My First Eggless Cake – Baked in Cooker

Posted on March 20, 2009 by recipesbysam

This recipe for eggless cake has been submitted to “Foodie Event: Royal Foodie Joust” for the month of May hosted by Leftover Queen under the theme of “Red, Green and White” ingredients.

Yesterday was MIL’s (mother-in-law’s) birthday and as I have said again and again, I belong to a Marwari family. So let alone anything remotely related to non-veg, even eggs don’t go. I tried to explain to her that today the eggs are made artificially and no matter whether you put them under the bulb or hold them close under your jacket for warmth, a chick is not going to hatch out of it in a million years. No matter what I said, it is hard to break a life long habit so I had to let it go. But a birthday is a birthday and what is a birthday if there is no cake to cut? HD (hubby dear) searched for an eggless cake but could get his hands on tiny brownies only at such a short notice. So I scoured the web for an eggless cake recipe, modified it to suit my needs and prepared a surprise yesterday for her.

First modification I did was to add a little bit of milk along with water (the recipe mentioned only water to bring the batter to a pouring consistency). Second, I added sugar soaked cherries, chopped finely, to substitute for tutt – frutti. Third and the most dramatic one, I added a swirl of colors to the cake. See, I do not have any icing experience and I was a little bit scared to experiment too much with the cake, it being my first eggless version and to be presented before my MIL on her birthday. In short, to avoid spoiling the cake, I simply added three colors (red, yellow, green) to the batter and gave it one single swirl with the spoon before pouring the batter into the baking dish. And prayed.

The cake turned out to be a motley of colors. Everyone at dinner kept asking how did I make it look like that and when I brought out my phone camera (not a very good version being a VGA) to take a pic for my blog, there were immediately two others madly clicking away for a best shot. Needless to say, it was immensely flattering and gratifying. Tarla Dalal has said that a cake’s presentation is as important as its texture. Thankfully, the cake turned out soft and spongy and sweet as well as attractive and made my evening as much as my MIL’s.

Happy Birthday Mummyji

Happy Birthday Mummyji

Preparation Time – 45 mins

Servings – 12

Ingredients

1 cup maida (all-purpose flour)

½ can condensed milk (I used Nestle Milkmaid)

¼ cup ghee (unsalted butter)

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tblsp baking powder

½ cup milk

Edible food colors (red, green, yellow)

Candied cherries (Tutti-frutti optional)

My first swirly-wirly tutti-frutti eggless cake with a cherry flower on top

My first swirly-wirly cherry filled eggless cake with a cherry flower on top

Sieve flour with baking powder. Mix condensed milk and butter with it and roll it. Add milk to make the batter thin. Slowly add water spoonful by spoonful to achieve pouring consistency. Mix the cherries and vanilla essence. Put three teaspoonfuls of the coloring on the batter and give it one single swirl with the rolling pin. Heat the pressure cooker for 5 mins. Grease and dust the baking dish. Pour the batter in it and place the baking dish in the cooker. Keep the cooker on low flame (sim).

Insert a toothpick in the cake after half an hour to check if it is done. If the toothpick comes out clean, take out the cake. Cool on a wire rack before serving. The cake should be spongy and spring back on pressing.

Eggless Sponge Cake on FoodistaEggless Sponge Cake

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89 Responses

  1. Stash, on March 25, 2009 at 9:33 am said:

    Hiya good-looking. Didn’t know you could make a cake without eggs, but then again I’m with that kind of food. Definitely a fan of Northern Indian food so keep up the good work!

  2. petermarcus, on May 3, 2009 at 7:05 am said:

    I absolutely love the look of the cake, and I love that you tried something so daring with your MIL’s birthday at stake, and it turned out so well. Triumph! I wish we could submit taste samples for the Joust, because I’d love to try this (especially that cherry flower on top — I love cherries)

    Peter — FotoCuisine

  3. recipesbysam, on May 3, 2009 at 7:55 am said:

    Thanks Peter 🙂 You made my day.

