Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake

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What if I tell you that its absolutely possible to make a luscious and indulgent chocolate cake without an oven? And you really don’t have to go anywhere else, because I’ve got just that foolproof Cake Recipe for you. With the recipe of Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake that I have shared on this post, you can easily make a cake sans oven, which is also just as soft, fluffy, moist and delish. The recipe is also eggless.

pieces of pressure cooker chocolate cake served on a white plate.

Why You Will Love This Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake

One of the recipe requests that I have been getting over the years is on how to make a cake without using an oven. So, it was essential for me to add this recipe of a fuss-free stovetop Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake that can be easily done even if you don’t have an oven or don’t want to use it.  

I have made this cake many times in an oven. But when I made this the first time, I made it in the pressure cooker. This recipe is roughly adapted from a cake recipe which I have been making from many years.

The recipe of this Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake is simple and you do not need any special ingredients. This eggless cake is made with all-purpose flour (maida). So, use organic or unbleached all-purpose flour, if possible.

You can also prepare this cake with whole wheat flour (atta). Some more water may need to be added, if using whole wheat flour. You can also check this simple and plain Wheat Cake recipe for the same.

Like I mentioned earlier, this Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake is soft, moist and light and tastes somewhat similar to a Dutch truffle cake. Basically, it is best had directly from the pan.

It is so moist that even when you slice, you have to do that carefully and only once the frosting sets. Without the frosting too, the cake tastes good.

This cake can also be made in the oven. I have used curd (yogurt) and vinegar in this preparation.

The curd can be substituted with buttermilk too. I also used Hershey’s cocoa powder. But you can use any other good quality cocoa powder.

pieces of pressure cooker chocolate cake served on a white plate.

The cake has a gooey chocolatey frosting that adds a dimension of richness and fudgy flavors to the cake. You could opt to skip the frosting and only make the cake.

Without the frosting, the cake tastes good, but I would suggest to make this frosting as it simply rounds up the flavors and makes it top notch in this chocolate cake made in pressure cooker.

Other Cake Recipes Without Oven

  • Cooker Cake – Spongy and soft, light-textured delicious egg-free sponge cake made in a pressure cooker.
  • Biscuit Cake – This is one of the easiest and yummiest cake recipes one can make. This no-bake cake also has chocolate in it and tastes too good.
  • Baath Cake – Light, nutritious steamed cake made with yellow cucumber, semolina, jaggery and coconut. A traditional recipe of Goan cuisine where it is also referred to as ‘tavsali.’ In this recipe, the cake is steamed instead of getting baked.
Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake

Preparation & Make Flour Mixture

1. Grease a baking pan or baking bowl with butter or oil. Make sure that the pan you use fits inside a 5 or 6-liter stovetop pressure cooker.

greased baking pan with butter or oil.

2. In a bowl, take 1 cup all purpose flour (125 grams) and ¼ teaspoon salt. You can also sift the flour prior to mixing it with the other ingredients.

all purpose flour and salt added to a bowl.

3. Then, add ½ cup sugar (100 grams).

sugar added to flour.

4. Mix everything very well with a spoon or wired whisk. Set aside.

mixing dry ingredients with a spoon.

Make Chocolate Mixture

5. Then, in a pan, take ¼ cup unsalted butter (30 grams), ¼ cup oil and ¼ cup cocoa powder (20 grams). 

If using salted butter, skip adding salt in step 1.

unsalted butter, oil and cocoa powder added in a pan.

6. Add ½ cup water.

adding water to pan.

7. Keep the pan on low heat and with a wired whisk, continuously stir so that all the cocoa powder dissolves and the mixture becomes uniform. There should be no lumps.

mixing ingredients in the pan with a whisk.

8. The butter will start melting on low heat.

butter melting in chocolate mixture.

9. Bring just to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously with the whisk.

bringing chocolate mixture to a boil.

Mixing Chocolate Mixture and Flour Mixture

10. As soon as the chocolate mixture comes to a boil, immediately pour it into the flour mixture.

chocolate mixture added to flour mixture.

11. Mix lightly. If you don’t mix, then also its fine. Keep aside.

mixing chocolate mixture with flour mixture.

12. In a 5 or 6-liter cooker, spread 1 cup salt evenly. Place the cooker on low heat.

salt spread in a pressure cooker.

Make Curd (or Yogurt) Mixture

13. In another small bowl, take ¼ cup fresh curd or yogurt.

curd added in a bowl.

14. Add ¼ cup water to the curd.

water added to curd.

15. Mix very well.

water mixed well with curd.

16. Then, add 1 teaspoon vinegar to it. Mix again.

adding vinegar to curd mixture.

17. Next, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence.

adding vanilla extract to curd mixture.

