BLACK-AND-WHITE SESAME RICE CAKES

These are the perfect small bites to bring to a party for guests who are gluten-free. When I sent my husband to the office with them, I was afraid his colleagues wouldn’t like the unique tight and chewy texture of Asian-style rice cakes, but they loved them. Coworkers who had given up gluten declared them the best cakes they’d ever had.

TIPS:

•  This makes a lot, but it’s really hard to measure sweet rice flour because it’s so light and powdery. It’s much easier to just dump in the whole box.

•  You can buy roasted sesame seeds, both black and white, from Asian markets or the Asian section of supermarkets. I especially like the JFC brand. These seeds are unhulled, which means more crunch. If you can only find raw hulled seeds, toast them in a skillet over medium heat or in the oven until they’re golden and fragrant. Don’t wait for them to get golden brown because they can turn bitter.

•  The baking time might seem long for such small cakes, but rice flour takes a long time to cook and lose its raw flavor. So I recommend baking the tins on baking sheets, to prevent the bottoms from browning too much. The tops should stay golden, but if they start to brown too much, you can tent them with foil.

makes 5 dozen

gluten-free, no nuts

• 1 (1-pound; 453-g) box sweet rice flour, such as Mochiko
• 1½ cups (312 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2½ cups (560 g) whole milk, at room temperature
• 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup roasted white sesame seeds
• ¼ cup roasted black sesame seeds

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat sixty mini muffin cups with cooking spray, working in batches if necessary. Place the tins on half sheet pans.

2. Whisk the rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until well mixed. Add the eggs and milk and whisk until smooth. While whisking, drizzle in the melted butter and then whisk in the vanilla. Fold in the sesame seeds until evenly distributed.

3. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, working in batches if necesary.

4. Bake, rotating the positions of the pans halfway through, until the cakes are golden brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes. A cake tester or thin-bladed paring knife should slide through one easily.

5. Cool in the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes, then slide a small offset spatula or a knife between each cake and the pan to pop the cakes out. Cool completely on the racks.

MAKE AHEAD

The cakes taste best the day they’re made but will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.