Walnut and cinnamon-swirl cornbread

Lately, I've been craving baked goods. Probably because for me, baked goods are comfort food to ward away the stresses of life (of which there are many when one is a clueless gaijin), but being gluten-free makes it a little difficult to get my fix. Add to that the fact that I don't have an oven, and things get more complicated - thank goodness for rice cookers! This recipe is modified from one I found at Gluten-Free Mommy.




Ingredients:
 -1 cup white rice flour
- 1/4 cup corn grits
- 1/2 cup corn flour
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- a few good shakes of salt
- ~1 Tablespoon butter (melted)
- 2 beaten eggs
- 3/5 cup milk
- a few dashes of cinnamon (to taste)
- several walnut halves, chopped

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. Plug in the rice cooker and press the button for plain rice (lid closed).

Melt the one tablespoon of butter in the microwave, then combine with the eggs and milk. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the flour mixture and stir until the lumps are out. Pour batter into the rice cooker, then shake the cinnamon on top and add the walnuts; swirl the mixture gently with a spoon to mix it in.

Now, wait until the rice cooker beeps to signal the end of the cycle. At this point, check it with a toothpick: it should come out relatively clean (although some grits may stick to it, so don't be alarmed if that's the case). It should be done; if you like it a little drier, leave it in the cooker on the automatic "warm" setting until you're satisfied. Serve warm, with a little syrup on top!

A note about rice cooker baking: very little moisture evaporates in a rice cooker, hence why I nearly halved the amount of liquid in this recipe. Also, it's very hard to burn anything in a rice cooker, and the bowl should be non-stick, so don't bother with greasing it - you'll only be eating every drop of that grease later on.