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This Shrimp Sushi Bundt Cake is the fully cooked member of my sushi bundt cake family, a variation of rosca de sushi, the dish I grew up with in northern Mexico, where it is hugely popular across Sonora and Sinaloa. Since nothing here is raw, it is technically not sushi at all, which has never stopped anyone. Traditionally it is made with imitation crab, but playing with the filling is the fun part. The unagi sauce is simple but it makes the whole thing, and most of the prep can be done ahead.
Table of Contents
What Makes the Shrimp Version Different
Two things: heat and crunch. The shrimp gets tossed with gochujang on top of the usual sriracha, so this one runs spicier than its siblings, and the toasted panko on top adds a crunch the others don’t have. Instead of the citrus tamari sauce, this cake gets a sweet and savory unagi sauce, simmered from just mirin, tamari, and cane sugar. And because the shrimp is fully cooked, this is the version to make when raw fish is off the table, whether that’s picky guests, pregnancy, or a grocery store with no sushi-grade case in sight.
What is Sinaloa-Style Sushi?
Sinaloa-style sushi, sometimes called sushi culichi after Culiacán, is northern Mexico’s own take on sushi, and it plays by its own rules. The fillings are usually cooked, the toppings are creamy, and the heat comes from serranos and chiles instead of wasabi. In Sinaloa they say every block has a sushi spot, and the style spread from there across the border states, including Sonora, where I grew up. Rosca de sushi comes out of that same food culture, which is why this shrimp version feels so at home in the family. The shrimp is fully cooked, the unagi sauce is sweet and savory, and the serranos bring the heat. If a traditional sushi chef would raise an eyebrow at it, that is kind of the point.
Required Equipment
Bundt Cake Pan: A 6-cup pan fits this exact amount of ingredients. If you size up or down, adjust the amounts so the final rice layer sits flush with the rim. That flat base is what keeps the cake in one piece when you flip it.
Mandoline Slicer: Optional, a knife works, but the mandoline gets the cucumber slices thin and even so the layers press tight.
Rice Cooker (Optional But Strongly Recommended): The rice cooker gets the Calrose rice to the starchy, tacky texture that holds the cake together. The stovetop works if you watch it closely.
Chef Nadia’s Tips
- Cook the Rice the Night Before: A rice cooker the night before gives you stickier rice, and stickier rice means a cleaner flip.
- Toast the Panko Properly: A dry pan over medium heat, shaking constantly, until it is deep golden. Pale panko disappears under the sauce; toasted panko stays crunchy.
- Reduce the Unagi Sauce Fully: It should coat the back of a spoon before it comes off the heat. If it pours like soy sauce, it will slide right off the cake.
Prep the Ingredients
This is the most make-ahead friendly cake in the family, since nothing in it is raw. Here is the schedule.
Seasoned Calrose Rice: Make this 1 to 2 days ahead. It needs at least 3 hours in the fridge to chill and turn tacky enough to hold the bundt shape.
Unagi Sauce: Simmer it ahead and give it plenty of time to cool, because it thickens as it sits. A day or two in advance works great, stored in the fridge.
Shrimp Mixture: Mix it up to 24 hours ahead, wrap it well, and refrigerate. The gochujang and serrano actually settle in nicely overnight.
Cucumber and Avocado: Slice the cucumber up to 24 hours ahead and store it in an airtight container lined with dry paper towels. Slice the avocados right before assembly so they stay green.
Ingredient Swaps
This is the most make-ahead friendly cake in the family, since nothing in it is raw. Here is the schedule.
Seasoned Calrose Rice: Make this 1 to 2 days ahead. It needs at least 3 hours in the fridge to chill and turn tacky enough to hold the bundt shape.
Unagi Sauce: Simmer it ahead and give it plenty of time to cool, because it thickens as it sits. A day or two in advance works great, stored in the fridge.
Shrimp Mixture: Mix it up to 24 hours ahead, wrap it well, and refrigerate. The gochujang and serrano actually settle in nicely overnight.
