20 minutes from start to finish. You can make them fresh whenever you want to eat them.
2. Versatile
The best part of steamed cakes is that they can be easily changed to either savory or sweet flavor. My Basic Steamed Cake recipe below is the standard where you can adapt to sweet or savory as you please.
For sweet steamed cakes, you can add vanilla extract. I didn’t add it so the recipe can be changed to a savory one. I recommend keeping the sugar for the savory version as a slight sweetness helps to enhance flavor.
3. Re-steam to make it fluffy
You can store it in the refrigerator or freezer for later and re-steam it when you want to eat for a quick snack. The steamed cakes will be soft and spongy again!
If you give my Mushi-Pan recipe a try, let me know. I’d love to hear about your variations and results in the comments!
Love Matcha (Green Tea)?
Check out my Green Tea Steamed Cake too!
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Steamed Cake
Ingredients
For the Basic Steamed Cake
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
For the Corn and Cheese Steamed Cake
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- ¼ cup frozen or canned corn
- ¼ cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
For the Double Chocolate Steamed Cake
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1½ Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- 2 Tbsp chocolate chips
Instructions
- Fill a large frying pan with water about ½ inch (1.3 cm) deep. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to prevent condensation (very important). Cover the pan with the lid and slowly bring it to a boil. You can use a regular steamer, but the cooking time will be slightly longer. Please read how to store and reheat at the end of the recipe.
To Make the Basic Steamed Cake
- Gather all the ingredients. You will also need 4 6-oz ramekins and cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour) and 1 tsp baking powder. Whisk well to combine (it‘s a shortcut for sifting).
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell), 2 Tbsp milk, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1 Tbsp neutral oil together until combined and the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix until just combined and smooth. Do not overmix.
- Put a cupcake liner in each glass ramekin and divide the batter into the cupcake liners.
- Place the glass ramekins in the boiling water and cook, covered, on the lowest heat for 8 minutes.
- They‘re done when a skewer inserted comes out clean. Turn off the heat. Remove the ramekins from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To Make the Corn and Cheese Steamed Cake
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour) and 1 tsp baking powder. Whisk well to combine (shortcut for sifting).
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell), 2 Tbsp milk, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1 Tbsp neutral oil together until combined and the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix until just combined and smooth. Do not overmix.
- Add ¼ cup frozen or canned corn and ¼ cup shredded cheese and mix until combined. Put a cupcake liner in each glass ramekin and divide the batter into the cupcake liners.
- Place the glass ramekins in the boiling water and cook, covered, on the lowest heat for 12–13 minutes. They‘re done when a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Turn off the heat. Remove the ramekins from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To Make the Double Chocolate Steamed Cake
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour), 1 tsp baking powder, and 1½ Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder. Whisk well to combine (shortcut for sifting).
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell), 3 Tbsp milk, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 2 Tbsp neutral oil together until combined and the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix until just combined and smooth. Do not overmix.
- Add 2 Tbsp chocolate chips and mix until combined. Put a cupcake liner in each glass ramekin and divide the batter into the cupcake liners.
- Place the glass ramekins in the boiling water and cook covered on the lowest heat for 8 minutes. They‘re done when a skewer inserted comes out clean. Turn off the heat and remove the ramekins from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To Store and Reheat
- You can store the steamed cakes in an airtight container for 2–3 days or freeze them for up to 1 month. Reheat using one of two methods: 1) Cover with a damp paper towel and reheat in the microwave. Take care not to overheat it, as it will become very hard. For a frozen steamed cake, defrost before microwaving. 2) Steam using a frying pan, lid, and ramekin (as above) or a regular steamer to reheat the refrigerated or frozen cake until warm.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 4, 2011. The new images were added in April 2017. The post was edited and republished in May 2020.
My friends and I agree–your recipes are great! Thank you
Hi Stella, Yay! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
I love Japanese cook book… I am interested about the steam cake
Hi Antonio!, We are so glad to hear you enjoy Japanese steam cake. Here are other steamed cake recipes you may like.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-steamed-cake/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/manju/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=oyaki
We hope you enjoy it!
Made the basic cakes this evening. Very good and delicious and good clear instructions. Thank youfor sharingthe recipe.
Hi Maryann,
We are so glad to hear it turned out great!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
Hello Nami!
I’ve had such a craving for mushi-pan lately and I finally had time to make some yesterday! I made matcha (half with chocolate chips for my niece) and the cheese and corn. They turned out beautiful and were absolutely delicious! They really reminded me of my late Japanese grandmother who would make these for us as kids. I did want to make a little note in case someone else happens to run into the same issue! Some cupcake liners are not as sturdy as others when they get wet. Ours were not and our cupcake liners fell completely flat during steaming so we had more of a pancake (still delicious though!). We had to triple up on our wrappers to get them to stay and used smaller ramekins. 🙂 Thank you for such a lovely recipe!
Hi Sara,
Aww… Thank you very much for trying this recipe and sharing your story and baking tip with us!
