Pressure Cooker Chocolate Cake: baking a chocolate cake is probably on every novice baker’s to-do list. While baking can be a bit daunting to get started on due to all the required ingredients and equipment, you can make cakes that need no oven. There are a few different methods to be used here and my favourites are baking cake in a pressure cooker and steaming cakes until fluffy and soft. Both methods have yielded wonderful results for me so if you are looking for how to make a cooker cake, read on.
I have detailed information on how to use a pressure cooker to make cake so do check that post first before proceeding with this chocolate cake recipe. I had previously tried an eggless sponge cake in a cooker and decided to try a different recipe, a chocolate cake, with eggs this time. This recipe will work in an oven too but it worked wonderfully well in my cooker so I hope you try this out too.
The cooking time can vary depending on the size of the pan and amount of batter you are using. I make a fairly small cake that got me about 10 large sizes and it took me roughly 50 minutes to bake it right. I used a 5 litre aluminium Premier pressure cooker.
A few things to remember:
– Do not use water in the pressure cooker
– Do not use the gasket (the rubber ring around the rim of the lid of your pressure cooker)
– Always place a plate or stand at the bottom of the pressure cooker to make sure heat is spread evenly while cooking
– Keep flame to a simmer so that the cooker doesn’t heat up too much
Always be super careful when using your pressure cooker to make a cake. That’s obviously not the intended purpose of a cooker and it can result in injury or worse if you don’t follow the instructions carefully. Please check my detailed post on using a pressure cooker for baking to make sure you are following the right method, I can’t stress on this enough.
Click here for eggless cake recipe made in pressure cooker.
Love chocolate desserts? Check out:
Chocolate cake made in microwave
Steamed chocolate cake with no eggs
Double chocolate biscotti
One bowl easy chocolate cake
- ¾ cup of plain flour
- ¾ tsp of baking soda (soda bi carb)
- ¼ tsp of salt
- 3 tbsp of cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp of butter, softened at room temperature
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup of water
- ¼ cup of milk
- ½ tsp of vinegar or lemon juice
- ½ tsp of vanilla extract
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking soda together until well combined
- Set aside until needed
- In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a whisk until it comes together. You don't need an electric beater, just do this step by hand until the butter and sugar are well incorporated
- Add the egg to this and beat again well until the mixture is a bit fluffy
- Now add water and cocoa to this and mix well until the cocoa powder has fully blended in
- Add the vinegar or lemon juice and the vanilla, mix again
- Add milk and mix gently again
- Now add the flour mixture in two additions, folding gently after each addition. Do not overmix at this stage, just mix until you don't see any traces of flour remaining and the batter is lump free (small lumps should be okay, they will disappear on baking)
- Grease a small 6" cake pan with butter and pour the batter in
- Tap the cake pan firmly on the kitchen counter a couple of times to remove any air bubbles in the batter
- Preheat the pressure cooker by placing the plate or tray at the bottom of the pressure pan and closing the lid (no water needed, no gasket needed on the lid)
- Heat on medium flame for about 2 minutes until the cooker is hot
- Gently lower the cake pan with a pot holder into the pressure pan
- Close the lid and keep the flame very low (simmer)
- Cook for about 45-50 minutes until the a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. The cake will also leave the sides of the pan, which is a good indication that it's cooked
- Remove from inside the cooker and cool for 10 minutes in the cake pan
- Then, gently invert onto a cooling rack or plate and cool the cake completely before cutting and serving
- You can also use this cake as a base and frost it, make multiple layers, etc
Step by Step Pictures for Making a Cooker Cake (No-Oven Cake)
Beat well with a whisk until it comes together. You can use an electric beater but it’s not necessary to use one
Add the egg
Beat well again until the mixture turns a bit fluffy
Now add water
and cocoa powder
Beat well making sure there are no lumps. You can sift the chocolate if needed, this makes the mixing a lot easier
Next, add the milk and beat again until well combined. Follow with the vinegar (or lemon juice) and vanilla. Beat again.
Now add half the flour mixture, fold until you don’t see any more streaks of flour, add the remaining flour, and fold again. Do not over mix at this stage.
The batter is now ready
Pour into a buttered 6″ cake pan
Tap the pan firmly on the kitchen counter to remove any air bubbles in the batter.
Prepare the pressure cooker by placing a plate or pot stand at the bottom of the pressure pan. Close the lid and heat on medium flame for 2 minutes until the pressure cooker is nicely heated up.