18. Lastly, add ½ teaspoon baking soda.

Since only baking soda is used, make sure that the baking soda is fresh and active. To check the freshness, dissolve a bit of baking soda in solution of vinegar and water and it should fizz and bubble.

adding baking soda to curd mixture.

19. Mix very well. This mixture will begin to froth.

mixing ingredients in curd mixture.

Make Batter

20. Immediately, add this mixture to the chocolate-flour mixture.

curd mixture added to chocolate-flour mixture.

21. With a wired whisk mix very well making sure there are no tiny lumps.

mixing curd mixture in chocolate-flour mixture with a whisk.

22. However, do not over do the mixing.

batter of pressure cooker chocolate cake.

23. Pour the batter into the greased baking tin.

pouring batter in the greased baking tray.

24. Gently, tap and shake the pan.

batter added in the greased baking tray.

Making Chocolate Cake In Pressure Cooker

25. Place a rack or stand carefully on the salt layer.

stand placed on salt layer in cooker.

26. Place the cake pan on the stand.

cake pan placed on stand.

27. Cover and close with the cooker’s lid.

Important: The rubber gasket (rubber ring) and the whistle should be removed before you close the cooker with its lid.

pressure cooker covered with its lid.

28. Bake the cake on low heat for 40 to 45 minutes.

If baking in an oven, bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C (350 degrees F) for 35 to 40 minutes.

baked pressure cooker chocolate cake.

29. Check with a toothpick to see if the cake is done or not. The toothpick should come out clean.

The time for the cake to bake in the pressure cooker will depend on the size and thickness of the cooker, the size of the cake pan and the intensity of stovetop heat.

I have used a heavy 5 litre aluminum pressure cooker and it helps in uniform heating, which results in evenly baked goods.

checking doneness of chocolate cake.

30. Remove the cake pan carefully from the pressure cooker. While the cake is still hot. Poke a lot of holes in it using a fork or a toothpick or a bamboo skewer.

Make a lot of holes as this is where the frosting seeps into and they cannot be seen once the frosting has been cooled.

poking holes on cooked cake.

Make Chocolate Frosting

31. In a saucepan, take ¼ cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence, 10 tablespoons brown sugar, ¼ cup milk and ¼ cup cocoa powder.

Instead of brown sugar, you can also use regular white sugar or unrefined cane sugar.

butter, vanilla extract, brown sugar, milk and cocoa powder added in a saucepan to make icing.

32. Keep the pan on low heat and with a wired whisk stir and mix very well to combine the ingredients.

stirring ingredients with a wired whisk.

33. The brown sugar granules should completely melt and the cocoa powder should dissolve. Stir continuously to get an even mixture.

stirring mixture continuously.

34. Bring this mixture to a boil.

boiling icing mixture.

35. Once the chocolate frosting mixture comes to a boil, immediately pour it all over the cake. You don’t need to spread it as the frosting seeps down inside the cake.

icing mixture ready to be poured on the cake.

36. This cake tastes good warm also, but you cannot slice it and you can just eat it directly from the pan with a spoon.

You can also cool the cake in the refrigerator and then eat it. Cover the pan with a lid or foil when refrigerating.

I kept the cake in the refrigerator and thus I was able to slice them for the final pictures.

icing spread on chocolate cake.

37. Slice and then serve the Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake as a lovely treat or dessert.

The remaining cake can be refrigerated for about a week. Store in a covered air-tight container and refrigerate.

pieces of pressure cooker chocolate cake served on a white plate with text layover.

More Cake Recipes To Try!

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chocolate cake recipe in pressure cooker

Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake

This Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake is a soft, moist and a delicious cake made with all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, curd (yogurt) and butter. It is also a frosted cake where the frosting is made with a lovely chocolatey frosting.
4.88 from 54 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Cuisine World
Course Desserts
Diet Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 12 Slices
Units

Ingredients

Flour Mixture – 1

  • 1 cup all purpose flour – 125 grams (maida)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup sugar – 100 grams

Liquid Mixture – 2

  • ¼ cup cocoa powder – 20 grams
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter – 30 grams; if using salted butter then skip adding salt
  • ¼ cup oil
  • ½ cup water

Curd Mixture – 3

  • ¼ cup Curd (or yogurt)
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

Chocolate Frosting Mixture

  • ¼ cup cocoa powder – 20 grams
  • ¼ cup Butter – 30 grams, salted or unsalted
  • 10 tablespoons brown sugar – regular sugar can also be used
  • ¼ cup milk you can also use cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Instructions
 

Prep

  • Grease a baking pan or baking bowl with softened butter.

Flour Mixture – 1

  • In a bowl, take the flour, salt and sugar. You can also sift the flour.
  • Mix everything very well with a spoon or wired whisk.

