The Lobster Dance

In which our readers will remember that our heroine is not blogging about chocolate because she has ovaries, but rather because of a complex cultural system of gender-policed foods that have led her down the path of chocolate consumption and–

And because chocolate cake is damn awesome and you can make it in your Japanese rice cooker.

It's a piece of cake to--no, let's not start that.

Chocolate Cinnamon Rice-Cooker Cake
Translated and adapted from 『炊飯器でおいしいお菓子とふっくらパン』(Make Delicious Sweets and Fluffy Bread in Your Rice Cooker), p. 8.

Ingredients
3 eggs
90 g sugar
120 g cake flour （薄力粉　hakurikiko)
30 g cocoa powder (ココア　kokoa)*
5 g (1 tsp. １小さじ) baking powder (ベキングパウダー　bekingu paudaa)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
40 g butter, softened
50 g chocolate chips (チョコチップ chocochippu)**
Powdered sugar (optional) (パウダー シュガー paudaa shugaa or 粉砂糖 kona zatou) for garnish

Instructions
1. Mix the eggs and sugar in a bowl and stir well.
2. Slowly add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon), and mix well. Make sure to get all the baking powder and cocoa mixed in to the batter.
3. Add the softened butter and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.
4. Add the chocolate chips.
5. Butter the inside of the rice-cooker bowl, then pour the batter in.
6. Press the “cook-rice” (炊飯　suihan) button.
7. When the rice-cooker’s switch pops after finishing a cycle, check the cake with a chopstick or knife to see if it’s done in the center. This cake takes about 2-3 rounds in the rice-cooker. If the cake isn’t done, press the “cook-rice” button again (you may need to turn off the “keep warm” button to do so). Flip the cake out of the bowl onto a plate or cooling rack.
8. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top if you like.

Notes:
*Cocoa and powdered sugar will be in the baking section of the store in small packets.
**Also in the baking section. My store has 50 g and 120 g packets, so just eyeball the correct weight based on the packet if you don’t have a scale.