  4. shalini, on July 3, 2009 at 2:29 pm said:

    Hi
    A question
    While cooking in a pressue cooker do put some water at the bottom? Will the cooker not burn if u dont?

  5. recipesbysam, on July 4, 2009 at 12:29 pm said:

    Hi Shalini. The cooker does not burn if water is not placed. In fact, it acts like an oven. If you put water, it will act like a steamer. You can use the steamer to make dhokla or idlis. When making cake, some people also put sand in the cooker. This makes the heat coming in more even but I have found this unnecessary. The cake tin can be placed directly in the cooker. Also, if you feel that the heat is uneven, you can place the cooker on a tava or a flat pan to spread the heat. Hope this was helpful.

  6. deepti sharma, on September 10, 2009 at 7:31 pm said:

    good job ….people like you give a hope to some one like me who is blunder creater in kitchen …well i m planning a surprise for my sis in law i jus hope it works for me in the same way it did for you.,,:)

  7. rashpinder, on October 28, 2009 at 12:12 pm said:

    hi peter…
    i want to knw dat to bake an aggless cake do we neet to put milk and coke in the mivture?

  8. Sangeeta, on November 28, 2009 at 9:41 pm said:

    Trying your recipe now….would let u know how it was…

  9. Sangeeta, on November 28, 2009 at 10:50 pm said:

    it was totally burnt and even the taste wasnt good, might be i messed u big time while preparing…

  10. Jammy, on December 6, 2009 at 10:56 pm said:

    Hi,
    The cake looks lovely. While making black forest cake can we add areted cola drink like pepsi instead of water in the cake?If we preheat the cooker for 5 min on high won’t the botten get black?

  11. recipesbysam, on December 6, 2009 at 11:41 pm said:

    @Jammy. Five minutes on high will not burn the bottom. If you fear this might happen, you can keep the cake on low from the beginning itself. It will not make much difference. Also, you can definitely add coke/pepsi etc as the recipe dictates.

  12. Nivi, on December 10, 2009 at 11:23 pm said:

    We have to close cooker cover and put the steam lid on that?or we do not need to put steam lid ?

  13. rachel, on January 22, 2010 at 10:06 am said:

    Now I know how to make a cake when there’s no power at home 🙂

  14. Kirti, on January 29, 2010 at 1:02 pm said:

    Hi,
    I wanted to know that for how long are u supposed to bake the cake in the cooker? also since we r not using water are we required to use the whistle/weight n we would also require the gasket. plz let me know all this because like u we too are strictly vegetarian so no eggs allowed.
    Regards
    Kirti

  15. recipesbysam, on January 30, 2010 at 5:28 pm said:

    @kirti…no need to use water or whistle. Though you would require a gasket to seal the cooker. A normal sized cooker will take 40-45 mins for cake to bake. However, you might have to make some adjustments in timing according to size of cooker and size of cake. Best way is to open the cooker after 25 mins and check the cake as to how much it is done. Then you can adjust the baking timing accordingly.

  16. Arman Singh, on April 28, 2010 at 8:02 pm said:

    Do we not need to add sugar to it? And by the way can you explain what a baking dish is?

  17. recipesbysam, on May 6, 2010 at 9:08 pm said:

    @arman…The condensed milk is sweetened. However, if you have a sweet tooth, you can add some sugar. Baking dish = baking pan.

  18. ishana mantri, on June 1, 2010 at 5:38 pm said:

    do we have to put the whistle on the cooker?

  19. aditi pithwa, on July 22, 2010 at 5:56 am said:

    oh tats gr8 ,…..m going to try this tomorrow…. i wish it turns out to b gr8….. 🙂
    thnx
    nice recipe
    n this baking powder is tat ENO only …..
    can i use eno ..

  20. recipesbysam, on July 22, 2010 at 4:14 pm said:

    @aditi. Eno is an effervescent salt. And as the name says, it is a salt. Hence, it will leave bubbles in your cake and make it taste salty. If you have made idli with eno, you will know what I mean. Hence, it is always advised to use baking powder in cakes. It makes the cake rise and does not impart any particular flavor. Hope this answer satisfies your query.