Liquid Mixture – 2

  • Then in a small pan, take the butter, oil, cocoa and water.
  • Keep the pan on a low heat and with a wired whisk, continuously stir so that all the cocoa powder dissolves and the mixture becomes even and uniform. There should be no lumps.
  • Bring just to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously with the whisk.
  • As soon as the chocolate mixture comes to a boil, immediately pour it into the flour mixture.
  • Just light mix. If you don't mix then also it is fine.
  • In a 5 or 6 litre stovetop pressure cooker, spread 1 cup salt evenly. Place the cooker on a low heat to preheat it.

Curd Mixture – 3

  • In another bowl, take curd (or yogurt), water, vinegar and vanilla extract. Mix very well.
  • Lastly add baking soda.
  • Mix thoroughly. This mixture will begin to froth.
  • Immediately add this mixture to the flour and chocolate mixture.

Mixing and making cake without oven

  • With a wired whisk mix very well. However do not over do the mixing.
  • Pour into the greased baking tin or pan. Gently shake and tap the pan.
  • Carefully, place a rack or stand on the salt layer. Place the cake pan on the stand.
  • Cover and close cooker with its lid.
    The rubber gasket and the whistle should be removed before you place and close the lid on the cooker.
  • Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes on a low heat. If baking in an oven, then bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C (356 degrees F) for 35 to 40 minutes.
  • Check with a tooth pick to see if the cake is done or not. The tooth pick should come out clean.
  • Remove the cake pan carefully from the pressure cooker. While the cake is still hot poke a lot of holes in it using a fork or a toothpick or a bamboo skewer.
    Make a lot of holes as this is where the frosting seeps into and they cannot be seen once the frosting has been cooled and is set.

Making the chocolate frosting

  • In a saucepan, take butter, vanilla extract, brown sugar, milk and cocoa powder.
  • Keep the pan on a low heat and with a wired whisk stir and mix very well. The sugar should melt and the cocoa powder should dissolve.
    Keep on stirring continuously to get an even mixture.
  • Bring this mixture to a boil.
  • Once this frosting mixture comes to a boil, then immediately pour it all over the cake. You don't need to spread it as the frosting seeps down inside the cake.
  • This cake tastes good warm also, but you cannot slice it but you can just eat it directly from the pan. 
  • You can also cool the cake in the fridge and then enjoy it. Cover the pan with a lid or foil when keeping in the fridge.
  • Once the frosting has set, slice the cake and serve.
  • Store the cake in the refrigerator covered in an air-tight container. The cake keeps well in the fridge for about a week.

Notes

  • You can use whole wheat flour (atta) also to prepare this cake. If using whole wheat flour, then sift the flour once or twice with salt first.
  • For whole wheat flour, use ⅔ to ¾ cup water in the second mixture. The amount of water to be added depends on the quality of whole wheat flour. So you can keep some hot water handy, in case the batter becomes too thick. 
  • Instead of brown sugar, you can use regular granulated sugar or raw sugar. 
  • You could use salted butter, but do not add salt in the cake. 
  • Keep in mind that the time taken for the cake to bake in the stovetop pressure cooker will depend on the size & thickness of the cooker, the size of the cake pan and the intensity of stovetop heat.
  • Nutrition info is for one slice of cake.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 234 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 22mg7%
Sodium 104mg5%
Potassium 94mg3%
Carbohydrates 29g10%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 19g21%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 250IU5%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin B12 1µg17%
Vitamin D 1µg7%
Vitamin E 2mg13%
Vitamin K 1µg1%
Calcium 30mg3%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 21µg5%
Iron 1mg6%
Magnesium 22mg6%
Phosphorus 49mg5%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake from the archives was first published on December 2016. It has been updated and republished on May 2024.

Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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163 Comments

  1. Namaste 🙏
    Thank you for the recipe. Please advise if I can use the instant pot instead of the stovetop pressure cooker.

    1. Namaste. I do use Instant Pot, but have never made a cake in it. Using it will be more like steaming the cake and not using the dry cooking technique as we do when baking cake in an oven or with a stovetop pressure cooker, without water being added.

      So I am not sure how this cake will turn out in the Instant Pot. You can try though, but I cannot speak for the results. I am sorry I am unable to help you here.

  2. Namaste Dassana ma’am!! My mom and I had tried this amazing chocolate cake for my dad’s birthday and as a beginners at baking we very surprised as to how the cake turned out to be so moist and delicious. My dad was equally surprised and loved the cake. The best part about your recipes are the most detailed information and the step by step pictures that you provide for our reference and that really helped us sail through and made the baking process a lot more fun. We had already baked the banana bread last week which was also a big hit and our next stop is the Sour cream coffee cake.