Gently insert the cake pan and close the lid again.
Invert onto a plate or rack and cool completely before cutting and serving. You can also frost the cake before cutting.Making a cake without an oven in a pressure cooker is really a simple procedure and if you follow the steps closely, I guarantee a soft and spongy chocolate cake. If you try this recipe, please leave a comment to let me know. You can easily double the recipe for a larger cake, just use an 8″ or 9″ cake pan if that’s the case and make sure your pressure cooker is large enough to hold it. You can also bake this cake in an oven, check if it’s done in about 30-40 minutes since baking times will vary.
For pressure cooker chocolate cake recipe in Tamil, Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Malay, Kannada, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
Should the pressure cooker be closed with whistle on?
i have given very detailed instructions in the post. no whistle, yes lid should be closed. no gasket also (the rubber ring in the lid)
Today I tried this cake recipe in pressure cooker for my son on his birthday. It came out so well. Thanks a lot for this recipe
Thank you! Happy Birthday to him
Do you have the steam vent open or closed during baking
open!
it such a nice recipe tips I loved it I’ll try it in my spare time
Tried this cake today and it turned out soft and tasty… I had tried baking pressure cooker cakes before but they were always hard.. feeling so happy.. thanks for the recepie 🙂
that’s great to hear! yes pressure cooker cakes do work well if done correctly. thanks for the feedback 🙂
Hello nags!
This is a great recipe and have made it many times now!
What happens if I make same cake in microwave or don’t want to add cocoa powder to it? Do I need to make any changes to the recipe?
Thanks!
hi, this recipe won’t work well in the microwave. so try my microwave 7 min cake recipe, just search for it using the search bar on top
Hello nags,
I love your recipe. I don’t have an oven so Thisbe is just perfect for me!
I have a couple of questions though, if I want to modify this recipe for a vanilla cake or cake with nuts or blueberry cake or maybe some other variation, do I have to change the quantities of flour, sugar, butter etc?
Also if I want to bake a bigger quantity at one time in a microwave then do I have to make any changes?
Thanks again for the recipe!!
you can make variations in the basic batter, it should still work fine, like adding blueberries, one 1 tbsp cocoa powder, etc.
for microwave cake, the recipe is different, you can check here – microwave chocolate cake
Very systematic presentation n simple easy to make
Seem really awesome. .. Let’s see what happen…
What else can b used in place of cake pan? Non stick utensils can b used or not?
I have made the cake and really it so much soft and fluffy.. Thank u sooooo much for this recipe….
glad you liked it 🙂
Hi, I followed your recipe but wrongly used baking powder instead of baking soda so taste changed a bit.
oh yes they are not typically interchangeable. hope you try again
Dear Nags may I please know that while moisting this cake, should the original sweetness of cake be controlled so that while adding the sugar syrup it does not taste too sweett if yes what is the proposed proportion of sweetness?.
i made my first cake today .
It was a soft and spongy cake, but its sides were a little dry
the cake was sticking at the bottom of the pan a little(i have buttered the pan), so little difficult to come off, can you please tell me why?
but overall it was good and everybody liked it, even with these flaws
thank you for the recipe
May I know if I could add frosting to the cake? If yes which would you suggest for this?
yes you can can definitely frost this cake. I would recommend a simple buttercream (you can google for the recipe)
one more question can i use amul butter, its bit salty
I don’t recommend any salted butter in this recipe because the cake may end up too salty.
Hi Nags iam Parvathi
should we use powdered sugar for cake and then measure it
iam first time baking
for this recipe, you can just measure out regular sugar and use. some recipes call for powdered sugar but usually it is specified as such
My mom is pure vegetarian..She don’t eat egg..is there any solution?What can i use in substitute of egg??Please hepl!!
Just try this eggless chocolate sponge cake recipe
I have pillsburry Milk Choco Spread…Can i use that in substitute of cocoa powder??
no you can’t use a spread in place of cocoa powder. Cocoa powder used here is without sugar. I would recommend buying a small packet. It’s easily available and not so expensive
Thnxx for such easy recepie…but I want to ask 1 question. ..I cant add milk in this recepie…wt should I do…should I use water in place of milk?? Please guide me
no water can’t be used, it will change the flavour too much. you can add any other nut milks like cashew milk or soya milk if possible
Hi .. i was looking forward to try the recipe this weekend.