  21. Meenu, on October 1, 2010 at 8:49 am said:

    hi pl. suggest me we can used aluminum fry pan or bowl for this

  22. recipesbysam, on October 1, 2010 at 9:35 am said:

    The whole purpose of using a pressure cooker is to simulate an oven. The cooker completely encases the cake tin and has a little opening for steam to get out while the cake bakes inside. If you use a frying pan, you will end up with a pancake instead of a cake. I hope this helps.

  23. Parul, on October 15, 2010 at 6:57 am said:

    hi ,

    I need to know ,when we cover with gasket,we need to remove the whistle from it.If we do so,all the steam goes out ,then how does it gets cooked? either we can cover with glass or some bowl ,instead of whistle .

    Please let me know

    Thanks in advance

  24. tish, on October 15, 2010 at 10:29 am said:

    so, just double checking in a nutshell: we seal the lid tite while the cake mix is in the pressure cooker, but leave out the whistle?

  25. recipesbysam, on October 27, 2010 at 8:51 am said:

    Hi Parul and Tish,

    The pressure cooker acts like an oven. The oven needs to be enclosed completely but needs an outlet for the hot air inside or it will explode. The steam is formed inside the pressure cooker not with any water that is placed inside it (cos there is none) but from the cake ingredients. If you put water inside the cooker, the cake will become soggy and resemble dhokla or idli. We want the cake to be moist and fluffy but not soggy and heavy.

    The whistle is used on the cooker to make steam inside it. The whistle acts like a weight that is blocking the exit for the steam. When there is excess steam, the whistle is lifted by the pressure of the steam and the excess steam escapes. That is the entire purpose of the whistle. The building up of steam inside the cooker helps boil the ingredients inside faster without the water boiling over.

    Again, when baking a cake inside a pressure cooker, do not add water to the cooker. We are not boiling or cooking or steaming the cake. We are baking it. The pressure cooker resembles an oven when used like this without a whistle.

    I hope this helps. Please do write in case of any issues.

    Regards,
    Sam

  26. SPARKX, on December 26, 2010 at 2:54 am said:

    hey you said earlier no need to use whistle….but now you are speaking about it…..so tell me in one word should we use the whistle YES or NO???

  27. recipesbysam, on January 1, 2011 at 8:21 pm said:

    Hi Sparkx…as I mentioned in my comment earlier, do not use the whistle when baking cake in a pressure cooker.

    In one word – No.

    Hope it helps.

  28. poornima, on January 3, 2011 at 2:31 pm said:

    hi, what type of vessel do we put on cooker.

  29. SPARKX, on January 4, 2011 at 3:47 pm said:

    thanks….will try tomorrow and tell how it is

  30. SPARKX, on January 5, 2011 at 6:55 am said:

    hey the cake came great…its soft and the edges are crispy, i topped it with dark chocolate …….thanks a lot the awesome recipe

  31. recipesbysam, on January 5, 2011 at 5:06 pm said:

    Hi Sparkx, I am glad your cake came out as expected. Enjoy. Sam

  32. recipesbysam, on January 5, 2011 at 5:11 pm said:

    There are cake tin available in various sizes. You can choose one that fits your cooker. It will be best if you used an aluminium or steel pan.

  33. pratibha, on February 18, 2011 at 6:31 pm said:

    hi
    plz let me know that for 1 cup flour how much condence milk will use?

  34. recipesbysam, on February 19, 2011 at 8:01 am said:

    Hi Pratibha,

    Thank you for the question. The recipe calls for half a can of condensed milk for 1 cup of flour as mentioned in the article. However, if you are measuring by cup, first of all I would like to mention that 1 cup is equivalent to 200g. One should not use fluid measurements and solid measurements interchangeably but it works mostly. Generally the Nestle milkmaid can is available in 397g size. So you can use half a can of milkmaid (approx 200g) with 1 cup of flour. If you are using another product, you can measure out 1 cup of condensed milk for 1 cup of flour.

