Portuguese 'Bolo de Arroz' (Rice Cake) with Chia Seeds (d)

Portuguese 'Bolo de Arroz' is probably my favourite cake in the world. But the versions I have been finding are extra sweet, very oily or too lemony. For me this cake should be light, fluffy and balanced in flavours.

I have tried to make it using rice flour (baby cereals) but that just does not work for me. So I will be using actual paked rice. I added Chia seeds because they are a great source of calcium, manganese, phosphorus and healthy omega-3 fats, but you do not have to.

For 5 cakes: 3 eggs - 100 gr sugar - 50 gr rice - 150 gr plain flour (without a raising agent) - 1 teaspoon baking powder - a pinch of table salt - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon lemon zest - 2 tablespoon Chia seeds (optional) - icing sugar as needed, for topping

For the cake tin liners: parchment paper - scissors - stapler

Preboil the rice with 3 cups of water. When rice is cooked let it cool and refrigerate for a minimum of three hours. After this period blend it (turns into rice milk) and set aside until needed.

Pre-heat the oven to 180º C and brush a muffin tin with olive oil. Cut out five stripes of parchment paper with 6 cm height. Turn each stripe over the centre to make a cone and staple the edges together. Bend the vertex to make a bed for the cakes. Check if the width of the strips match the width of the muffin tins. Brush inside the cake tin liners with olive oil and place it individually in each muffin tin hole.

In a bowl beat the butter with the sugar until it is a pale cream. Add the eggs, the lemon zest, the vanilla, the salt and the rice milk and continue to beat. Sift the flour and baking powder together, add to the creamed mixture and continue beating until the dough comes together as a smooth paste. Finally add the Chia seeds. Divide the mix between the cake tin liners. Sprinkle the icing sugar - a little trick - press the icing sugar between the fingers, molding small uniform pieces that can also be used as topping. If you are using Chia seeds sprinkle it on top. Bake it for 45 minutes (it varies so keep an eye on it after 30 minutes; they should become golden and crunchy on top; if needed insert a knife in the centre of a cake and if the knife comes out clean it means that it is cooked). Release the cakes and serve it.