Make a Cake Using a Pressure Cooker

Believe it or not, you don't need an oven to bake a cake. You can actually make all sorts of delicious cakes in a pressure cooker. Cakes made in pressure cookers come out with a lighter and moister texture than cakes made in an oven. In this article, you'll find 3 recipes listed in order of difficulty - the first one being the simplest. Keep in mind that you can use any regular cake batter recipe in a pressure cooker. Read on to discover how to make a cake without an oven.

  • Prep time: 20-25 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

  • 1 cup (140 grams) of all-purpose flour/Maida
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup (200 grams) of sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) of milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) of oil

Eggless Chocolate Cake

  • 1 cup (140 grams) all purpose flour / Maida
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) oil
  • 1/3 cup (43 grams) sugar
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) hot water
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Chewy Fruit Cake

  • 1 cup (140 grams) of all purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200 grams) of sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup (171 grams) of butter
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 1 piece of nutmeg
  • 1 small piece of chopped orange peel
  • 1 tablespoon of raisins
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped candied cherries
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped dates
  • 1 tablespoon of raw cashews
  • 1 tablespoon of walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon Tutti Frutti confectioned dry fruit
  • 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of water

Steps

Sponge Cake

  1. Break the eggs into a bowl. Then, add the sugar and the vanilla essence[1],[2].
  2. Beat the mixture until completely smooth. With an electric, or hand beater, mix the ingredients well. The batter should be smooth and relatively thick[1],[2].
  3. Preheat the pressure cooker. Place the pressure cooker on medium heat, and heat it for about 5 minutes.
  4. Sift the flour. Place the flour into your sifter, then place the sifter over the bowl with the batter. Gently sift the flour into the batter.
  5. Fold the batter. Once you've poured the flour into the batter, gently fold the flour in.
    • Fold the flour by sliding the spatula into the batter, then lifting it up (with the batter) and folding it over[3].
    • Repeat this action until the ingredients are mixed to a smooth batter.
  6. Place a piece of parchment paper inside of the pressure cooker. You're going to pour the sponge cake batter directly into the pressure cooker, which is why you need to lay out a piece of parchment paper onto the bottom[3].
  7. Pour the batter into the pressure cooker. Once you've laid out parchment paper onto the bottom of the cooker, slowly pour in the cake batter. Then, cover your pressure cooker and reduce the heat to medium-low.
  8. Cook the cake for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, take a toothpick and stick it into the cake to see if it's fully cooked. If the toothpick comes out dry, the cake is ready. If the toothpick comes out wet, leave the cake in the cooker for another 5 minutes. Then check again.
    • Keep in mind that cook time is reduced when using a pressure cooker.
  9. Turn off the heat and uncover the cooker. Then, leave the cake in the pressure cooker for about 5 minutes. After five minutes, cover your cooker with a plate and flip the appliance.[3].
  10. Cut the cake into slices. Remove the parchment paper from the cake. Top with some powdered sugar, if desired, and enjoy!

Eggless Chocolate Cake

  1. Combine the oil, sugar, water, and vanilla essence in a big bowl. Mix the ingredients until the sugar is completely dissolved[4].
  2. Sift your dry ingredients into the mixture of wet ingredients. Place a sifter over the bowl with the sugar, water, oil, and vanilla essence. Take a spoon and gently mix the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Then, sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients[4].
  3. Beat the mixture well. Once you've sifted the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, combine the mixture well by beating it or stirring it.
  4. Preheat the pressure cooker. Place your pressure cooker over medium heat, and wait for about 5 minutes.
  5. Grease the smaller tin. Take a little butter or oil, and grease the cooking tin for the cake[4].
    • Most pressure cookers come with two cooking tins.
  6. Pour a little lemon juice on top of the cake batter. Mix the batter and juice.
    • The lemon juice reacts with the baking soda, allowing the cake to dry well.
  7. Pour the batter into the greased tin. Once the cake batter is in the tin, tap the sides of the tin to eliminate air bubbles.
  8. Place the non-greased tin into the pressure cooker first. Then, place the tin with the cake batter on top of the first tin. Cover your pressure cooker. Bake the cake over medium heat for the first 5 minutes.
  9. Continue cooking the cake for 35 minutes. Move the heat setting from medium to medium-low (for example, from setting 5 to setting 3), and cook the cake for 35 minutes[4].
    • Insert a toothpick into the cake to make sure it's fully cooked. If the toothpick comes out dry, the cake is ready. If the toothpick is wet, cook the cake for another 5 minutes then test again.
  10. Turn off the heat after 35 minutes. Then, let your cake stand in the pressure cooker for about 5 minutes.
  11. Remove the cake from the pressure cooker. After 5 minutes remove the cake from the pressure cooker, and let it stand for about 10 minutes to cool.
  12. Take out the cake. Finally, take your cake out of its tin, and place it onto a plate. Pour a little powdered sugar over the cake, and cut into slices. Enjoy!

