How to bake a cake in a pressure cooker

Posted on September 28, 2008 by recipesbysam

With the advent of new technology, people are forgetting the art of cooking. Everything is readily available, ready-to-eat or just order. I believe in the more traditional form of cooking. Like baking a cake in a pressure cooker. My mum always bakes it in a cooker. And I assure you, it is absolutely easy.

1. All you need to bake in a cooker is a pressure cooker….voila. But the cooker should be completely cylindrical so that the base of the baking dish touches the cooker perfectly. The cooker should be of preferably of 5 litres of capacity or more.

2. The cooker should be pre-heated at high flame for five minutes before putting in the baking dish.

3. Keep the dish straightaway in the cooker. Do not add water or place a plate / grill of any kind underneath the dish. Make sure there is no water in the cooker when you put in the dish.

4. Keep the gas on sim the whole time while baking to avoid burning.

5. Bake the cake for a minimum of 1 hour. After 40-45 minutes, open the cooker and insert a knife deep into the middle of the cake. If the cake comes out clean, the cake is ready otherwise let it cook for some more time.

6. If you feel the burner is providing uneven heating, place a pan on the stove and then the cooker on it. Keep the gas on sim the whole time.

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40 Responses

  1. zynga, on March 21, 2010 at 1:32 am said:

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  2. Deepa, on July 11, 2010 at 10:44 am said:

    hey excellent tips on baking a cake on a cooker..u gave every single thing for the recipe..hope u wuld have perceived what doubts will readers have and given the tips…that was a brilliant narration..i was searching on the net for baking a cake on a pressure cooker…found urs the best…of all..Expecting “how to bake a cake on a rice cooker” recipe too from u….BTW Thanks for the tips….Found it satisfactory and getting some guts to try it in my precious “pressure cooker”….Hope u can understand how a pressure cooker is so precious for a NRI…

  3. How to Bake a Cake in a Pressure Cooker « BakingSOS Answers, on July 20, 2010 at 9:11 pm said:

    […] instructions on a blog called “Sam’s Recipes.” Find Sam’s suggestions here: How to bake a cake in a pressure cooker.  Thanks, Sam! July 20th, 2010 | Category: cakes, equipment & […]

  4. kavitha, on August 4, 2010 at 8:12 am said:

    I have tried this recipe but my cake was over at bottom layer middle and top is not at all cooked cake was burnt. i think we should some water in the cooker other

  5. recipesbysam, on August 4, 2010 at 9:32 am said:

    @Kavitha. There could be any number of reasons why your cake was not cooked properly. Maybe the lid was not closed properly or the whistle was on. It could also be that the cooker is not heated evenly. If your gas is causing problems, you can place the cooker on an iron griddle to distribute the heat evenly.
    Did you do the ultimate test to check if the cake was cooked properly? Did you insert a toothpick/knife and check if it was coming out clean? Maybe you went wrong where the ingredients are concerned. As I said there could be any number of problems.
    When we use a pressure cooker without the whistle, it acts like an oven as it traps heat inside it. If you put water in it, it will act like a steamer. The cake will become spongy in a steamer and you will end up getting a Dhokla or a steamed pudding instead of a cake.
    However, the only reason I can think of is maybe you left the gas on high. That is the only reason for cake to get burnt in a cooker. If you let it bake gently on a low gas intensity, it is a foolproof recipe. Hope you are able to find the reason for your cake not turning out as you wished it to. If you can describe the process in detail, I might be able to help you more.

  6. rupali, on August 11, 2010 at 11:43 am said:

    can i bake cake in idlli cooker ?????????

  7. recipesbysam, on September 6, 2010 at 10:59 am said:

    You can but then it will resemble dhokla and not cake as it will be moist and spongy because of water and not because of oil/butter. It is best to treat the cooker as an oven and not a steamer so do not add water. Simply place the cake pan in the cooker without any water for best results. Hope this was helpful.

  8. Anu, on July 16, 2011 at 7:40 am said:

    is it possible to bake a cake on an induction cooker?

  9. Soni winki, on July 16, 2011 at 12:22 pm said:

    Wow, diz ix cool.. Suggestions r gr8, am testing dix method, hope dis goes ok.

  10. Renu, on August 27, 2011 at 3:56 am said:

    Wont the cake will get burnt if we will place the pan directly into cooker. There must be something placed under the pan, might be something which has holes in it.

  11. recipesbysam, on September 9, 2011 at 11:07 am said:

    Hi Renu. The gas is on sim so and the cake tin is separated from the gas with the thick cooker base. This will be enough to bake the cake and not get it burnt. Also, it will provide even heat to the bottom of the cake. If we place a separator with holes underneath the cake tin, the cake will not get heat evenly. Also, such a separator is used when we steam something with water in a cooker. Why don’t you give this technique a try and let me know how it turns out. Cheers. Sam

  12. Shweta, on September 20, 2011 at 5:25 am said:

    This is fine….but where is d cake recipe….only baking inst given here 🙂

  13. Shweta, on September 20, 2011 at 5:37 am said:

    Also…wont it affect the pressure cooker to be cooking without water, bcos the user manual says not to use it ever without water. I use a Prestiege pressure cooker for my general everyday cooking.

