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.
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.