“How do I bake a cake in a pressure cooker? Or, “how to make cake in a pressure cooker?” These are the most often asked questions in comments, emails, and messages on this blog. I postponed baking cake in a pressure cooker because, frankly, I was scared to try it. I vaguely remember my aunt cautioning me against it when I was a child and I have read on quite a few blogs that, yes, you can definitely bake a cake in the pressure cooker but it’s not very good for your cooker and it may compromise its safety.
Technically, I didn’t see what the issue was but I did have this (probably) irrational fear of making a cake in a pressure cooker, especially since I had a perfectly functioning and good oven. But I ventured forth last weekend and made a cake from scratch in a pressure cooker, and let me tell you, there’s really nothing to fear, just a few things to remember. So here goes.
HOW TO BAKE CAKE IN A PRESSURE COOKER
1. Decide on a good, uncomplicated recipe for your pressure cooker cake. I started with a simple eggless sponge cake with tutti frutti made in pressure cooker (pictured above) but I would guess that pretty much all cake recipes will work well in a pressure cooker too. Prepare the batter and set aside.
2. Use a pressure cooker that’s at least 3 litres, but 5 litres is a good size and what I would recommend. I have had people try cakes in pressure cookers with 10 litres capacity and had success so size is not an issue. Your cooking time and cake pan size may need to be adapted accordingly.
3. Remove the gasket (the rubber insulation thing) on the lid of your pressure cooker. This is an important step. You also do NOT need the whistle. You also don’t need to add any water to the pressure cooker, more on that below.
4. My pressure cooker came with this stand that goes at the bottom of the cooker pan. It distributes heat more evenly and is especially useful when baking cake in a pressure cooker. If you don’t have this same thing, try to find a substitute. Maybe a small, thick steel plate would do the job as well.
It’s better not to have the cake pan touch the bottom of the pressure cooker directly since that may cause the bottom of the cake to cook more rapidly. Another option is to place the pressure cooker on a flat griddle or tawa and cook the cake. It’s just an insulation between the flame and the bottom of the cooker to protect the cake.
5. Another important thing to remember is, do NOT add any water to the pressure cooker pan for baking a cake. If you do, you will be steaming the cake (which is fine to do – here’s my method of steaming a cake) but here we are trying to create an oven-like environment using a pressure cooker as much as possible. The heat generated in the pressure cooker will be enough to cook/bake the cake.
6. Before starting to bake the cake, you need to pre-heat the pressure cooker. For this, just place the lid (without gasket) on the pressure cooker (which should contain no water) and cook on high heat for 2 mins.
7. Now you can put the cake batter in. Make sure to use a cake pan that fits comfortably inside your pressure cooker without the sides touching. Use a pot-holder since the cooker will be hot because of the pre-heating.
After placing the batter in, close the lid and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes and then lower the flame to just a simmer. The cake, depending on the size of your cake pan and pressure cooker, will take anywhere between 45 minutes to 1 hour to bake.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- A pressure cooker is not meant for baking or using in the manner described above so consider that before using it to make a cake.
- I don’t expect the pressure cooker will burst into pieces while cooking (I was very worried about this though, without reason) but it may compromise the quality of the safety valve on the lid and the high heat may cause the handle and other parts to deteriorate a bit.
- Using your pressure cooker to bake once or twice a year is probably okay but not regularly. If you bake anything more than once a month, I recommend buying an oven. It will be worth it and your options are much wider than using a pressure cooker to bake.
- Always check manufacturers instructions to make sure your make and model of pressure cooker can handle this. I am not sure how a steel pressure cooker will behave, mine is a basic 5 litre aluminium one. It’s probably best not to do this in a non-stick pressure cooker since dry-heating a non-stick surface without water or oil is not advised.
All that aside, I baked an eggless vanilla cake with tutti frutti in pressure cooker and it turned out moist and delicious. You may also like this pressure cooker chocolate cake recipe, which is not eggless, but it turned out so good that you wouldn’t be able to tell that the cake was made in a pressure cooker and not an oven.
To learn How to Make Pressure Cooker Cake in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu etc, please use the Google translate button in the right sidebar.
If you try this pressure cooker cake and find it successful, please leave a comment and rating below. You can also tag pictures with #ediblegarden on Instragram or Twitter, I’d love to see them.
Excellent result. I relocated in this part of the world where kitchen do not have inbuilt appliances. I was so much use to my under job over that after coming here I used to crave for my style cakes. Making it in cooker and having best results first time was wonderful.
Preheat doesn’t need gasket, how about baking? Do you put the gasket in the lid during the actual baking time.
no gasket needed at all
Hey this is so amazing.
now after reading this i can also make cake in a pressure cooker.
yes you can absolutely make a cake in a pressure cooker!
Not yet tried the recipe but need to ask this. What if I place some wet sand on the cooker base, and place the pan on it?
i haven’t tried this but you surely can 🙂
Can this be adapted to an Instant Pot?
i assume you can but i haven’t tried it because i don’t own an instant pot yet
I had already tried it before reading your blog. It was wonderful. But the worrying part is the part you said I should not use the pressure cooker more than twice in a year. I dont have the money to buy an oven now and I love cake and baking snacks. Is there any other pot I can use often. I love to experiment.
It’s just a note to be careful because using a pressure cooker like this may make it less safe for regular use. Just be careful, that’s all.
Buy Fissler(Gemany Made) I own a10Litre Fissler.It’sa solid Stainless Steel. I use pot for baking cake many times in a month..Baking a normal size cake take only 20 to 25 minutes on the stove. It bake fast because the volume and size of the pot. Prebake(10 minutes) before you bake
It’s fine to use non-stick cookware as long as your heat is low. Non-stick surfaces can withstand 500F/260C, and the water in your batter prevents it from going above 212F/100C if your flame is low. I make cakes in non-stick pots and pans on the stove every month and it’s not a problem. Just use the lowest flame possible.
Because the heat is so low, the bottom of the pot can touch the flame directly. In fact, the cake develops a nice crust, just like it would in the oven.
Lastly, you should rub butter or oil all over the interior of the pot to prevent sticking. A flour dusting can also help although I find it unnecessary. I generally prefer a deep pan to a pot because the cake is easier to remove.
I forgot to mention that I pour the batter directly into the pot or pan. No need to use an inner vessel.
very simple and amazing recepi…thanks but I have heard that we should put a cup of salt or sand in cooker while baking it. You didn’t do that. IF it is not necessary then why people use it?
the best
Hii we have to put water in cooker na..for steam…
we are not steaming in this case, just cooking/baking in high heat. i have another recipe for steamed chocolate cake if you want to search for that and take a look
No, you don’t need water because this isn’t pressure cooking so you don’t need to build up pressure. You’re just using this like a normal pot. For what it’s worth, you do need steam in this recipe. Without steam there would be little heat to cook the top of the cake. The steam is created from the water in the batter. You can see this steam if you use a glass lid.