    Hope to come across more exciting recipes and share our experiences while making them.5 stars

    1. Namaste Shrishti. Thanks for this lovely feedback and experience. Happy to read and know that everyone at your home liked the cake. I am also glad that the detailed stepwise photos are helpful. Thanks for the feedback on the banana bread too. Yes, do let me know when a recipe goes well or when it does not go well. Happy Baking.

  3. Hello mam
    1. Can I use white sugar instead of brown sugar for icing?
    2. What’s the difference between this recipe and chocolate cake in oven recipe?

    1. Yes, you can. Both the recipes are very different. This is a moist and fudgy cake. The oven one is a soft and spongy cake.

    1. use butter. so add 1/4th cup butter instead of oil. thus overall you will need to add 1/2 cup butter.

  4. One more question.Can we use baking powder instead of baking soda and can u tell me a butter substitute as i usually do not have butter available at home

    1. baking soda is required in the cake recipe. so it cannot be substituted with baking powder. instead of butter, you can use any neutral tasting oil like sunflower oil. another option is to use olive oil, but the aroma of olive oil will be there.

  5. Hi Dassana i made this cake today it was spongy and moist but it had slight bitterness in it. Also the icing turned hard when it cooled down !!! Can u plz tell me how to prevent this.

    1. hi shubha, the bitterness could be due to the quality of cocoa powder or butter. icing has turned hard as it was cooked more and thus the sugar has got cooked too much. the sugar on cooling thus has crystallized and hence the icing being hard. just cook icing till it begins to boil and then immediately remove from fire. cook the icing mixture on a low to medium-low flame. use a good quality cocoa powder. for the butter do check its aroma. if the aroma is slightly stale or not fresh, then avoid adding this butter as it will give a bitter taste in the cake. hope these suggestions help.

  6. Hi Dassana,

    The cake looks very good, and I wanted to try making i. I just wanted to ask why do you have to put the cake pan on top of a salt layer?

  7. Hi Dassana,

    I mostly visit your website first to check out recipes that I need. I really appreciate your candid manner of writing and the efforts you put in to photograph and publish the recipes so beautifully.
    Im very new to baking.
    I prepared the cooker cake in an electric cooker, just for trial and it turned out really well! Also got appreciations, thanks to you.
    I’m glad that the comments section is easily available now. I’ll keep coming back!5 stars

    1. thanks a lot hamsa. so glad to read your comment. yes we had removed the comments section as we were having some technical issues which we were not able to solve for a few months. sure, you can always give feedback or share any concerns or issues if you had with any recipe.

      1. Hi Dassana, I’m planning to make this again but in greater quantity. Please let me know whether this recipe can be doubled.

    1. use the same measurement as mentioned in the recipe which is ½ cup sugar and 10 tablespoons white sugar for icing.

  8. The cake came out very well but it was very bitter if eaten without an ice cream. Sugar ratio is not right for this much cocoa powder I think.
    But otherwise the softness and overall came out very well.4 stars

    1. pallavi bitterness could be due to the type and quality of cocoa powder used and butter. for butter if it becomes rancid, then the cake will become butter. the amount of cocoa powder is not much, so i don’t think cocoa powder is the cause. while making cakes with butter always use fresh butter. it should have any off smell or a rancid smell. the taste should be sweet like butter and not bitter. bitterness can also be due to oil. oils like cold pressed peanut oil or sesame oil can give a bitter taste. sugar proportion is right for this recipe as icing is also added. curd can also be bitter if it is old and not fresh.

  9. I dont have any baking pan….can i use any ordinary steel pan …and 1 more question i have read a ŕceipe of 3 steps choclate sauce can i use it for icing

    1. you can use a steel pan. make sure its not thin or light as then the cake can get stuck in it. also grease it well with oil. you can use this 3 step chocolate sauce recipe.

  10. Hi dassana,
    Made this cake many times but the demand for it is never ending I even made two at a time but still everyone craved for more. Wonderful recipe. Keep it up. God bless you.
    Tip: will look more amazing if you sprinkle some colored sprinkle on it with some gems.
    Thanx 😉5 stars

    1. thanks shweta and welcome. this is a favorite cake in my home too. i know colored sprinkles and gems will looks great on the cake. thanks for sharing the tip.

  11. Thank you Dasana I will definitely try your biscuit cake recipie very soon and share my experience with you ,,,I know it will also be one of your amazing recipie,,One thing I wish to add is in this cake recipie I have used lime juice instead of vinegar as I didn’t have vinegar but still the recipie was amazing

    1. welcome kavita. do let me know how the biscuit cake goes for you. both lime or lemon juice can be easily used instead of vinegar in any cake recipe. just some acidity is required to help the cake more soft and porous. i am glad that you liked this cake recipe.

