Eggless steamed chocolate cake recipe (also known as how to make cake without an oven): I was making a layered checkered cake for a good friend’s birthday last weekend using the eggless sponge cake as the base. For the chocolate sponge cake layer, I just added some cocoa powder to the batter and removed some flour to compensate. While going through the steps for the cake, I suddenly had this urge to take some of the chocolate sponge cake batter and steam it since I get a lot of questions from readers if they can make a cake without an oven, or if they can steam cakes instead of baking them. Well, there was only one way to find out.
So I pulled out two pudding moulds, greased them, added the chocolate batter, and steamed them. The resulting steamed eggless chocolate cake was moist, soft, and delicious! I got super excited and wanted to share this eggless steamed chocolate cake recipe with you immediately.
So those of you without an oven, don’t worry about making your own cakes. Steamed cakes are the way to go!
Before you attempt steaming cakes, please read the notes at the bottom of this post, they are from my experience and important to note.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes:
Eggless chocolate sponge cake
Chocolate cake made in pressure cooker
Chocolate cake made in microwave
Chocolate doughnut cakes
Some Useful Links:
How to make curd at home
How to make cupcake moulds at home
Eggless basic sponge cake recipe
Eggless Steamed Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour or plain flour maida
- 1 cup plain curd or yogurt at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 and 1/4 tsp of baking powder
- 1/2 cup of vegetable or sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- Silver foil for covering the cake moulds
Instructions
- Beat the curd without any lumps and add the sugar to it. Beat again well. I used an electric beater for this but a normal whisk will do just fine.
- Add the soda and baking powder, mix well, and set aside for 5 mins until the mixture starts to bubble on top.
- Then add the vanilla and oil and mix well to combine. Remove 3 tbsp of flour from the measured 1.5 cups and add the cocoa powder to it.
- Sift into the wet ingredients and gently fold until you see no streaks of flour left.
- Grease two muffin cups (or any small container that fits in your steamer) generously with butter. Add batter until it's 2/3 full
- Cover the cake moulds with aluminium foil. This is important because if you don't, water that condenses inside the steamer will fall into your batter and that's not good at all.
- Place covered cake moulds in your steamer stand and close the steamer
- Cook for 30 mins or until the top of the cake springs back on touch and a fork inserted in it comes out with moist crumbs. Use low flame to ensure even cooking
- Let the cakes cool in the mould and once cool, run a knife along the edge of the cakes and gently invert onto serving plates
- Serve with a dusting of sugar, some whipped cream, buttercream, fruits etc
Steamed Eggless Chocolate Cake Recipe Step by Step Pictures:
1. Beat the curd without any lumps and add the sugar to it. Beat again well. I used an electric beater for this but a normal whisk will do just fine. Add the soda and baking powder, mix well, and set aside for 5 mins until the mixture starts to bubble on top. Then add the vanilla and oil and mix well to combine. Remove 3 tbsp of flour from the measured 1.5 cups and add the cocoa powder to it. Sift into the wet ingredients in and gently fold until you see no streaks of flour left.
2. Grease two muffin cups (or any small container that fits in your steamer) generously with butter. Add some batter to it.
3. Cover the cake moulds with aluminium foil. This is important because if you don’t, water that condenses inside the steamer will fall into your matter and that’s not good at all.
4. Place in your steamer and cover.
5. Steam for 30 mins or until the top of the cake springs back on touch and a fork inserted in it comes out with moist crumbs.
6. Let the cakes cool in the mould and once cool, run a knife along the edge of the cakes and gently invert onto serving plates.
Tadaaa! Eggless steamed chocolate cake is now ready. These cakes are best served fresh and when still warm. As I mentioned, I was making a birthday cake for a friend so also had some chocolate buttercream in hand which I piped on the cake. This is purely optional but a bit of chocolate sauce definitely won’t hurt.
Notes:
– It’s also possible to make cake in a pressure cooker.
– As mentioned, covering the cake moulds while steaming is important. Also, try to steam this cake in small batches and not in one big cake tray. I feel like the insides may not cook too well otherwise.
– The 30 mins I have mentioned is purely based on my steamer which is quite small and I only had two cakes cooking inside. You may need longer cooking time depending on your steamer and other factors. It’s ok to open the steamer and check in between but make sure you cover the mould again with the foil if the cake needs more cooking time,
– Cook the cake with the steamer on low flame or simmer.
