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.
Hi, I wanted to ask if you can increase the recipe and make this in one big cake pan rather than as cupcakes? If yes, do you know what would be the approximate time for steaming? Thank you for help 🙂
Hi Oxana! One (or maybe two) reader told me she/he tried it. I didn’t ask how long to steam as it depends on the pan size… Insert a bamboo skewer in the center of the steamed cake to check doneness. 🙂
Dear Nami,
Thank you for sharing your recipes. I am a beginner, and your recipes really help me. Thank you once again, Cindy
Thank you for your kind feedback, Cindy! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes!
Hi Nami. These look so soft and tasty and would make a healthier snack. I am looking forward to making them. Are you using frozen or fresh or canned corn kernels? And would it take longer if steaming them in a multi-tier steaming rack (the bowls are not sitting in water)? Thank you.
Hi Juliana! I have used both canned corn or frozen ones. Both works just fine. 🙂 Yes, steaming (traditional method) takes longer than sitting in the water. I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Hi, can whole wheat flour be used for the steam cakes?
Hi Vickie! Sure! I haven’t tried with whole wheat so please adjust the wet ingredients if necessary.
My toddler devoured these (cheese ones), so it’s a winner for me! 😊
Also it’s so easy!
Hi Steph! Aww I’m so happy to hear your toddler enjoyed these! I remember my kids ate these for their snack when they were little too. 🙂
These look so tasty! Do you know if they come out the same if gluten free flour is used??
Hi Lynna! I remember someone used it with gluten-free flour and came out well. Please give it a try and let me know how it goes. 🙂
Just tried these with corn and cheese and they were so good I couldn’t stop eating them! Really so easy to do and I like that the quantities are small. Don’t want to make too many else i’d look like a big fat cupcake myself soon, haha!
Hi Christine! Hahaha! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind (and funny) feedback! 😀
Hi. I love your site and these looks yummy. I would love to make them for my daughter but she has a milk allergy. Can I substitute the milk for soy milk? Thanks!
Hi Linda! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my website. Yes, you can use soymilk or almond milk. 🙂
This is one of my favourite recipes when I haven’t got much time but want to present something which is not as usual as a sponge cake or similar things.
They are so easy to make and soooo tasty.
They’ll be on our table of snacks tomorrow too before we leave for the NYE commitments (my partner’s band is booked for a NYE, so we’ll be there instead of having a more private family party)
Happy 2020 to you and your family Nami!
Hi Nicole! Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed your partner’s band on NYE. That’s so cool and what a nice way to end the year!!! I’m happy to hear you enjoy this recipe. You have no idea how much your kind words mean to me! I couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement my recipe has brought to you. Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Can you make these steamed cakes with rice flour?
Hi Christine! I haven’t done it myself so I’m not too sure. I feel like it may not work if you just replace flour to rice flour but again I really don’t know. Sorry…
Can you cook these cakes in a steam basket. I recently bought a multi level steamer stainless steel pot. Or they have to be sitting in water
Hi Monica! Yes, you can steam in the steamer. Please adjust the cooking time based on your method. 🙂
I don’t have white sugar at home and mostly don’t use sugar. I have subtitiuted sugar with 1.5tbsp honey and the cake is great, soft and fluffy. But I don’t know what the original texture should be. HTH
Hi Cady! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I’ve never used just honey so I’m not too sure. Should be pretty much same, I hope?
Why is my steam cake turns out rubbery ?
Hi Sling! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m sorry yours didn’t come out well. I am not sure why the cake becomes rubbery… maybe you over mix (it becomes tough) or overcooked? I wish I can help but I never had the rubbery texture before so I’m not sure what went wrong. Did you substitute any ingredients or did you measure ingredients correctly?
We decided to do a sweet honey and sesame one. We used 1 tbs sesame oil instead of neutral, 2.5 tbs honey, 1 tbs sesame seeds, and 1/4 tsp vanilla in addition to the listed ingredients. It turned out amazing. Cooked slightly longer due to the added moisture from the honey but still worked perfectly.
Hi Ren! Oh that sounds delicious! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! So happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
I make it about once a week now because its so easy and quick to make. The recipie has never failed. Thank you for sharing your recipie!
Hi Ren! Aww I’m really happy to hear that! Thank you for your kind feedback, Ren! Happy Holidays!
I followed this recipe closely, the only difference is that I used a two-tier electric steamer and steamed the cakes for 15 minutes. They turned out to be tough and dry.
Appreciate your advice!
Follow the recipie and cook for 8 minutes as stated instead of 15.
Hi Ruth! Is it possible that it was overcooked because you described it as “dry” and “tough”. Did you substitute any ingredients? Was there enough steam circulating in the steamer?
Hi Nami! I didn’t substitute any of the ingredients and the amounts of each ingredient is the same. It was my first time using the electric steamer so I’m not so sure if there was enough steam inside it. The strange thing is that after combining the egg and flour mixtures, my final batter doesn’t look as smooth and creamy as yours.
Hi Ruth! Only possible difference yours and mine are flour and egg. I use an American large egg, which is roughly 50 grams. If you pack 1/2 cup with flour, your flour will be more than my 60 g. You have to fluff up the flour, spooon flour into the cup, and level off (this is how you measure flour with measuring cups). If you scoop the flour with a measuring cup, you would end up with packed flour. This is usually the cause of the “dryer” batter (it has more dry ingredients). If you measure your flour with a kitchen scale, then you probably need to add a tiny bit more milk to loosen. Hope this helps!
Hi Nami! The eggs that I used are about 67g each. Ohh… I didn’t know the flour need to be fluffed up… that means I’ve used more flour. I will try out the recipe again and probably prepare more milk depending on the consistency of the batter. Thank you for your advice!
Hi Ruth! Hope this video is helpful. https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-measure-flour/
1 cup of flour should be 120-125 g. If you scoop up, the amount of flour is definitely more than the amount I used in this recipe. When I first came to the US, I didn’t know how to measure with a cup correctly and I’ve made the same mistake. With the method I provided in the link above, you get pretty close to how you measure with a kitchen scale. 🙂
Hi Nami, do you think I can use white whole wheat flour for this steamed cake?
Hi NF! Sure, you can use it. 🙂