  12. Yummylicious what a recipie Dasana ????????and what delicious icing everybody was praising me but it’s because of your step by step photos and the simplicity of explaining the recipie ,Thanks a lot????????and Happy and prosperous new year May God bless you with good health,success and happiness5 stars

    1. welcome kavita. thanks for your positive feedback and kind words. Wish you and your family a happy new year.

  13. Its an Amazing recipe….i have tried so many recipies of various blogs…but yours is the best ever…the cake came out superbly delicious…5 stars

    1. Thanks Karanjot for this positive feedback. Glad to know that you liked this cake so much.

  14. Hi Dassana, I’m planning to prepare this coming week. 1. Should we powder the brown sugar? 2. Is that one cup of crystal salt used in the pressure cooker? 3. When we place the cake pan on the stand should the stand have pores in them or can I use a plate as the stand. 4. For the icing, can I prepare less icing mixture so that the cake doesn’t become too moist?
    Looking forward for your reply. I will surely get back to you again after I prepare the cake and let you know how it was 🙂 Thanks a lot.

    1. megha, your queries answered below:

      1. brown sugar need not be powdered.
      2. yes in the cooker i have used 1 cup of sea salt crystals.
      3. it better for the stand to have some spaces or gaps in them. if you do not have such a stand, then you can use a plate.
      4. yes of course, you can make less icing.

      do let me know how the recipe turns out for you. happy baking ????

    1. the acidity in curd helps in making the cake soft after reacting with baking soda or baking powder. in this recipe curd is required.

  15. Hi…!! Can we replace maida with atta and steam this cake instead of cooker method?4 stars

    1. for baking you can replace maida with atta. for steaming the recipe may change. i do not know how this recipe will work when steamed as i have not tried.

  16. Hi! The recipe is excellent. I had doubled the quantity and the cake came out superb. Everyone loved it.5 stars

  17. Hello,
    Thank you for this recipe. The cake came out wonderful. I have only one trouble. The cake is very soft, i mean it’s like a cotton candy. I realised it was holding back a lot of moisture. So, i tried to adjust temperature and time and still turns out the same way. The same happened when i baked in convection mode in microwave. Can you help me out here please?5 stars

    1. mangai, just bake for some more minutes or you can reduce the quantity of water used. but it is a moist cake and tastes too good.

  18. Hiii ! The cake recipe was so good the cake was teasty and spongy .I love it . May I ask you a question ” instead of adding brwon sugar can we add iceing sugar to it?4 stars

    1. thanks gargi for the feedback on the cake made without oven. you can add icing sugar in the chocolate icing.

  19. Hi,

    I followed this recipe, the cake tastes good but it smells something different. The smell is kind of rubbery or something of the cooker, I can’t figure it out. Any advice on this?. I used an Aluminium cooker and tin with salt at the base as given. I changed the cooker and the tin the second time I baked, but the same old smell again. 🙁5 stars

    1. could be due to the tin or aluminium or the pan you are using. i suspect it is the pan which is used for baking. use a good quality aluminium pan which are actually meant for baking.

      1. Alright. Thanks a lot!. I noticed that the smell was gone the next day.
        Will change the pan, though.5 stars

  20. Hi This cake recipe is awesome..I Have a Query!
    Can u Please tell how to use condensed milk in this recipe and the alterations i will have to make when i use condensed milk please??5 stars

    1. with condensed milk the recipe will change completely. i will not be able to tell you the exact proportions of the ingredients as i always add tried and tested recipes.

  21. Hello. I find this recipe to be easy and I think I can do it on my first attempt.
    Please can you tell me whether the cake made with the exact quantities given, will serve 8-9 people?

    1. this cake can be easily cut into 8 to 9 slices. so one slice per person is possible.

    1. anita, i am not sure about using yogurt in this recipe. i guess some ingredients will change. so cannot say.

    2. The cake was amazing i am only 14 years old and i want to suprise my dad with a cake for welcome back home party and i was searching for easy cakes and then this web came up and it looked very simple yet amazing and it went very well when i followed the method and my dad loved the cake i was so happy thank you for sharing the cake. For now on i will be awlays go on this web to cook/bake new and tasty recipes.thank you again????❤5 stars

      1. Welcome Nikky. Glad to know that recipe helped you to make this cake at home. Thanks for your positive feedback.

  22. I have a different kind of vanilla essence it has a white and light colour but it is Vanilla essence only so will that work ?

  23. Pressure Cooker or Rice Steamer?
    Hi there,

    I love indian recipes, so thank you for your side, that now belong to my beloved too.