    Hope you find this information useful.
    Sam

  35. rini, on March 6, 2011 at 10:53 am said:

    for 1 cup of flour how much condence milk is needed

  36. recipesbysam, on March 13, 2011 at 11:20 am said:

    Hi everyone…

    Thank you for the compliments. This cake recipe is very useful for people who do not eat eggs. Kudos to those whole cake came out well and condolences to those whose did not. I assure you if you follow the recipe to the T, it will turn out great.

    Sorry if I have not been able to reply to everyone personally. Please find my replies below:

    @Nivi & Ishan – The cooker has to be closed to simulate an oven. However, leave out the whistle to let the heat out.

    @Meenu – You can use aluminium pan to bake the cake. However, make sure it is greased properly.

    @Rini – Please check my reply for Pratibha. Hope it helps.

    Cheers,
    Sam

  37. PPU, on April 25, 2011 at 9:18 am said:

    waao good .i read out complete article and comments. comments help me to understand.i ;ll try it tomorrow and update u.
    thanks for replying all cmments

  38. Rooma, on June 8, 2011 at 12:59 pm said:

    I am going to check this out too. Hope all goes well……

    Cheers,

    Rooma

  39. spv, on July 1, 2011 at 9:28 pm said:

    Can we use an ordinary steel vessel for baking ..?

  40. cami, on July 14, 2011 at 8:23 am said:

    Dear Sam and fans of Sam,
    I am very proud of your achievement! Thank you for sharing your experience on this wonder cake.If MIL asks for the stars, just bake her your cake over and over. The smile on her face is priceless!
    I love being creative and break the rules here and there while cooking. I consider 70% recipe, 30% personal touch. I have been inspired by you and also my latest link- vahrehvah.com- ssshhh i surf this link at office to break the monotony. Try it!
    Good luck Sam, people -stay tuned to your creativity and pleasant surprizes.
    God Bless You All (MIL too)!
    Cami

  41. Ruth, on August 1, 2011 at 12:40 pm said:

    Hi, just wanted to know for how long do we bake the cake in the cooker?
    By the way, nice recipie. Shall try it tomorrow.
    Thanks ,
    Ruth

  42. srishti, on August 9, 2011 at 5:39 am said:

    my grandpa is vegetarian but he luv to eat cakes. this will surely a tasty surprise for him. m going to cook it for him.
    thanks for this recipe

  43. sujata, on August 21, 2011 at 12:28 pm said:

    For making pudding in pressure cooker, the same way has to be applied as given for cake
    sujata

  44. bhumi, on August 30, 2011 at 10:24 am said:

    hai dear i like ur cake n i will definetly try this at home for my son. can we add coco instead of colour ?

  45. Jyo, on September 8, 2011 at 1:54 pm said:

    Hi sam

    i tried the cake and it was gud……jus wanted to know if i could bake cakes in microwave oven….i have a kenstar dura chef..tthe middle version

    jyo

  46. recipesbysam, on September 9, 2011 at 11:03 am said:

    Hi Jyo,
    Good to hear your cake turned out well. You can definitely bake cakes in a microwave oven but it will have to be a convection oven. So check that out.
    Cheers. Sam

  47. recipesbysam, on September 9, 2011 at 11:05 am said:

    Hi Bhumi. I believe you want to make a chocolate cake. Check out this recipe – https://recipesbysam.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/extra-chocolaty-eggless-chocolate-cake/. Cheers. Sam

  48. recipesbysam, on September 9, 2011 at 11:13 am said:

    Hi Ruth. You need to bake the cake for 1 hour as mentioned in the recipe. However, there are many external factors like the quality of the stove, the amount of batter etc. Hence, I would suggest you to vary the time accordingly. Cheers. Sam

  49. recipesbysam, on September 9, 2011 at 11:16 am said:

    Hi SPV.

    The whole purpose of using a pressure cooker without a whistle is to mimic an oven. The cooker also provides a solid base. If you use an ordinary steel vessel, the heat conducting through to the cake will be more than intended and your cake might end up getting burnt.

