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These Mini Sushi Bundt Cakes take everything people love about my viral sushi bundt cake and press it into single-serving rings. Each one layers seasoned Calrose rice, a spicy hand-chopped salmon mixture, crisp cucumber, and creamy avocado, finished with a drizzle of Japanese mayo and sriracha and a bright citrus tamari sauce. No slicing, no serving line. Everyone at the table gets their own.
Table of Contents
Why Make Minis Instead of One Big Cake
The full-size version is a centerpiece, and I love it for that, but minis solve a different problem. They are portioned before they ever hit the table, the layers stay intact because nobody is cutting into them, and they look like you fussed far more than you did. The filling here is the same spicy mixture from my salmon sushi bundt cake, so if you would rather make one big cake to slice, that recipe has you covered. If you are feeding a small group and want everyone served at once, stay right here.
Required Equipment
Mini Bundt Cake Pan: I use a 10-cavity pan where each cavity runs 4 inches across and 1.7 inches deep, which works out to roughly a cup apiece. This recipe fills about 6 of the 10 cavities, so you have room to scale up if you are feeding more people. Whatever pan you use, press the final rice layer flush with the rim of each cavity so the minis land flat when you flip them.
Rice Cooker (Optional But Strongly Recommended): A rice cooker gets the Calrose rice to the sticky, starchy texture that holds these together. The stovetop works, but the rice cooker is more consistent, and consistency matters more here because you are unmolding six little cakes instead of one big one.
Chef Nadia’s Tips
- Grease Every Ridge: Mini bundt cavities have more detail than a full-size pan relative to their size, and rice finds every crevice. A thorough, even coat of cooking oil spray in each cavity is non-negotiable.
- Wet Your Hands: Slightly damp hands keep the Calrose rice from clinging to you while you press each layer. You want firm, compressed layers in every cavity.
- Chill Before Flipping: Give the assembled pan 10 minutes in the fridge, then place a cutting board over the whole pan and flip everything in one motion. Tap each cavity lightly and lift.
Prep the Ingredients
Minis come together fast at assembly time, which makes the prep schedule your best friend. Here is how far ahead each component can go.
Seasoned Calrose Rice: Make this 1 to 2 days ahead. The rice needs at least 3 hours in the fridge to chill and turn tacky enough to hold its shape in the small cavities.
Citrus Tamari Sauce: Whisk it together up to 24 hours before serving. The cilantro and scallions get better as they sit in the citrus.
Spicy Salmon Mixture: Mix the Japanese mayo, sriracha, sesame oil, and serranos up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate. Chop the salmon ahead if you like, but do not combine it with the mixture until right before you assemble. The rice vinegar starts lightly curing the fish on contact, and with finely chopped salmon that happens fast.
Cucumber and Avocado: Slice the cucumbers up to 24 hours ahead and store them in an airtight container lined with dry paper towels. Slice the avocados no more than 30 to 60 minutes before assembly so they keep that vibrant green.
Pick Your Filling
The mini format works with any of my sushi cake fillings, so consider this your conversion page. The assembly method below stays the same no matter which one you choose.
Crab Tampico: The filling from the original. Swap the salmon for 2 cups of cooked crab, drop the sriracha to 1 tablespoon, skip the tamari in the mix, and use 2 finely chopped serranos. The easiest route is buying real lump crab meat from the seafood counter, already picked and ready to go. Just run your fingers through it to catch any stray bits of shell.
If you want to start from whole crab legs like I do, steam snow or Dungeness crab clusters in a covered steamer basket over an inch of boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes, then let them cool enough to handle. To get the meat out clean, use kitchen shears to cut a shallow ring around the shell just above the bottom joint, snap the shell at the cut, and gently pull the two pieces apart. The meat slides out whole.
Imitation crab works too and is actually the traditional choice, though I’m not a fan of it personally.
Shrimp: If you want a cooked filling with more heat and crunch, my shrimp sushi bundt cake uses a gochujang shrimp mixture that divides into mini cavities just as well.
Vegetarian: Sub the fish for cubed tofu or sautéed mushrooms. Season the same way and press the layers just as firmly.
Storage & Raw Fish Safety
If you are using the salmon filling, the fish must be sushi-grade. FDA guidelines call for fish that was commercially flash-frozen to destroy parasites before being eaten raw, so verify that with your fishmonger or supplier before buying.
Room Temperature: Raw fish and cooked rice should not sit out longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it is above 90°F.
Leftovers: These are not a leftover dish. The rice vinegar in the mixture starts curing the raw salmon the moment they meet, so the silky texture is gone within the hour. Make them, serve them, enjoy them.
Freezing: Never freeze assembled minis. The rice, avocado, and cucumber will not survive it.
How to Serve
Since the minis handle their own portioning, build the rest of the menu the same way. Start with a cucumbertini, which is crisp enough to stand up to the spicy salmon. A chilled yellowtail ceviche makes a bright appetizer that keeps the raw bar theme going. On the side, my arugula fennel salad adds the fresh crunch this meal wants. Finish with a passion fruit panna cotta, which is also individually portioned, so the theme holds all the way to dessert.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A muffin tin or individual ramekins work. You lose the ring shape but keep the individual portions. Grease them thoroughly, because they do not release as easily as a nonstick bundt cavity.
One per person as a main with a side or two. If you are serving these as part of a bigger spread, you can stretch them across more guests by halving them.
The rice can and should be made 1 to 2 days ahead, and the sauce a day ahead. Assemble the minis as close to serving as possible. The spicy salmon mixture should be combined right before assembly so the fish does not cure. Check out the Prep Section for more details.
Locally, I get mine at AJ’s. Online, Catalina Offshore Products, Yama Seafood, and Riviera Seafood Club all ship reliable sushi-grade fish. Wherever you buy, confirm it was flash-frozen for raw consumption.
Equipment
- rice cooker (optional)
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 1/2 cups calrose rice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tbsp black sesame seeds, toasted
Citrus Tamari Sauce
- 1/2 orange, juiced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 3 scallions, chopped greens only (save the white and light green parts for later)
- tamari, to taste
Spicy Salmon Mix
- 1 lb sushi-grade salmon
- 1/4 cup Japanese mayo
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tsp tamari
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 serrano, finely chopped
- 3 scallions, white and light green parts
Mini Sushi Bundt Cakes
- cooking oil spray
- 2 persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, sliced
- Japanese mayo, for drizzling
- Sriracha, for drizzling
- Shichimi togarashi, for topping
- serrano, sliced, for topping
Instructions
- Make the Rice: Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Cook in a rice cooker or according to package directions. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl, then fold it into the cooked rice with the sesame seeds. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight is preferred.
- Citrus Tamari Sauce: Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, and the dark green scallion tops in a small mixing bowl. Add tamari to preference and mix.
- Spicy Salmon Mix: Finely chop the salmon and add it to a bowl with the Japanese mayo, sriracha, tamari, sesame oil, serrano, rice vinegar, and the white and light green parts of the scallions. Mix well.
- Assemble the Mini Bundts: Coat each cavity of the mini bundt pan thoroughly with cooking oil spray. Divide half of the seasoned rice between 6 cavities and press firmly into the bottom. Layer in the cucumber slices, the spicy salmon mixture, and the avocado, dividing evenly. Press the remaining rice on top of each cavity so it sits flush with the rim. Refrigerate the pan for 10 minutes to set.
- Serve: Place a cutting board upside down over the pan and carefully flip everything over together. Tap lightly on each cavity until the minis release. Top with a drizzle of Japanese mayo and sriracha, shichimi togarashi, and sliced serranos, and serve with the citrus tamari sauce.
Kitchen Cam
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