    Is it possible to cook the cake in a rice steamer? Since I got no pressure cooker and no oven (got a single student household). The most I would love to know how to make it in a pot, because yet I don’t owe a rice cooker, but am thinking a long time if it worth buying one and for tasty cakes SURE

    Thank you

    1. anna, i do not know how the texture of cake will be if cooked in a rice steamer. but you can use a large pot to cook this cake. just follow the same method as sprinkling salt on the base. keep a stand and keep the pan on the stand. cover the pot with a lid having a vent, so that steam passes through. also do use a heavy and good quality pot.

  24. Hi,
    I made this cake and it came out very well. Fabulous recipe. It was soft and sweet all in appropriate amount.
    Just that – I had lined the mould with butter paper to be able to take out cake easily and I had kept the cake in fridge overnight in the mould itself. But even on the next day when I tried to take the cake out of the mould, the chocolate syrup wouldn’t leave the butter paper. Opening the paper didn’t spoil the cake much but it sure looked like chocolate design was all around the cake (due to semi-solidified chocolate syrup), and didn’t look much pleasing. Any suggestions to be able to present this cake better?

    Thanks for your recipe!5 stars

    1. thanks nikita. the chocolate syrup won’t leave the butter paper as it is not a thick chocolate syrup or a chocolate ganache. i would suggest not to use butter paper. the cake is also moist and soft, so if it is removed from the pan while still hot, it will break. basically this is like a pan cake, where the cake is had directly from the pan. so just don’t use butter paper.

  25. Hi… thanku very much.. for the 1 st time I tried cake and it was superb..it was very soft n yummy.. ur recipe is very well explained.. I was praised by my all family members.. thanx a ton..5 stars

    1. Welcome Dr. Nehal Mohata. Glad to know that everyone in your family liked this cake. do try some more cake recipes.

    1. megha, you can add dry fruits when you add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture.

  26. Thank you so much for the recipe I made it for my sister’s birthday and it turned out great it was soft and moist your recipes are awesome and well explained.5 stars

    1. Welcome Anjana. Glad to know that cake turn out well for your sister’s birthday. thanks for sharing your positive feedback.

    1. aishwarya, baking powder cannot be used in place of baking soda in most cake recipes. the other way it is possible. so in this recipe baking soda is required.

  27. So tempting cake
    Want to try but one query
    In first mixture there is sugar added in flour but in step 7 u
    Mention that stirr the mixture till sugar dissolve
    So exactly when sugar should be added in flr or in chocolate mixture5 stars

    1. thanks poonam for pointing out. thats a typo. i will correct it. there is no sugar dissolving in the 7th step.

  28. Hi.. i have tried various other recipes from this site n have always found them to be superb but this time this cake didnt turn out well at all.. it took almost two hours to get baked n even then the lower part has turned rubbery n the inside has halwa like texture. Also it’s tasting a little sour.i dont know what went wrong..

  29. Thank you so much for sharing this. I tried this for my mom’s birthday and it came out very well. I had a bad experience when I had tried for the first time. The steps, quantity mentioned here is so perfect that nothing can go wrong even for a novice like me!5 stars

    1. Welcome Snehashree. Glad to know that cake came out well. Your Mom must have felt very good on her birthday.

  30. I hd made thid cake yesterday though as i was hvng many doubts abt the measurement coz u wrote in ur recipe 1 cup or 125 gms so i was bit confused coz i was hvng measuring cup written 250 ml den properly n patiently i read ur recipe thorough n went ahead for baking n i must tell u cake came out so so wonderful my husb loved it like nethng… earlier i cooked this cake bt it didnt came out well n i was disappointed as it didnt cooked wel reason i dnt knw may b i used small cooking pan as used in sponge cake… bt this tym using larger pan it went well n came out aswsum.. my husb said at his childhood dr was a bakry he usd to go whr in jus 5 rs he usd to get pastry n hv it n he said that the pastry was so so tasty n yummy that aftr eating that he used to feel heaven n yestrdy aftr eating my cake he said im feeling same now… i was so so overwhelmed bt credit goes to u thnxa ton for ur recipe luv u fr this recipe5 stars

    1. megha, 1 cup of flour when weighed separately weighs 125 grams. the pan size is important when baking. but i think a small pan will also work. not sure what must have gone wrong before.

      thanks for sharing about your husband’s memories. felt nice to read. food is memories and we all have nostalgic memories related to food. thanks again and hugs ? ?

  31. Can i use the same pan for baking cake here as u hv used in sponge cake… coz i hv the only pan available5 stars

    1. megha, i have already replied to your query. refresh the page and you will see the query.

  32. Hi can u please tell me wat can be use as a substitute for butter as i dnt hv it at hand now… can i use ghee or regular refined oil? Wil dat b ok to use

    1. megha, use oil. ghee can give a taste like chocolate halwa. if you are fine with it, then you can use ghee too.