Cucumber and Avocado: Slice the cucumber up to 24 hours ahead and store it in an airtight container lined with dry paper towels. Slice the avocados right before assembly so they stay green.
Storage & Food Safety
Room Temperature: Cooked rice and seafood should not sit out longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it is above 90°F.
Refrigeration: Unlike the raw versions, this one handles leftovers. Wrap it well and refrigerate at 40°F or below. It is best within 24 hours, and fine up to 2 days. If you know you will have leftovers, hit the avocado with lemon juice to slow the browning, and store any extra unagi sauce separately.
Freezing: Do not freeze the assembled cake. The rice, cucumber, and avocado don’t do well in there.
What to Serve with Shrimp Sushi Bundt Cake
Start your night off with a fresh cucumbertini. As an appetizer, spicy salmon crispy rice would work well, and it uses the same unagi sauce so part of the work is already done. A crispy sesame handheld salad would be great on the side of this shrimp bundt. Finish the night with warm caramelized peaches, amaretto, and ice cream with my amaretto peaches dessert.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, everything in it is cooked, which makes it the right pick for anyone avoiding raw fish. The shrimp goes in fully cooked and the rest is rice, vegetables, and sauce.
Mostly, yes. The rice should be made 1 to 2 days ahead, the unagi sauce ahead so it cools and thickens, and the shrimp mixture up to 24 hours before. Assemble close to serving so the avocado stays green and the cucumber stays crisp.
Calrose or another short-grain sushi rice. The starch is the only thing holding the bundt shape, so long-grain rice like jasmine or basmati will crumble into a pile.
Best within 24 hours, fine up to 2 days wrapped well in the fridge. Lemon juice on the avocado helps it keep its color, and the unagi sauce stores separately.
Absolutely. Use mini bundt cake pans and the same layering order, or follow my mini sushi bundt cakes for the full method, swapping in this shrimp mixture.
Equipment
- rice cooker (optional)
- Mixing bowl
- 6-cup bundt pan
- mandoline slicer or knife
- small pot
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 1/2 cups calrose rice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tbsp black sesame seeds, toasted
Unagi Sauce
- 1/3 cup mirin
- 1/3 cup tamari, or soy sauce
- 1/3 cup cane sugar
Shrimp Mixture
- 1 lb shrimp, cooked, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Japanese mayo, and more for drizzling
- 2 tbsp sriracha, and more for drizzling
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 1 serrano, finely chopped
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp mirin
- 3 scallions, chopped, green parts
Shrimp Bundt
- cooking oil spray
- 1 english cucumber, thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, sliced
Toppings
- 1/3 cup panko, toasted
- 1 serrano, thinly sliced
- sriracha, optional, to taste
- Japanese mayo, optional, to taste
- lemon, optional, to taste
- tamari, optional, to taste
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.
- Unagi Sauce: Add the mirin, tamari, and cane sugar to a small pot and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Let it cool completely, it thickens as it sits.
- Shrimp Mixture: Combine the chopped shrimp, Japanese mayo, sriracha, gochujang, chopped serrano, sesame oil, mirin, and the green parts of the scallions in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Shrimp Bundt: Coat the bundt pan thoroughly with cooking oil spray. Press half of the seasoned rice into the bottom of the pan. Layer the sliced cucumber, shrimp mixture, and sliced avocados over the rice. Press the remaining rice firmly on top so it sits flush with the rim. Place your serving plate upside down on top of the pan and carefully flip everything over, then tap lightly on the top until the cake releases.
- Top and Serve: Top with plenty of unagi sauce, toasted panko, and serrano slices. If you like, add a drizzle of sriracha and Japanese mayo and a squeeze of lemon or splash of tamari.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What size is THIS Bundt and can I do the same thing in mini bundts
Hi Robyn. This bundt cake is a 6-cup. I didn’t realize I didn’t have it linked. It’s updated in the recipe now and I have it linked to the one I’m using. You can absolutely do these in mini-bundt cakes. That would be adorable and really great for company! I also linked some mini bundt cake pans in the variations section that I think would work well. Let me know how they turn out.