Steamed Chocolate Cake, a healthy, soft, moist, fluffy and delicious vegan chocolate cake made on a stove top! No eggs, no baking, no beaters and no butter!
For all chocolate lovers (me included!) it is hard to resist anything with or made from chocolate! Be it homemade chocolates, cakes or in dessert form, just try and keep them away from me!
Our family favorite is a fluffy moist and decadent chocolate cake like the one I used in my Ice Cream Cake or the one which has bananas in them like my chocolate banana cake.
But, all of my cakes and cookies have always been baked in an oven. I think in my lifetime, I have gone through 3 to 4 ovens at the least ! This time, I wanted to make a cake using the steaming method. This needs a large deep saucepan which has a lid and can hold the baking pan.
To experiment, I used my go-to eggless recipe; a simple mix-in-a-bowl chocolate cake recipe.
Just mix the dry and wet ingredients gently in a bowl, pour in a greased and floured pan, place over a trivet and steam in a deep saucepan.
Loosely cover the baking pan with aluminum foil to avoid steam from dripping onto the cake. Steam on very low flame; the water in the pan should be at a gentle simmer. Just ensure at the beginning of the steaming process that there is enough water in the pan to last the whole 35 to 45 minutes of steaming.
Once the cake is fully cooked, let cool in the saucepan until it is easy to remove.
Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into slices.
This is a perfect recipe for those who do not have an oven or are afraid to use one! Although I love my baked cakes, I found that steaming lends a beautiful moist texture to the cake.
So, head into your kitchen and bake, oh sorry, steam this super soft, moist, fluffy, decadent, eggless, vegan chocolate cake on your stove top and wow your family!
Enjoy and Happy Steaming!
For more similar eggless cakes, check out:
Step-by-step Instructions to make Stove-top Steamed Chocolate Cake:
Preparing to steam:
Grease and flour an 8-inch or 9-inch pan. I have lined the bottom with parchment paper and then greased the sides and paper to make removing the cake easier. You can use aluminum foil too. Keep aside. (If you are using a spring form/loose-bottomed pan, cover the outside of the bottom with foil to avoid any leaks).
Add water in a large deep and wide saucepan (which has a lid). Place a metal trivet over it (or anything that you can use to raise the cake pan above hot, simmering water). Start heating the water on medium low.
Dry Ingredients:
In a small bowl, mix the dry ingredients; whole wheat flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, instant coffee powder and salt well with a wire whisk or sift together.
To this mixture, add oil, vanilla essence, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 cup room temperature water.
Mix well with a silicone spatula, spoon or fork until thoroughly blended; do not overmix.
Pour chocolate cake batter into prepared pan and level to ensure a smooth top. Loosely cover with foil (to avoid any steam from falling on the cake).
Steaming the chocolate cake:
Place in prepared kadai/saucepan over simmering water.
Cover the saucepan, increase the heat and bring water to boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and steam until the cake is firm to touch at the center, about 40 to 45 minutes. The water should be at a gentle simmer. Do not open until you have crossed the 30-minute mark.
You will know the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Turn off the heat, remove the lid and let cool until it is easy to remove the cake pan from the saucepan.
Cool the cake in pan on a wire or cooling rack.
Run a knife around the edges and invert onto a plate; remove the foil or parchment paper. Invert again and place on cooling rack.
After the cake has completely cooled, dust it with icing sugar/powdered sugar, use a frosting/icing/chocolate ganache or enjoy it plain. Cut into slices using a large sharp knife.
Steam this up in a saucepan (or pressure cooker, without the weight) and enjoy soft, moist, fluffy and super delicious vegan chocolate cake!
Steamed Chocolate Cake, a healthy, soft, moist, fluffy and delicious vegan chocolate cake made on a stove top! No eggs, no baking, no beaters and no butter!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or use all-purpose flour/maida)
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder (optional but brings out the chocolate flavor more!)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup brown sugar (or white granulated sugar)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons oil (any odorless oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence/extract
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- Grease and flour an 8-inch or 9-inch pan. I have lined the bottom with parchment paper and then greased the sides and paper to make removing the cake easier. Keep aside. If you are using a spring form pan, cover the outside of the bottom with foil to avoid any leaks.
- Add water in a large deep and wide saucepan (which has a lid). Place a metal trivet over it (or anything that you can use to raise the cake pan above hot, simmering water). Start heating the water on medium low.