    Cheers,
    Sam

  50. recipesbysam, on September 9, 2011 at 11:19 am said:

    Hi Seema. You can use cream cheese, double cream, yogurt or even egg substitute instead of condensed milk. However, the recipe might need to be modified accordingly. Cheers. Sam

  51. recipesbysam, on September 9, 2011 at 11:21 am said:

    Hi Lavanya. Please don’t add water when baking a cake otherwise the cake will become soggy. Cheers. Sam

  52. recipesbysam, on September 9, 2011 at 11:22 am said:

    Hi Savi. This can be due to various reasons. I suggest you check the quantity and quality of the ingredients used again. Cheers. Sam

  53. Lakshmi T, on October 23, 2011 at 1:48 pm said:

    Hi,
    should we pour the batter to the cooker directly or place a vessel with the batter after 5 min of high heating?
    thanks
    TL

  54. recipesbysam, on October 31, 2011 at 2:17 pm said:

    Hi Lakshmi,
    You need to pour the batter in a baking pan and place that in the cooker.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  55. Priyanka, on November 4, 2011 at 8:21 pm said:

    i tried making an eggless cake today but it turned out to be a total disaster……please please help me out…it wasnt spongy at all…and was uncooked….

  56. sanya, on November 6, 2011 at 8:55 am said:

    is it o k if we do not use vanilla essence? please reply its urgent!

  57. uma, on November 8, 2011 at 6:27 am said:

    will try read all the tips

  58. santhiya, on November 8, 2011 at 3:29 pm said:

    hi
    wat amout of water should be placed in the cooker for proper baking of the cake

  59. mukul, on November 19, 2011 at 9:49 am said:

    hi can u tell me what is the different between milk and condensed milk?
    thanx…..

  60. jyo adi, on November 28, 2011 at 2:23 am said:

    Hi sam,

    I m still waiting for your reply. Can I use stainless steel Pressure cooker and the container for baking cake.

  61. jaspreet kaur, on December 2, 2011 at 12:50 pm said:

    thanx sam, i m very happy to bake my cakes.thanx for recepie………

  62. rimjhim, on December 24, 2011 at 1:42 pm said:

    Hii,
    Indeed a nice recipe.can u suggest me ways for icing so as to get a hotel made look.Thanks
    Rimjhim

  63. sweets, on January 3, 2012 at 4:00 pm said:

    i tried this recipe and it was YUMMMMMMMMM 🙂
    thanks a lot

  64. Ruchika, on January 20, 2012 at 6:10 pm said:

    hi sam…my cake turned out 2 be very good thanx for urreceipe. A request..give receipe for icing the cake too that will be cherry on d cake 4 my kids….

  65. soni shukla, on February 1, 2012 at 8:09 am said:

    It was really cool…….. my hubby and baby loved it……… and their response “Its tastier than the market cake”……… is dedicated to u.

  66. soni shukla, on February 1, 2012 at 8:10 am said:

    Thanx sam

  67. recipesbysam, on February 8, 2012 at 12:00 pm said:

    Hi Sanya….Vanilla essence is added to mask the smell of the ingredients and to give the cake a slight flavour. If you do not have vanilla essence in your pantry, you can substitute it with any other aromatic like elaichi powder or cinnamon powder or any other essence you might have. Hope this helps. Sam

  68. recipesbysam, on February 8, 2012 at 1:00 pm said:

    Hi Rimjhim,
    You can cover and decorate your cake with buttercream icing. The recipe calls for 1 cup butter and 2 cups icing sugar. Whisk them for a good 15 mins. You can add various colours or flavours to it as well. Hope this helps.
    Sam

  69. recipesbysam, on February 8, 2012 at 1:03 pm said:

    Ho Jyo….sorry for the late reply…You can use any kind of pressure cooker to bake your cake as long as it has a flat base. Sam

  70. recipesbysam, on February 8, 2012 at 1:04 pm said:

    Hi Santhiya…Water is used when steaming the cake and will be needed if you are making a pudding. However, it is not required when baking a cake. Sam

