Sushi comes in many forms and one of the most controversial is the so-called sushi cake that appears to have gotten quite a bit of attention of late.
What is sushi cake and how do you make it? Sushi cake is basically just a form of serving sushi on a large scale and there are several ways to do so. One is to simply create one big circle with sushi rice, fillings, and the lot, and then surrounded by nori. Another is to create the structure with multiple pieces of sushi and this can also be done in a variety of ways.
Sushi cake is an inventive method but if not done right, it can lead to all kinds of issues and might even result in a terrible dining experience that will haunt you for a very long time.
How Sushi Cake is Made
Much like there are a ton of varieties of pastries and cakes, as well as in the processes and methods of making them, sushi cake can also be created in a few distinct ways. Thanks to the sheer versatility of the ingredients in sushi, you can make pretty much any kind of sushi cake you want, and in the shapes that you prefer.
The only real obstacle is your imagination since all you really need to make a sushi cake are:
· Ingredients
· Basic cooking ability
· Creativity
· Tools and equipment
Before going any further, though, it should be pointed out that the term sushi cake is actually taking quite the liberal use of the word cake. With that out of the way, you can take a look at the methods for making sushi cake that is included in the table below:
| Methods | Details |
| Packing | The most straightforward method in that it involves you creating a circle made of the sushi rice and placing the nori either at the bottom or at the sides while using the fillings for toppings |
| Stacking | As the name suggests, this involves putting slices or molded pieces of sushi either on top of each other or via an array of platforms, much like a layered cupcake structure |
| Chaining | Maki is made by rolling the rice and fillings in nori, and these rolls can literally be placed side by side to form any kind of shape you want |
| Layering | Layering is basically packing but with alternating floors of rice, fillings, nori, and more |
Those are just the most basic of the methods that you can use to create sushi cake. Obviously, there are more steps that go into specific ways of getting them done. However, the details in that table should give you a good enough of an idea to help you proceed. Just remember that sushi is all about balance in flavor, texture, and color.
It can be very easy to mess that up if you are making something as big as a sushi cake. Be mindful of the amount of rice to filling ration, in particular, since you might go overboard in either case. Then again, since you are making a sushi cake, adhering to traditions might not be your biggest concern, to begin with.
What is Sushi Cake
In its most basic form, sushi cake is just a food item that is of a certain series of sizes and shapes that will suit the name. As already said, though, the term sushi cake is a bit of a misnomer. Cake generally involves such ingredients as flour, sugar, and eggs, for a start. Since sushi contains none of those in the right composition, sushi cake is quite a liberal phrase to use.
However, the source of the name generally points to the similarities in how it looks when compared to the regular kind of cake, so it can probably be overlooked. In any case, sushi cake is generally made of the same things as regular sushi; nori wrap, flavored rice, fillings, toppings, and condiments. The only issue is how you put them together.
As long as the item contains all of the expected ingredients of sushi, it can be a square, a circle, or a more irregular shape. How you shape it and what you did to achieve such a shape will ultimately affect how it will be consumed. With this being the case, you simply have to be careful about how you will approach the matter.
Why Have Sushi Cake?
With sushi cake not being actual cake, you might now be wondering why on earth you would even think of getting or making such a thing. Well, to start with, it’s sushi. Even if you messed up in making it and it ends up looking terrible, as long as the ingredients are of high quality and fresh, it is still going to taste good.
On that note, sushi cake can actually be an opportunity for you to show off your creativity and artistry by creating a cake that can rival even those made by pastry masters. There are all sorts of ways you can decorate your cake using fillings and toppings, after all. There are so many colorful options you can use and the only real hindrance is how imaginative you are.
Aside from the potentially beautiful piece of art that you could end up making, sushi cake is also a great way to renew your passion for the food product. After all, even if the sushi is made by a master chef, it can get pretty stale and boring after a while.
This change in the way it is served and consumed can be a refreshing shift in perspective that would allow you to appreciate the dish once again. Apart from that, a sushi cake can make for one of the most unique and dazzling gifts you can give if it is made right. You just have to look at images of it to understand the potential.
Related Questions
How to Make Sweet Sushi Cake
It might be tempting to add things like cream or meringue to your sushi cake to make it sweeter, but you must never do this. It is far better to make use of fresh fruits, as well as other sweet ingredients that are already available with sushi. Ripe mango or sweet soy sauce are just two examples of many.
Where to Buy a Sushi Cake
With sushi cake being such a young and novel idea, there might not be any establishment offering to make it in your area just yet. Your best bet has got to be your local sushi or Japanese restaurant since they would have the ingredients. Just don’t go to an actual cake shop since they won’t.
How to Choose Which Sushi Cake to Make
As already mentioned, there are a lot of varieties when it comes to the sushi cake that you will make in terms of both the ingredients and its actual form. With regard to the latter, the best way to decide how you are going to approach it is by simply asking the question of how you want to serve it. The second point of consideration is how you want it to look.
On the point of the serving, some sushi cakes will be sliced while others will basically require you to just take pieces off of them. There are also cakes that will allow you to do both and your choices in this regard will ultimately dictate what you will end up with.
There is also the question of what exactly you want to do with the sushi cake. There can be a major difference in how the final product will look if you just want to eat it versus you want to display it. The latter will naturally prioritize artistry over a balance in flavor, though, it’s not really impossible to do both.
The trick to getting this particular issue right is to just make your choice as to what kind of theme you are going to go for beforehand. You will want to have a particular plan to follow and this is just not going to happen if you don’t know what kind of them you will be choosing for your cake.
It is worth pointing out, though, that sushi cake is not exactly the most amazing thing out there for this kind of thing.
What to Put in Your Sushi Cake
Moving on from the matter of its shape, we can start talking about what you are going to be putting in your sushi cake since you do have quite a lot of options. You have as many choices in what you will be placed on your sushi cake as you do with regular sushi. This includes fruits, both raw and cooked fish, cooked and smoked meats, preserved items, vegetables, eggs, various roots and leaves, condiments, seeds, and so on.
With this being the case, how are you going to make your decision? Well, it would help if you were working with a theme so that you can easily tie it in with your choice of ingredients. For example, if you are going with a tuna sushi cake, you can go with just the regular California maki fair, with strips of tuna being used for toppings.
You can also base it on either cooked or raw, vegan or not, or even just go full fruits. The choice is yours and your choices are pretty much endless. At the end of the day, the one to design or choose the design, as well as components of your sushi cake is you. You can either keep it simple or go nuts.