Chewy Fruit Cake

  1. Powder your spices (orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg). Simply grind your spices in a spice or coffee grinder. You might want to cut the spices, like the cinnamon stick, into smaller pieces before placing them in your grinder[5].
    • Set your powdered spices aside in a small bowl.
  2. Take 3 tablespoons of sugar. Set this amount aside in a small bowl, as you'll need to use it later[6].
  3. Transfer all of the fruits and nuts into a big bowl. Then, add 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Combine the flour, fruits and nuts well. If you don't take this step, the fruits and nuts will settle on the bottom of your pan while cooking.
  4. Combine the baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa powder with the all-purpose flour. Then, pour the mix over a sifter and sift it.
  5. Heat the remaining sugar in a pan. Stir the sugar while heating it until it melts and turns to a golden color. Once the sugar has completely melted and changed color, add the water[6].
  6. Stir the water and sugar over low to medium heat. Combine the two ingredients until they have mixed well. Then, turn off the heat and allow for the mixture to cool[6].
  7. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Then, set them aside.
  8. Beat the butter in a bowl. Once the butter's texture is fairly smooth, add the powdered sugar little by little. Continue to beat the mix. Then, add the beaten eggs, and combine the ingredients well.
  9. Add the flour mix to the butter, eggs, and powdered sugar. Beat the mix well with a spoon or a hand beater[6].
  10. Pour in the sugar syrup. Mix the heated water sugar well. Then, add the powdered spices and combine the mixture.
  11. Add the nuts and fruits. Mix them in well.
  12. Place a standing set in your aluminum pressure cooker. Place the plate on top of the standing set. Then, heat the cooker for about five minutes over medium heat.
  13. Grease the cake mold. Take a little butter, and grease your cake mold. Then, sprinkle a little bit of all-purpose flour over the entire cake mold[6].
    • You can also use a spray oil, or oil, to grease the mold.
  14. Pour the cake batter into the cake mold. Once you've poured in the entire mixture, tap the sides of the cake mold to eliminate air bubbles.
  15. Place the cake mold into your pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker has heated for about 5 minutes, place the cake mold with the cake batter inside of it into the pressure cooker. Cover the pressure cooker.
  16. Cook the cake for 50 minutes. Keep the heat to low-medium.
    • To make sure that the cake is fully cooked, insert a toothpick into it after 45 minutes. If the toothpick is dry when you pull it out, the cake is ready. If the toothpick is wet, let the cake cook for another 5 minutes. Then, check again.
  17. Turn off the heat. Take out the cake and set it aside to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then, take the cake out of its mold, and sprinkle powdered sugar over it. Cut in slices, and enjoy!



Things You'll Need

  • 3 big to medium bowls
  • Hand beater, or large spoon
  • Sifter
  • Pressure cooker
  • Cake pan/mold
  • Spatula
  • Toothpicks

Tips

  • Some people prefer pressure cookers because they heat much faster than ovens while consuming less energy. Most meals prepared in a pressure cooker take about 15 to 20 minutes less than in an oven. Furthermore, an oven's temperature is usually too high for baking, frequently resulting in overly dry cakes.

Sources and Citations