– I found that this eggless steamed chocolate cake is best served on the same day. I have half of one leftover and the next day it was a bit more dense. It was still good and edible but not as good as freshly serving the cake.
– You can try many variations in flavours with this basic cake recipe. Omit the cocoa for a plain vanilla eggless steamed sponge cake. Add chocolate chips, fruit bits, tutti fruity, the options are endless.
– A friend messaged me to ask if this same recipe for eggless steamed chocolate cake can be made in idli moulds. That’s when I remembered the chocolate idlis I used to make when I was in school. The batter recipe was different but I am positive this recipe with work if you steam the cake in idli moulds too. Do leave a comment if you try it.
– The texture of steamed cake is a bit different from the baked one. It will be more moist, a bit heavier, and not springy. It’s still delicious but expect more of a pudding-cake than an airy cake.
– The cake is quite sweet on its own so the frosting or sauce on top is totally optional. The cake on its own is not very pretty though so if you are serving for guests, whip up some buttercream. Or just use chocolate sauce.
– I use Valrhona Cocoa Powder in all my chocolate cakes and desserts. It is Dutch-processed but I use it in all recipes anyway, even the ones that call for non Dutch-processed cocoa powder. It gives a deep mahogany colour to your dessert and the flavour is unmatched (not a paid endorsement but the link is an affiliate one).
So what are you waiting for? Make some eggless steamed chocolate cake now. Eat. Smile.
For eggless steamed chocolate cake recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Kannada, Telugu, Malay etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
If you try this steamed cake recipe and like it, do click a picture and share on Twitter or Instagram with #ediblegarden. I’d love to see and feature it!
divya
A tasty cake
Sunshine Montecillo
hi there! would a ready to mix cake good to be steamed?
nags
hello sunshine, yes it works! i have tried it with a betty crocker chocolate cake mix in the past and it worked very well. give it a shot 🙂
Valencia
Hi Nagmi! I really liked this idea and the pic inspires me…but one query can I make this cake without a steamer…and steaming it a normal vessel with a water bath and covering the vessel with a lid? Since I don’t have both ..a baker and a steamer !?!?!?!?!? Please Reply ASAP!
nags
Hello Valencia, yes you can definitely try that. Just make sure the boiling water doesn’t enter the batter. The best thing is to ensure the baking pan has high sides. Good luck and do let me know how it turns out 🙂
Sowmya Sundararajan
Very nice Nags.
raksha hegde
hi Nags ur cake s luking so yummyyy.. can u tel me how many cakes u prepared out of this measurement
Anonymous
Interesting recipe…will surely try. Just didn't understand one thing. 1.5 cup maida is not used? Your recipe says measure 3 spn of flour from the 1.5cup. Can you pl elaborate.
Nagalakshmi V
i read the recipe again and feel it's quite clear… you need to measure out 1.5 cups of flour and since this is a chocolate cake, remove 3 tbsp of flour from that and add 3 tbsp of cocoa powder. hope that is clear now.
Anonymous
It was an awesome recipe. Hats off 2 u!!!!!!
Anonymous
Hi nags
i love love love ur recipes.This recipe especially is a hit.I followed your recipe to the T.It came out just the way you had described.
Thanks and please do post more such eggless simple recipes.
Anonymous
Oh ok.. I will try it out. but for the same batter consistency in a single tin would consume more time i suppose. Or you tell me will take the same time? This is the first time i would be making a cake at home and im nervous!!!! I hope you understand.
Nagalakshmi V
it's ok 🙂 i haven't tried to steam a cake in one go but yes it will surely need more time than what i have mentioned here. i had a reader comment that she steamed it in a big cake and it worked out fine, she didn't mention steaming time though
Anonymous
Hi there. This is lakshmi here. I stumbled at your blog on FB and as i was going through it i came across this wonderful steamed choco cake recipe you posted here and was so fascinated that i wanted to try it at home for my husbands birthday and that being today. i wanted to know how much batter ingredients would i require for steaming for about a 450 gm of the cake and what would be cooking time. Can you please help me in this regard?
Nagalakshmi V
it's hard for me to estimate by weight like that lakshmi. i feel if you use this measure, you will end up with a cake about that size.