  33. Thank you. I made the cake. I used the atta flour and buttermilk since I did not have yogurt, I also replaced some most butter with oil and used just a little butter. I baked the cake in the oven and it came out very nice. The cake was nicely leavened and tender. I also liked the topping, though it had a bit of a overcooked taste. Maybe I would use melted chocolate instead of the cocoa in the icing.

    1. thank natasha for the feedback and also for sharing the variations you did. i personally found the icing to have a good taste and never felt it to be overcooked. with cocoa, its always better to use a good quality cocoa powder. i have used many brands and by now i know how the final taste in a cake or an icing depends largely on the quality of cocoa powder. you can use melted chocolate.

  34. Hey hi! I m going to try N make my second cake.
    The first time was sometime ago N I have forgotten the how’s N what’s
    I want to try this cake recipe, but can I also add in dry fruits N nuts in it, I m cooking it in pressure cooker so how much time should I keep it inside the cooker. Do tell me plz. Also plz do include simple cake decorating ideas for beginners. Thank u.

    1. gayathri, if adding dry fruits, then add less as the cake is soft, moist and fudgy. walnuts and roasted almonds will be a good option. you can add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of finely chopped dry fruits. coat the dry fruits in some flour and then add to batter. timing i have mentioned in the post itself. but depending on the size, make and heaviness of the cooker, it can takes less or more time. after 20 to 25 minutes you can open the lid and check the cake. please remove the whistle (vent weight) and gasket (rubber ring) from the lid while baking.

      i will try to add simple cake decorating ideas. have a taken a note of the same. happy baking ?

    1. you can use either. if using dark chocolate, then add some powdered sugar or else there can be bitter tones in the icing.

  35. in a cake if it is eggless then i thnk cndnsd mlk is must bt if thr is no milkmaid wl it tst good…..if yes dn u r fabulous bcoz milkmaid is expensive

    1. milkmaid or condensed is not necessary while preparing eggless cakes. there are many other egg substitutes and even they work good. eg curd, tofu, apple sauce, fruit purees, buttermilk. thank you nuzhath ?

  36. Hi,
    Cake looks awesome. Want to have it right away.
    Can i use lemon instead of vinegar?
    Can you mention the size of baking tin? Will make it and let you know how it turned out.
    Thanks in advance.

    1. you can use lemon juice instead of vinegar. the size of the baking tin is 7×2 inches. 7 is the diameter and 2 inches is the depth of the pan. sure do let me know.

      1. Thank you so much for your reply.
        One more question. Want to confirm the quantity to butter used.. recipe says 1/4 cup OR 30grams, but when i weighed 1/4cup butter, it turned out more than that.. almost double. It was 57-58g..
        Want to know how do you measure butter.. what measurement(for butter) is best to use for this recipe, 1/4 cup or 30 grams.
        Thanks!

        1. welcome AG. when i measure butter, i use the tare option in the weighing scale. so the scale gives me the exact measure of butter minus the weight of the cup used. at times i first measure cold butter in the cup, then remove it from cup and measure it on the scale. do not measure both the cup and the butter together. the weight of the cup will also be included. in electronic weighing scales, there is a tare option that can be used when weighing the ingredient with the cup.

          for this recipe use 30 grams butter, where just the butter is measured and not the cup.

        2. Hi Dassana, i baked the cake.. it was yummy.. n my son liked it a lot. I will definitely make it again.
          One question.. it was very dense.. is it right texture for this cake?
          Thanks.4 stars

        3. AG, the cake is soft and not dense. it is soft and fudgy. wondering what must have gone wrong. in fact its so soft it breaks when slicing it. was the baking soda fresh enough. when the baking soda is mixed with the solution of curd+vinegar it will bubble and fizz. but still nice to know that your son liked it. thanks for sharing.

        4. Not sure. may be I should have baked for few more mins.. What do you say?
          Will try again and let you know.

        5. Fine AG. do try again and let me know. use fresh baking soda. it should not be near its expiry date.

  37. Hi Dassanna… Thank you so much for the recipe. I don’t have Vinegar and Baking Soda with me can I use Baking Powder instead?

    1. anitha, baking powder alone will not work. also baking powder can be substituted for baking soda. baking soda is essential. instead of vinegar you can use lemon juice or buttermilk.

  38. Hello,

    I have a couple of questions regarding the recipe,
    1. If we use salt as the base for the tin, can the salt be reused in foods?
    2. I am not having any oven/OTG/microwave, so what can be the alternative for the baking part?4 stars

    1. anirudh, your queries answered below:

      1. avoid using the salt in food as the aluminium or the metal from the cooker does get mixed with the salt due to dry heating for a long time. so use this salt only while baking in the cooker.
      2. apart from pressure cooker, a thick heavy and deep pan or pot can also be used for baking. the lid of the pan has to have some vent or outlet for the steam to pass.

      a small to medium sized OTG is a good investment and they are not very expensive like microwave ovens. there are many baked goodies that you can make. plus here you also control what goes into the baked stuff. so you can have preservative free breads, pav (rolls), cakes and cookies that can be easily made at home.