- In a small bowl, mix the dry ingredients; whole wheat flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, instant coffee powder and salt well with a wire whisk or sift together.
- To this mixture, add oil, vanilla essence, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 cup room temperature water.
- Mix well with a silicone spatula, spoon or fork until thoroughly blended; do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level to ensure a smooth top. Loosely cover with foil (to avoid any steam from falling on the cake). Place in prepared kadai/saucepan over simmering water.
- Cover the saucepan, increase the heat and bring water to boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and steam until the cake is firm to touch at the center, about 40 to 45 minutes. Do not open until you have crossed the 30-minute mark.
- A toothpick inserted in center must come out clean.
- Turn off the heat, remove the lid and let cool until it is easy to remove the cake pan from the saucepan.
- Cool the cake in pan on a wire or cooling rack.
- Run a knife around the edges and invert onto a plate; remove the foil or parchment paper. Invert again and place on cooling rack.
- After the cake has completely cooled, dust it with icing sugar/powdered sugar, use a frosting/icing/chocolate ganache or enjoy it plain. Cut into slices using a large sharp knife.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Ensure the water in the pan is at a gentle simmer. Add enough water or it may boil away before the cake is baked!
Time taken to steam completely depends upon the size of the baking pan as well as the saucepan or kadai used.
Cool the cake completely before cutting into slices.
Use a saucepan which is wider than the pan you will bake the cake in and has the height to place the pan and cover with lid.
To dust the cooled cake with icing sugar, I have placed a lace doily over it and then sprinkled the sugar generously. Gently remove the doily and voila! You have a beautiful looking chocolate cake!
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Beautiful recipe but what can we substitute white vinegar with something else. And water for the cake has to be cold.
Thank you dear!'
Yes, you can substitute with lemon juice ( I have not tried with this but have checked out on some blogs about it) and the water is room temperature water.
Hope this helps and thanks for stopping by my blog.
Enjoy the cake!
Wow...never thought of steaming a cake! It turned out nice, moist and the fact is that it's vegan, I am sold!
Thanks Jagruti 🙂 Yes, even I was skeptical, but it came out so soft and fluffy!
You decorated this chocolate cake so beautifully with stencil. Cake has come out real good. Spongy and perfectly cooked.lovely clicks as well.
Thanks dear 🙂 So sweet of you!!!!
The steamed chocolate cake looks super moist and spongy. Never tried steamed version of cake. Bookmarking it. Thanks for the share.
Thanks Poonam 🙂 Loved the texture and moistness of this steamed version!
This is so fabulous. I have made chinese steamed buns,,but never done a cake this way. I love the texture that has become of the cake.
Thanks so much Seema 🙂 Even I was amazed at the super soft, spongy texture!! Making this again!
Wow. Super soft and moist chocolate cake. The texture came out so well and I loved your final touch of nice pattern with sugar on top of the cake. Perfect recipe for those who want to steam.
Absolutely Malini!! Thanks so much. I loved the moistness that the cake had, a total winner of a recipe for me!
That's great to hear 🙂
What a tempting cake and that too a very innovative way of making it. I am floored
Thank you so much 🙂
The texture of the cake is just spot on , have to try this soon for my kiddo he isa big fan of chocolate cakes, thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much Soma 🙂 Do try this; it will be a treat for your son 🙂
Thanks so much Soma 🙂 Do try this easy one. It will be a treat for your son!
The cake looks so soft and moist...perfec for those who cannot due to oven...
Wow! This recipe is an all around winner and a keeper for sure! The texture of the cake is so perfect - and that too on stove top without eggs. Superb! ??
Who can resist a tempting chocolate cake? I've not tried making a cake by steaming. You're tempting me to try.
Loved your no beater no butter chocolate cake How beautifully you decorate it. Just awesome. Steamed cake is perfect for those who don't want to use oven. Awesome share
I too love the steamed cakes and it is one of our family favourites...and yes rightly said it comes out absolutely moist....I just loved the design you made with sprinkled sugar on top
Somehow I have a taste for baked cakes only but your lacy pattern on the cake is making it look beautiful, no doubt the cake must be very moist as well.
How spongy and fabulous this steamed cake looks. I dont mind having a slice of this cake anytime. And love that icing sugar pattern on the cake..