Ragi cake | Eggless ragi cake | Finger millet cake
Updated: August 28, 2022, By Swasthi
Ragi cake recipe – Ragi or finger millet is a well-known grain widely popular in South India. Ragi flour is often used to make porridge, roti, mudde etc. This ragi cake is one of the very old posts on the blog. I used to make this often when my younger kid was a toddler. This recipe yields ragi cake that tastes delicious, very light, fluffy and soft without leaving an after taste of baking soda or baking powder.
This ragi cake is made of no refined ingredients and is quite healthy if eaten in moderation. It can be served to toddlers for an evening snack. I recently happened to make this cake again after a very long time so thought of updating the post with a video.
If making for toddlers, it is good to use melted butter than oil. But the recipe works with both. You can also make this with powdered jaggery, brown sugar, coconut sugar or palm jaggery. The cake tastes very delicious even with out frosting and is very light and delicate due to the addition of curd or yogurt.
For more Cake Recipes, you can check
Eggless chocolate cake
Vanilla cake
Eggless fruit cake
Eggless chocolate banana cake
Egglesss banana bread
Photo Guide
Preparation
1. Grease a 7 or 8 inch cake pan and then line with a parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven at 170 c for at least 15 mins. If you bake in a fan forced oven, preheat and bake at 160 C.
3. Fluff up the ragi flour in the jar with a fork. Then spoon it to the measuring cup and level it with a spatula. Add it to the sieve. You can also use sprouted ragi flour like I did.
4. Fluff up the wheat flour in the jar and spoon to the measuring cup. Level it with a spatula. Add that as well to the sieve. Add baking powder.
5. Add baking soda.
6. Next add salt, if your jaggery has a slight salt taste then skip adding salt here.
7. Add cocoa powder. You can also reduce the cocoa to 1 tbsp and reduce 20 ml milk in the recipe. Sieve all these well thrice.
8. Then add powdered jaggery / sugar/ palm jaggery or coconut sugar. If you prefer to filter the jaggery, then add it to the milk. Dissolve completely and filter it to the flour. That’s how I do most of the times.
How to make ragi cake without eggs
9. Pour milk. You can use any milk.
10. Add vinegar & vanilla extract.
11. Pour melted butter. You can also use oil, I had used virgin coconut oil before it works well without the flavor of oil in the cake.
12. Whisk the curd and pour it.
13. Begin to mix gently.
14. There should be no lumps. Do not over mix.
15. Transfer this to the greased cake pan. Knock a few times to the counter.
Baking chocolate ragi cake
16. Bake at 170 C for 25 to 30 mins. Mine was done at 30 mins. Do check at 25 mins once. This cake comes out with some cracks on top and doesn’t affect the taste or texture. A skewer inserted comes out clean when the cake is done.
17. Cool it for 15 mins and then invert the cake pan over a wire cake.
18. Ragi cake turns out very soft, spongy and light. Cool this completely. It tastes very good and doesn’t need any frosting.
Frosting ragi cake
19. Here is the method to make chocolate sauce which can be made while the cake bakes. Pour milk, cocoa and sugar to a pan. Do adjust the amount of sugar as needed.
20. Whisk all of these well and begin to boil. You can dd vanilla towards the end but i added it half way.
21. Stir often and boil until the sauce thickens.
22. Cool the sauce completely.
23. Pour the cooled sauce over the cooled cake. Gently spread it with a spatula.
You can add some grated white chocolate or chopped cashews or sprinkles.
Slice and serve ragi cake. You can store this in the fridge for 6 to 7 days. Just heat up in microwave for 30 to 40 seconds before serving.
Related Recipes
Ragi cake
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- ¾ cup ragi flour fine, or sprouted ragi flour
- ¾ cup wheat flour atta or plain flour
- 2 tbsps cocoa powder check notes
- 1 cup sugar or jaggery or palm sugar (tightly packed)
- ⅓ cup curd yogurt, dahi (80 ml) whisked
- ⅔ cup butter unsalted, melted or oil
- ¾ cup milk or 180 ml, or 100 ml water + 80 ml milk
- ½ tbsp vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt optional
Frosting(optional)
- 1 cup full fat milk or 3 tbsps milk powder dissolved in 3/4 to 1 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ cup sugar + 2 tbsps more if needed
Instructions
Preparation for ragi cake
- Grease a 7 or 8 inch pan and line with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 170 C for at least 15 mins. If using a fan forced oven, preheat at 160 C.
- Fluff up the flour in the jar with a fork. Spoon it to a measuring cup. Level the flour. Do the same while you measure the cocoa. Sieve together ragi flour, wheat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa. Sieve thrice.