.could you please mention the measurements in terms of grams becouse i am not clear on which cup the measurements are.thank you
Hi Nandana, my 1 cup measure is about 240gm
Thanks for giving such recipes
you’re welcome anannaya
Lovely cake and now this is my fav… cake ymmmm…..
thank you shakshi!
How much milk should I add for 2 cups of plain flour
Hello. Have to inform you forgot to add a step of adding milk to the batter. Thanks.
thank you! edited the recipe now 🙂
I tried it was so yummy and fluffy i wanna thanks For you recipe.
Yeah it comes very well.
Hi..the cake looks delicious. M gonna try this definitely. Can you please tell how r some cakes in the market juicy? I really wanna make it juicy too
some bakeries pour sugar syrup or some flavoured syrup on the cake after baking it, that’s how they turn out moist like that. you can see my orange cake if you want to try one with syrup
Hi mam, does the plate at d bottom need to have holes in it
not necessary. my pressure cooker came with that plate so i used it. you can use a regular stand or plate too, but make sure it doesn’t lie flat on the bottom on the cooker, otherwise there’s no point in using it. there has to be some space between the bottom of the cooker and the plate to leave the heat disperse evenly
Hi,
Does the plate below the cake pan need to have holes in it?
no it doesn’t, just make sure there’s some gap between bottom of the cooker and the plate so heat can distribute evenly
Hi I don’t have a cake pan , is it OK if I pour the mixture in steel container and bake it in pressure cooker?
sure, make sure to grease the steel container well with butter before pouring the batter so it’s easy to remove the cooked cake later
Thank you for such a wonderful and simple recipe…It turned out really good..
thank you preeti!
We have to take out a whistle also? and i have 3 litre cooker is it ok?
yes take out whistle and the rubber washer around the lid of the pressure cooker. any size is ok as long as the baking pan you use inside doesn’t touch the sides of the cooker.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe.. i made this cake for my fiances birthday and he being a food is very particular abt the taste and every small details. I was scared if this cake will ruin the surprise, bcoz im basically a fresher in cooking. However i cuduled up all the condidence + risk to make this cake. The result was so good that he was unable to recognize of this was a home made or purchased one. He was over whlemed, very happy, very surprised and he jjst simply loved the cake. All who came down tl surprise him were taken by a surprise of the cake. Everyone apoke abt it. Thank you for making my day..
what a lovely story! thank you so much for sharing ranjani and belated birthday wishes to your fiance
I m very new to cooking… Initially I faced some problem in measurements… But once I have done it… It turned out awesome…. Soft.. Yummy.. Loved it very much….
hELLO! This looks very good and I’d like to try it. I’m just confused as to what you are referring to as’low flame’ as I’m new to this Instant Pot cooking. Thank you.
keep the heat to very low
Can I use stainless steel bowl covered with aluminium foil as baking pan? Is yes, am I to butter the foil?
yes you can, yes, butter it slightly so the cake won’t stick
Thx I tries this receipe . But when I invert the cake into plate. It breaks and some part of cake usually sticks at the base of cake pan not on sides. Pls advice.
But must tell it tasted so good…my son loved it
hi seema, looks like the cake needs to cook a bit longer, maybe another 5-7 mins
Hello!! I just made this cake yesterday and it was so good and fluffy! Thank you so much for posting this recipe.I loved cooking this cake and I’m gonna try a bunch of your other recipes too ❤❤
thank you so much!
Amazing recipe….!!!
Tried it 3 times now. Comes out well if added exactly with given measurements and given method.
Thank you for the good recipe! !!
thank you so much niriksha 🙂
Hey, i tried this recipe but the outer layer became too crispy only the middle part was bit spongy, no moisture. can you please tell me what might have gone wrong?
hard to troubleshoot without knowing exactly the ingredients and amounts you used.. possibly the butter was less? or the heat was too much.
Shall we cook it on pan kadhai or electronic cooker if yes is their any precautions
I haven’t tried those myself and can’t really help with the method, sorry about that.
This recipe is very simple….im gonna try this. I have seen in some other sources that they put salt at the bottom. Whats that for? Do u suggest that?
hi mary, the salt at the bottom is to retain and distribute heat more evenly. you don’t really need to do that.
Seriously the cake was simply superb.I’m 15 now and I was not even sure wether I Coud actually make a cake .this was my first attempt and seriously it came out really well .THANK YOU so much for this lovely past .Expecting more lovely and simple posts…….