We are so happy to hear you enjoy it and it was delicious as your grandmother’s.☺️
Wonderful!!!Thank you so much Madam….I love it so much….Truly appreciate all your marvellous recipes..Thanks again…
Hi Tan,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed many recipes from our website.☺️
Hi Nami.Thanks 4 de recipe.I think this is the longest comment,pardonme.I dont hv ramekins & cupcake liners but i hv muffin pans.can it place d pans directly on de water or should i place a stoneware(ceramic)/stainless plate on d water & place the pans on top.can i use a clean wrapper(cloth) if i dont hv a kit. towel & do i place d cloth before de lid or should i wrap the lid.can i decorate the cake with buttercream or fondant.if making a bigger cake in a 6 inch pan,hw do i steam d cake & is it strong enough to be stacked/layered.sorry,i ask dis much question.i dont hv an oven so i wish to try it as soon as possible.Thanksonce more and kudos to u,Love ur recipes.
Hi Henry,
To distribute the heat well to your muffin pans, it has to place directly on the water. You may also use a teacup. ( Please adjust the cooking time, depending on the thickness of your container. )
A towel or clean cloth can be used to wrap the lid. It avoids the water drips inside the pan when it is steaming, and the towel can be tied up at the lid handle. (see photo Step 6 right)
As for decoration, yes, you may decorate the cake with buttercream, etc.
As for the 6-inch pan, we have never tried it before, but if you use a big frying pan with a lid or steamer, it may work. However, cooking time will be longer, and outside will cook faster than inner, so make sure inside is cooked through.
We hope this is helpful and you can enjoy homemade cake soon.☺️
Hi! Do you have an idea of what to use if you don’t have a steam oven? This looks like a great recipe and I would definitely want to try it. Thank you for your work!
Hi Jenny!
This recipe used a big pot that can fit cupcake size dishes and place it over the stove. So you don’t need a Steam oven.
You may also use a steamer if you have one.
We hope this helps!
Hi! Thank you for this recipe! For this way of cooking, actually. I din’t know you can steam cakes 🙂
I made the chololate ones and they turned out great! But then I tried to experiment with some mashed banana added in the dough and it was such a failure! Do you think that maybe banana is just something too moist for this way of preparing little cakes?
Hi Pearl,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe! We are so happy to hear that you find a new way to make a delicious cake!
If you would like to add mashed banana, we recommend adjusting the milk or oil amount depending on how much banana you want to add because banana will add more moisture to the batter.😉
Hi Nami,
The steamcakes looks really delicious! And I would love to make it for my 1yr old baby. If I would like to make the steam cakes using pumpkin or sweet potato puree, do I just add the puree in using your basic steam cake recipe? Do will I need tweak the recipe accordingly?
Have you tried this using wholemeal flour before?
Hi Shi,
Pumpkin or Sweet potato puree Wholemeal steamed cake sounds delicious!
However, we have not made this Steamed Cake using puree or wholemeal flour before, so we’re unsure how the outcome will be. It may change the texture.
How about adding 1 Tbsp of puree and reducing the sugar amount from 2 Tbsp to 1 Tbsp? If the batter is dryer than Nami’s photo (Basic Steamed Cake; Step 4), you can add little more milk or puree.
We hope your baby enjoys it! Let us know how it goes!
These turned out so delicious! I did have to steam them for close to 30 minutes each though, is that because the heat was too low? Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Kelly,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
Don’t worry about cooking time if your steamed cake came out delicious. Each stovetop, frying pan, cups… they are all different, and those affect cooking time.😉
Hi! Can butter be used to substitute canola or vegetable oil?
Hi Rica!
Yes, you can. However, the flavor and texture will be different. It will result in a denser texture.😉
Hi I’ve made these twice and both times they came out gooey on the inside. What I might be doing wrong. I placed towel on the lid and followed the recipe. Thanks
Hi Angelina,
Thank you for trying this recipe! We’re sorry to hear that it didn’t come out well.
If your middle of the cake came out gooey, it might need to steam longer. They’re done when a skewer inserted comes out clean without wet batter. (step 7) Everyone has slightly different steamer or cake sizes, so it needs a little adjustment for the cooking time.
We hope your next try will be successful.☺️
This is such a good recipe! ive done bot the chocolate ones and the plain ones with some honey instead of the sugar, and they turned out amazing!
Hi Victoria,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the Mushi Pan!
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience with us!
Tried making it 5/6times on different day. But the end result is always the same.
The batter is sticky and not smooth like how it supposed to be.
I follow the recipe strictly and don’t understand how it could have turned out wrong.
Seems like the metric is not accurate.
Anyway, It’s really disappointing and I will give up on this recipe.
Hi Autumn! Thanks for trying this recipe!
I’m confident that this recipe works, as I make this myself often and many readers have successfully made it and shared their creations on social media or via email with us since 2011. I know you said you won’t make it anymore, but I’m really curious 1) any substitute you made that I don’t know of? 2) is your baking powder possibly old? 3) What ramekins and steaming device are you using?
I’ll be happy to help you if you could share some pictures and describe a bit more about the problem. It’s really hard to give advice when I wasn’t in the kitchen and I don’t know how you made them. Please feel free to email me if you like to discuss it privately.
Did the chocolate version earlier on. Was moist and soft. Family enjoyed it. Yummy and healthy recipe
Hi Devi,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
We’re so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this moist and soft Mushi Pan!