- To the same bowl, add sugar or jaggery.
- Pour milk, vinegar, vanilla, curd, and butter to the bowl. Whisk the curd before adding it.
- Mix everything well just until combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour the mixture to the greased tray.
- Knock the pan to the kitchen counter a few times.
Baking ragi cake
- Bake for 25 to 30 mins. Mine was done at 30 mins. When the cake is done a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for about 15 mins before removing the cake to the wire rack. This cake is very delicate so handle it gently.
- Cool the ragi cake completely before slicing.
Chocolate frosting (optional)
- Pour milk to a pot or pan.
- Add cocoa and sugar. Mix well and boil stirring often.
- Within few minutes the mixture turns thick. Add vanilla extract and turn off the heat.
- Cool this completely. The chocolate sauce thickens after cooling.
- Place the cake on a deep serving plate. Pour the chocolate sauce over the cake.
- Gently spread with a spatula. Sprinkle some white chocolate or sprinkles.
- Slice ragi cake and serve.
Notes
Video
Video of Ragi cake recipe
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
This cake is simply delicious. My daughter simply loves it. I made it for my sister’s birthday – and she loved it too.
Thank you very much Swasthi for this wonderful recipe
Ma’am can we use less oil or butter.if yes then how much should we use.thanks in advance
Hi Vaishali,
I wouldn’t suggest altering the recipe. Please follow as written for best results
This recipe was simple and came out deliciously choclatey and moist. Yum. I will make it again. Thank you.
Awesome and tasty
Hi I wanted to add orange juice to this so how can I do that?
If I want to add egg then can I remove vinegar and curd form the recipe?
Wow!!! What a tasty cake.As a vegetarian It’s my first time trying to make an eggless cake. It turned out to be spongy and tasty. My husband loved it.
Thanks Swasti
Thank you so much Divya for sharing back how it turned out for you. Happy to know!
Hesitantanly tried the cake for my daughter’s first birthday , but turned out great ?, thank you so much for such a detailed and perfect recipe!!!!
So glad to know Nayasa. Thank you for sharing back!
Instead of curd what I can I use
This recipe works with milk and vinegar in place of curd but the cake won’t be spongy
Definitely a good recipe. I used virgin coconut oil instead of butter. Sugar I used around 3/4th of cup instead of a cup. Altogether the cake was really spongy and tasty.
Thank you Jesse. So glad you like it.
Why is ur ingredients list not showing in ragi…cake…itbisshowing video abd method
Deepti,
This is an old post where I have listed the ingredients only in the recipe card at the end of the post. I am yet to update the ingredients in the stepwise picture instructions. I guess you haven’t read the recipe card at the end of the post. Please prepare all the ingredients first from the recipe card and then follow the stepwise instructions. I will try to update it. Hope this helps
If. I skip curd than what other thing i can add
You can use the same amount of milk and 1 tbsp vinegar in total (5% acidity)
Good Recipie, came out Delicious, Thanks!!
Glad to know Nikkie
Good one..came out very well
Mam plz tell me can i cook this to pan? If i can how the time to pre heat the pan and time for cook the cake… Plz rply mam
Your ingredients show vinegar… but I don’t see it added in either the written or the video recipe. When do we put it?
Hi Harpreet,
I think you missed reading it. It is mentioned in the recipe. It is not there in the video but I suggest using it for a lighter cake
Hi Swasthi,
A wonderful recipe. Very healthy and looks super yummy. Just can’t wait to try it. Before trying it,wanted to know whether I can replace milk with water. Will it work?
Hi Anitha,
Thank you. As I mentioned in the recipe, you can replace a part of the milk with water. Substituting all of the milk with water may cause the cake to dry out. If you are particular about that, you may add little melted butter and use only water.
Thank you very much Swasthi. Your honest approach is very appreciable. Thank you.
Hi, for how many days it will stay good ? I am planning to pack it for my kids snack box – so just checking for how many days it will stay good without refrigerating ?
Hi Swathi, Can I skip vinegar or what is the alternative I can use? I am new to baking 🙂
Hi Swasthi, thanks so much for this yummy healthy recipe. My hubby made this today topped with the chocolate ganache and it came our superb…couldn’t believe ragi cake can taste so soft and awesome. The only change he did was for the ganache he melted coconut oil n dark baking chocolate together ..thanks again for sharing such easy healthy recipes?
Hi Sonali,
Glad to know it turned out great. Thanks for leaving a comment.
🙂
I followed the recipe to a T. Opted for oil instead of melted butter per the recipe. Took about 42 minutes to get done. Tasted very nice with just the right amount of sweetness, but was very very oily. I guess the recipe is ok for melted butter, but will need a little less oil than listed.