      1. Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe.

        I tried making the cake, the texture turned out to be pretty great!!

        Only thing was, the safety plug of my cooker was made of metal, and due to excessive pressure inside the cooker (I wonder how can we make the cake then) it melted inside my cake. So, unfortunately, I was not able to eat the cake.

        1. thats sad ?. i think it melted due to excessive heat. there is no pressure in the cooker when using this method. did you remove the whistle/vent weight from the lid. if the whistle is there it will create some pressure inside and the safety valve will melt. when cooking in dry heat that is used in this technique, the heat escapes from the vent on the lid. so no pressure is created and the heat is uniform.

          i have baked many times in a cooker and never had any issue. some years back i had kept some veggies for boiling in the cooker and the water was less. all the water evaporated and as a result the cooker blackened from inside. there was some metal warping inside the cooker. the safety valve also had got melted. when using a cooker for baking, always remove the whistle and rubber gasket.

        2. I forgot to remove the rubber gasket, could that be the reason for the excessive pressure??5 stars

        3. could be. as the rubber gasket seals some of the pressure and steam inside. thanks for letting me know. i was wondering what must have gone wrong.

    1. you can use greek yogurt. but since greek yogurt is very thick, you will need to add about 1/3rd to 1/2 cup water water instead of 1/4th cup water.

  39. Loved ur recipe. Did come out as planned. Had a query how can we incorporate liquor in it specifically vodka5 stars

    1. thanks piyush for the feedback. any liquor can be brushed on the cake. so once this cake is done. let it become warm and then after poking the cake, then brush vodka or rum or wine on the cake. then make the icing and then pour it over the cake. alternatively, you can add some vodka (about 2 tablespoons) in the cake batter itself and the cake will have a boozy flavor.

  40. Dassana can you share any youtube video that depicts whisking of cake batter the way you do it? I checked some but they mix quite rigorously which, I doubt, is because they’ve used eggs

    1. bake at 180 degrees celsius in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or more time if required. preheat oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees celsius.

  41. should I use salt in the cooker instead of water then what type of salt is to be used for laying in the cooker

    1. water is never added when baking in a cooker. you can use the normal iodised salt also.

  42. I have one doubt is it necessary tocover the cake batter with aluminum foil while baking in pressute cooker.If not available can we coverv it with aluminum plate?

    1. Gauri, when making a cake in pressure cooker, No need to cover the cake batter with the foil.

  43. hey, how to remove cake from pan , so that its presentable for cake cutting, without effecting its looks?

    1. suverna, once the cake cools, then use a butter knife and slid it around the edges. then invert the pan and tap it all over. the cake comes out easily. for this cake you cannot do this. so using a knife you have to cut it. then with a spatula like spoon, you can lift the cake and place it on the serving plate.

  44. Hi.. Ur site is amazing.. Helped me at several occAsions.. I wanted to try this cake, but gt no vannila essence.. Is it ok without it?? Thanks5 stars

    1. thanks hasina. the cake recipes is perfectly fine without the vanilla essence. so you can skip it.

  45. Hi. Im tryng dat cake now bt my cake batter consistency was little thick… Will that affect my cake softness?

    1. i don’t think so. if you have not over mixed the batter, then the texture will be fine.

  46. The hand held beater that I have has only one on-off button. There’s no hi or low speed. So in cake recipes where it is required to whisk lightly, should I whisk the batter with hand using the ballon whisk manually? To avoid over mixing

    1. ruchi, whisk the batter with a wired whisk or ballon whisk. for cake recipe containing eggs, its fine to use an electric beater, but for most eggless cakes recipes, its best to fold or mix with a spatula or a whisk.

    1. replied to your comment preet. just refresh the browser and you will see the messages.

  47. Hi dassana.only today i baked chocolate cake.as u said earlier i baked at 150 for 35 mins.but still it ws a little bit hard from outside and a little bit uncook from centre.pls suggest me whr i go wrong?
    And one thing more,wat will buttermilk and vinegar do instead of milk?

    1. hmmm. looks like your oven has a high temp. when baking cover the pan with a aluminium foil. this should solve the problem from the top becoming over done and brown. or you can only use the lower heating element. do not heat the top element. keep the pan in the centre rack.

      buttermilk and vinegar are acidic and hence react with baking soda which is alkaline releasing carbon dioxide which helps in leavening the cake. milk is not acidic, so adding milk won’t help.