Cooker Cake, How to Make Cake in Pressure Cooker

Cooker cake recipe – This post shows detail steps on how to make cake in a pressure cooker, pot or pan without using a oven. Baking without a oven is not a new technique. In fact it was invented and used since many decades in various countries. In India, most homes do not have an oven and use a pressure cooker for their daily cooking needs. So many people prefer to use an already existing stovetop pressure cooker for baking rather than investing in a Oven.

Cooker Cake

If you are new to baking without an Oven, you may wonder why bake in a pressure cooker? Well, it’s for a simple reason that aluminum cookers have a heavy base or bottom which helps in even distribution of heat.

So they are very good for baking and can yield extremely good cakes, muffins and cookies. If you do not have a pressure cooker, simply use a heavy bottom pan, kadai or pot, preferably made of aluminum.

You can use the same technique shown below to bake a cake in a kadai or any pot.

I had lot of readers requests for a cooker cake recipe. I tried a few recipes with and without egg which I will be sharing here. In this post I am sharing a eggless cake recipe that can be baked in a cooker. However this recipe can also be used to bake cake in Oven.

It’s a beginners recipe and uses only pantry staples. This recipe will yield you a soft, moist and delicious eggless vanilla cake. There is no condensed milk used here.

If you prefer to use it, then you can check this post on Eggless vanilla cake made with condensed milk. You can also check this chocolate Biscuit cake that needs no oven & is eggless too.

Photo Guide

How to Make Cake in a Cooker (Stepwise photos)

Preparation

1. I have used a 7 inch cake pan. If you use a smaller pan, the batter may overflow while baking. Grease the pan and dust some flour evenly. Shake it and then invert it in the kitchen sink to remove excess flour. If possible use butter pan or parchment paper.

2. Spread salt in the pressure cooker. You can also use any aluminum pan.

3. Place a plate over the salt. Any plate will do. It is just to cover the salt. Place a trivet/ ring or any hot pot stand. The bottom of the cake may get burnt or over baked if you place the pan directly on the plate or on the sand. I have found this arrangement bakes the cake evenly all over (top and bottom).

4. Remove the gasket or ring and weight.

5. Cover the cooker. Heat it on a medium flame.

Make Cake Batter

6. Add ¾ cup sugar and 1 cup milk to a mixing bowl. If using organic sugar use 2 tbsps. more. Do not use cold milk. Use at least room temperature to warm milk.

7. Pour ½ cup melted butter or oil. If using oil, use coconut oil. I have tried this with organic refined flavorless coconut oil and the results were good.

8. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1¼ tablespoons vinegar with at least 5% acidity.

9. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.

10. Place a sieve over the bowl. Add 1½ cups flour (190 grams), 1 pinch salt, 1¼ teaspoons baking powder & ½ teaspoon baking soda. Mix them up lightly with a spoon.

Tip to measure the flour: Fluff up the flour in the pack with a fork first. Spoon the flour to a measuring cup and level it with a straight edged spoon or knife.

11. Sieve it.

12. Gently mix the wet and dry with a spatula, until just combined. Do not over mix. If you are a beginner, you may sieve half the flour first and combine, followed by the rest of the flour.

13. Transfer the batter to the cake tray. Tap the cake tray to the counter few times. Brush with milk on top. This is optional.

How to Make Cake in Cooker

14. The cooker should be hot enough inside. Place the cake tray inside. Be careful as the cooker sides can burn your hands. Use a tong/pakkad for safety.

15. Cover the cooker. Please note that you will need to remove the gasket and weight. Regulate the flame to low or sim. Bake for 50 to 60 mins.

16. When the cake is done you will begin to smell the baked cake. A tester inserted comes out clean. The cake top will be dry and not sticky. If it is moist, bake it for a few more mins.

17. Cool the cake tray on a wire rack for 10 to 15 mins, so your cake doesn’t sweat at the bottom. If you have not used parchment paper on the sides, use a spatula or knife to loosen the cake. Invert it on the rack. Remove the parchment paper. Cool this completely.

18. I made a simple white chocolate icing. You can use any chocolate or choco chips. I heated up 2 cups of water in a kadai. Placed a pan over the hot water. Place the chopped chocolate in the pan. Make sure water doesn’t enter the pan.

19. Begin to stir continuously until the chocolate melts and turns smooth.

20. Cool the cake and chocolate completely. Pour the chocolate over the cake. Spread it with a spatula.

Sprinkle some grated chocolate or sprinkles. Slice the cake and serve. You can keep this cake in the fridge for up to 4 days. Warm up in a steamer for few mins.

Pro Tips

1. Any aluminum pressure cooker or pressure pan works good to use as a oven for the cake baking.

2. A heavy bottom or a heavy gauge aluminum cooker may not get damaged if used properly for baking. Avoid using light weight cookers. Also avoid anodized and steel cookers.

3. Avoid baking without spreading salt at the bottom. Salt absorbs some heat from the extreme hot base and prevents overheating the cooker base. Overheating aluminium cookware can weaken the material and damage the shape.

4. Avoid washing, rinsing or adding cold foods to the hot cooker after using it for baking. Sudden temperature variation may make the material to weaken and damage. Allow the cooker to cool down naturally before using it again.

5. Do not use gasket & weight while baking.

If you follow all the above instructions your cooker will last longer even if you use it for baking often.

Cake recipes that you can bake following the same cooker method:
Eggless chocolate cake
Eggless Black forest cake
Chocolate cake
Chocolate sponge cake
Eggless sponge cake
Butter cake
Eggless carrot cake
Banana cake

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Cooker Cake Recipe first published in February 2018. Updated and republished in June 2022.