THANKS A LOT:)
so glad you found it easy to make and good. keep baking! all the best 🙂
It is very easy recipy and…..very tasty …..or it is in your budget recipy…..i really enjoyed to make this cake…..and my family also liked it very much….
Can u please tell me the ingredients in gms instead of cups
quickest would be to do a google search 🙂
Hi if we dont place a plate or pot stand in the bottom of the cooker..will it burn the cake
yes the chances of the bottom burning is much higher
This was the first time I made a cake. I’m not much of a cook. I never cook infact. But making this cake was so simple! And it turned out to be really delicious. What I did for an additional flavor was that I added some walnut to it. It tasted good. Just one thing though, I think the baking soda could’ve been a bit less? Coz I’ve made this cake two times in exactly the same way as has been told and both the times the cake cracked on top. But I must say the cake was so moist and fluffy and tasty. I loved it.
thank you so much surabhi!
is there any replacement for egg…i can’t use egg plz reply me fast
i have another recipe for eggless cake, please use the search bar on this website and type “eggless cake recipe” and you can easily find it
Hey thanks I have made this cake almost 6 times now. It comes out yummy. Only need to be sure of the icing / decor part.
awesome cake
Hi can you let me know the icing- with and without chocolate and decorating tips on this chocolate . I plan to do a double layer chocolate 8/9 inches pan.
Thanks
Smita
can we use sunflower oil instead of butter and powdered dark chocolate instead of cocoa powder?
yes, give it a shot!
Thx I tries this receipe . But everytime I invert cake into plate. It breaks and cake usually sticks at the base of cake pan not on sides. Pls help
looks like you need the cake a bit more
I put the cake for 50 min in low sim and I checked via tooth pick . It looked cooked
What is the plain flour that you have used here ?
plain flour, all-purpose flour, maida
Looks delicious. I am so tempted!
any replacement for vanilla essnce
you can just omit it
Hey that was my first time too to make a cake. I must have made it with my mom when I was very young.
Hi I made the cake with the above recipe and instructions – only mistake I made was i added double the quantity of water. The kids loved the cake. But I have a few questions- the base came out harder ( chewable and the top soft. Though overall my kids and their friends wanted more but I still feel I can improve on it. Thanks for the recipe. Will make it again.
adding double the amount of water would change the texture and is probably the reason for the issues with base etc. do try again
Hi dear nags…made this cake today n it was super moist n delicious…thanks for the wonderful recipe ☺☺
thank you anita 🙂
How to make creame for the cake.
google for buttercream and you can use that to frost the cake
no vanilla essence what is replacement?
there’s no replacement. vanilla extract is available everywhere, i am sure you can find it where you live
I’ve got an oven but wanted to make one in a pressure cooker. And can I say it’s the best cake I’ve ever cooked. It was AMAZING! Lots of applause and second helpings made my day! Thankyou for a great recipe and method!
thank you, so glad it turned out well!
Have you used brown sugar in this recipe? The picture of the second step seems like brown sugar.
yes i did, but you can use white sugar too.
Omg..
I tried this cake it is perfect..!!!
It’s yummy
My family n my frnds loved it..!
I first tym made cake
Thanks to u it turned out to be amazing..!!
Thanks a ton
thanks a lot natasha
this s my first trial, it comes out well, but the egg smells a little bit i need a clearance
maybe add a bit more vanilla next time?
really it was a superb cake, i got a lots of applauses
thank you suba! glad it turned out nice
Yummy cake…….sterday I tried and it came so well…very tasty . Thank u for the recipe…:-)
Nags,
This recipe was too good. I have mailed you before but it’s been a while now. Currently I don’t have an oven in my house and this Christmas all my friends were baking and I just had to make a cake. So I checked your website and came across this recipe and the institutions to bake in the pressure cooker. They were very detailed instructions and it helped me to venture into baking the chocolate cake!!
Thanks a million!! My cake came out perfect.
I baked in a 10L pressure cooker though and I used the try that comes with the cooker cause I didn’t have a baking tin. Cooked it for 50min. It was done !!
Have send you a pic in Twitter!!
That’s really good to hear! Thanks Ranjeetha 🙂
What’s the approx weight of all
Sorry, I haven’t weighed the final cake. If you meant ingredients by weight, you can try Google for conversations.
Thank you. I made this. It worked like a charm. Everyone loved it!
Thank you Gayathri