  71. recipesbysam, on February 8, 2012 at 1:08 pm said:

    Hi Mukul,
    Condensed milk is a product made from milk by evaporating it and adding sugar to it. Condensed milk is thicker and different in colour to milk and is shelf stable. It is used as an ingredient in a lot of recipes and can even be used to substitute khoya in most cases.
    Sam

  72. recipesbysam, on February 8, 2012 at 1:11 pm said:

    Hi Priyanka,
    I am really sorry your cake did not turn out to your satisfaction. I would suggest you follow the recipe to the T and measure all your ingredients carefully. You have mentioned your cake was not spongy and was uncooked. This means that the consistency of your cake batter was not right. Either there were too many dry ingredients or you did not bake the cake long enough. One thing I have learnt the hard way is that you need a lot of patience in the kitchen and keep trying till you get it right.
    Sam

  73. Aman, on March 3, 2012 at 8:03 am said:

    hi
    i will try this first time so wish me luck can u give some tips that can i take care..plz wish me luck.i hope i never burn the cake.

  74. celina, on April 23, 2012 at 2:05 pm said:

    thanks ,
    for giving such a good advice for cake without egg and in cooker.

  75. karan, on May 12, 2012 at 1:21 pm said:

    1 question,
    does it make a difference if we add a little bit of water in the cooker to avoid burning ….as in we do in dhokla and idli

  76. MRAGAKSHI AGARWAL, on May 12, 2012 at 3:34 pm said:

    M GONNA TRY THIS TOMORROW…. TO GIVE MY MOM MOTHER’S DAY GIFT…. HOPE IT WORKS……..

  77. 9418104541, on May 14, 2012 at 1:55 pm said:

    i just wanted to know what about vannila essence

  78. Athila, on May 16, 2012 at 10:52 am said:

    Hi,
    Is it ok to use a pyrex glass dish to cook the cake in the pressure cooker?

  79. recipesbysam, on May 19, 2012 at 4:53 pm said:

    Hi Karan,
    If you add a little water, it will make the cake extremely moist to the extent of becoming soggy and it might fall apart when removed from the cake pan. Water is added if you make puddings or steam idli and dhokla. As the cake already contains enough moisture in terms of butter, milk and/or water, more water in the cooker might become detrimental.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  80. recipesbysam, on May 19, 2012 at 4:54 pm said:

    Hi Mragakshi,
    First of all, you have a lovely name. Secondly, I hope your cake turned out perfect and beautiful and everyone loved it 🙂 Do let me in on the results.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  81. recipesbysam, on May 19, 2012 at 4:54 pm said:

    Hi Athila,
    Pyrex glass dish will work perfectly fine in the cooker too.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  82. recipesbysam, on May 19, 2012 at 4:56 pm said:

    Hi Kanvi,
    Could you rephrase your question please?
    Cheers,
    Sam

  83. shreya, on June 29, 2012 at 8:45 am said:

    can i use any other cake recipe but this baking method?

  84. rutvik, on August 10, 2012 at 6:21 am said:

    inseated of condence milk other r use?

  85. recipesbysam, on August 18, 2012 at 2:16 am said:

    Hi Shreya….definitely, you can try with other cake mixes. Sam

  86. recipesbysam, on September 18, 2012 at 5:09 pm said:

    Hi Rutvik…you can use buttermilk or thick curds or cream instead of condensed milk. Sam

  87. honeymini, on October 17, 2012 at 6:51 am said:

    hi sam.. i’m going 2 try this for my baby’s 1st b’day. n one more thing.. u hav much patience 2 reply for d same ques again n again..good. n thanq..reply after trying it

  88. Shruthi, on November 6, 2012 at 10:52 pm said:

    Hey Can i follow the same recipe and bake the Cake in an Idli Steamer/ Idli Cooker? As i don’t have a pressure cooker.

  89. recipesbysam, on December 18, 2012 at 6:22 am said:

    Hi Shruthi,
    You can make the cake in the idli steamer as well.
    Sam

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