  14. recipesbysam, on October 4, 2011 at 3:01 pm said:

    Hi Nitroshweta,
    You can check other blog posts for the baking recipe. This particular article is only to provide tips.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  15. recipesbysam, on October 4, 2011 at 3:02 pm said:

    Hi Nitroshweta,
    You can take it from me that is works. Do not worry about the cooker. Nothing will happen to it if you follow the recipe to the T.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  16. aparna, on October 10, 2011 at 10:06 am said:

    cooker might burst without water???? is’nt it????

  17. recipesbysam, on October 31, 2011 at 2:15 pm said:

    Please use only convection oven for cooking.

  18. recipesbysam, on October 31, 2011 at 2:16 pm said:

    Hi Aparna,
    The cooker will not burst as we are not adding the whistle. There is no trapped heat and hence, rest assured, the cooker will not burst.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  19. Amy, on November 5, 2011 at 5:52 am said:

    This sounds amazing! Question, what type of baking container would you suggest? The regular cooker container?

  20. Jisha, on December 8, 2011 at 5:28 am said:

    Hi,
    Thanks for this pressure cooker recipe.Only doubt to me is whether this will spoil the cooker.Becoz we r cooking it without water..Will it harm the gasket..

  21. recipesbysam, on February 8, 2012 at 1:01 pm said:

    Hi Jisha…The cooker will not get harmed in any way. Sam

  22. recipesbysam, on February 8, 2012 at 1:09 pm said:

    Hi Amy,
    You can use any container that is suitable for baking….the regular cooker container will also do.
    Sam

  23. farheen, on February 11, 2012 at 4:56 am said:

    can we use silicon moulds in the cooker for baking a cake

  24. recipesbysam, on February 24, 2012 at 5:18 pm said:

    Hi Farheen….Silicon moulds in the cooker will not be a good idea as the cooker is placed directly in contact with gas flame and this might prove detrimental to the moulds. Please try anything made of aluminium or steel or anything metallic. Sam

  25. Jeenu Gheevar, on April 29, 2012 at 8:36 am said:

    hi i have tried this idea… i don’t have any cake tin so i poured the batter directly to the cooker.i have placed a pan on the stove and cooker on it. i baked for 40 minutes..opened after 10 minutes but my cake got burned.. 😦 what was the reason?

  26. recipesbysam, on May 4, 2012 at 8:19 pm said:

    Hi Jeenu…I am sorry your cake did not turn out as you expected it to but the sole reason is the missing cake pan. They are easily available these days in a good utensil shop or you can also try a supermarket like Big Bazaar. Please do get a cake pan to avoid further disappointment. Cheers. Sam

  27. shitak kore, on May 20, 2012 at 10:55 am said:

    reciep is very simple &easy but how can cack is done without water…

  28. Amber, on May 26, 2012 at 7:41 am said:

    Hey nice way to cook cake. Bt PLz tell me should we apply cooker nosel or do it wd out it
    Thank u

  29. princess alina, on May 27, 2012 at 9:36 am said:

    how to make cake in pressure cooker please give ingredients

  30. recipesbysam, on June 3, 2012 at 5:08 pm said:

    Hi Shitak,
    I suggest you try the recipe before doubting it. I have done it countless times and it has turned out fine.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  31. recipesbysam, on June 3, 2012 at 5:09 pm said:

    Hi Alina,
    The recipe is mentioned in the article.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  32. recipesbysam, on June 3, 2012 at 5:09 pm said:

    Hi Amber,
    Do not use the nozzle when baking the cake in the cooker.
    Cheers,
    Sam

  33. akshata, on July 6, 2012 at 1:51 pm said:

    i have baked cakes in cooker and even in oven. cooker ones turn out better, the only different thing i did was add sand between the cooker and cake pan. sand gives out even heat all around the pan and cake is baked even from top to bottom.

  34. Vijesh Khatana, on September 16, 2012 at 7:35 pm said:

    Hi recipesbysam
    While baking a cake in a pressure cooker we should not use the whistle.But what about the rubber gasket ? Do we have to remove gasket too ?

  35. recipesbysam, on September 18, 2012 at 5:08 pm said:

    Hi Vijesh…The gasket stays on as it helps to secure the lid. Sam

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

    Hi Akshata….Sand has its benefits. I am glad your cakes turn out so well. Sam

  37. Deepnanda, on October 5, 2012 at 6:39 am said:

    I followed your recipe but my cake burned within 30 minutes …. it was totally burned from beneath .. 😦
    i think a stand should be placed under the cake container which will separate it from the base of the pressure cooker so that the cake doesn’t get burned …. or may be water or sand should be used …

  38. princy mathew, on December 14, 2012 at 11:07 am said:

    I have no cake pan, so can I use a steel container instead of it .?

  39. recipesbysam, on December 18, 2012 at 6:21 am said:

    Hi Princy,
    You can use steel container.
    Sam

  40. recipesbysam, on December 18, 2012 at 6:23 am said:

    Hi Deepnanda,
    Sorry to hear about you cake. Maybe the gas burner was on high. You can try putting a tawa on the gas and then the cooker on top.
    Sam

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