Vanilla Sponge Cake Without Oven in Tamil Style (Cooker Cake)

Place your pressure cooker on the stovetop and add one cup of rock salt or sand to the bottom. Place a small metal stand or ring inside the cooker. Close the cooker lid WITHOUT the whistle or rubber gasket and preheat it on medium-low flame for 10 to 12 minutes. This step is very important as it creates an oven-like environment for baking.

While the cooker preheats, prepare your baking tin. Take a 6-inch round aluminium cake tin and grease it well with butter or oil on all sides and the base. Dust a little flour all over the greased surface, shake out any excess, and set the tin aside. This ensures the cake releases cleanly after baking.

Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt into a clean bowl at least twice. Sifting aerates the flour and removes lumps, which gives your sponge cake its light and fluffy texture. Set this dry mixture aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and powdered sugar. Beat them together vigorously using a hand whisk or electric beater for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture becomes pale, creamy, and fluffy. This process is called creaming and it is the base of a good sponge cake.

Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, whisking well after each addition. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. The batter may look slightly curdled at this point but that is perfectly normal. Add the vanilla essence and mix well.

Now begin adding the sifted dry flour mixture to the wet egg mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk. Start and end with the flour. Each time you add flour or milk, fold gently using a spatula in a light cutting and folding motion. Do not overmix as this develops gluten and makes the cake dense and rubbery.

Once all the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth and flowing, pour it into the prepared greased and floured cake tin. Tap the tin gently on the counter two or three times to remove any large air bubbles trapped in the batter.

Carefully open the preheated pressure cooker and place the filled cake tin on the metal stand inside. Close the cooker lid again without the whistle or rubber ring. Reduce the flame to low and bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes without opening the lid in between.

After 40 minutes, gently open the cooker lid and insert a clean toothpick or skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean with no wet batter on it, the cake is perfectly baked. If it has batter on it, close the lid and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes on low flame.

Once baked, remove the cake tin carefully from the cooker using tongs or a thick cloth. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before running a knife gently around the edges. Invert it onto a wire rack or plate and let it cool completely before slicing. You can enjoy it plain or frost it with whipped cream or buttercream as desired.