Orange Cake Without Egg and Oven

Take a large heavy-bottomed pan or pressure cooker and add 2 cups of sand or salt evenly at the bottom. Place a small stand or ring inside. Cover with the lid (remove the pressure cooker gasket and whistle if using one) and preheat on a medium flame for 10 minutes. This creates an oven-like environment for baking.

Grease a 6-inch round cake pan or any heat-safe container generously with oil or butter. Dust lightly with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside. You can also line the base with a small circle of parchment paper for easy removal after baking.

Wash 2 medium fresh oranges thoroughly. Using a fine grater, zest the orange skin to get 1 tablespoon of orange zest, being careful to avoid the white pith which tastes bitter. Then cut and squeeze the oranges to extract 3/4 cup of fresh orange juice. Keep the juice and zest aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together 1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Sifting is very important as it removes lumps and adds air, making your cake light and fluffy. Set the dry mixture aside.

In a separate bowl, add 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter. Whisk them together vigorously by hand using a balloon whisk or fork for about 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture becomes pale, creamy, and well combined. This step is your creaming stage and is key to a good texture.

To the butter and sugar mixture, add the fresh orange juice, orange zest, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence, and 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Mix everything together gently. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise without eggs, so do not skip this ingredient.

Now gradually add the sifted dry flour mixture into the wet ingredient bowl. Using a spatula or large spoon, gently fold the batter using cut-and-fold strokes. Do not overmix or beat the batter vigorously as this will make the cake dense and tough. Mix only until no dry flour streaks are visible and the batter is smooth and pourable.

Pour the prepared batter into your greased cake pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter two or three times to release any large air bubbles trapped inside the batter. The batter should fill the pan only about halfway to leave room for the cake to rise properly during baking.

Carefully open the preheated pan or pressure cooker and place the filled cake pan on the stand inside. Cover the lid tightly (without gasket and whistle for pressure cooker). Reduce the flame to the lowest setting and bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes without opening the lid in between.

After 35 minutes, carefully open the lid and insert a clean toothpick or skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean with no wet batter, the cake is perfectly baked. If it comes out with batter sticking to it, cover again and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes on low flame and test again.

Once baked, turn off the flame and carefully remove the cake pan from the stovetop oven using tongs or oven mitts. Allow the cake to cool inside the pan for 10 minutes at room temperature. Then run a butter knife gently around the edges and invert the cake onto a wire rack or plate to cool completely.

Once the orange cake has cooled completely to room temperature, slice and serve as is, or dust lightly with powdered sugar on top for a simple elegant finish. You can also drizzle a simple orange glaze made from powdered sugar and fresh orange juice over the top for extra flavour and a beautiful presentation before serving.