Jothi Cooking Book: Vanilla Cake ( In pressure Cooker)

I usually avoid trying to make cake, mainly because it is almost impossible to resist the temptation of eating them ! When you dont make it, you dont get to eat it and thats how I have been concentrating on my cooking by trying other more healthy recipes. But my son, started craving for cake recently and keep asking me to make one for him. I tried a simple and easy cake to start with. White, spongy vanilla cake that can be made in pressure cooker !

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Maida or All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cup
Powdered Sugar - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1 cup ( Not cold milk)
Oil - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1 1/4 teaspoon
Baking Soda - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - a pinch
Vanilla essence - 2 teaspoon
Vinegar - 1 1/4 tablespoon( or lemon juice)

VANILLA BUTTER CREAM FROSTING:

Butter - 1/4 cup ( Place the butter outside for atleast an hour, to bring it to a room temperature)
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence - 2 teaspoon
Whipped Cream - 1 tablespoon

METHOD:

1. I used a 5.5 liter hindalium pressure cooker for this. 5 liter pressure cooker also ok. Your cooker should have a heavy bottom base to withstand the heat. Spread atleast 1.5 cups of salt on the cooker. On the top of it , place any plate. Above the plate , place a stand. Remove the gasket and whistle of the pressure cooker lid. Cover the lid and keep the flame in medium, for the inside of cooker to get hot and resemble an preheated oven . In the meantime, you can prepare the cake batter.

2. In a large bowl, take maida, baking powder, baking soda, salt , powdered sugar. Mix all the dry ingredients well.

3. Now add milk( room temperature - neither cold nor hot milk) , oil, vinegar, vanilla essence . Mix the contents well without any lumps. Do not keep mixing the batter for too long .

4. I used a 6 inch aluminium baking bowl. Apply some oil on the bottom and sides of the aluminium bowl. Also, place a baking paper in the bottom.

5. Pour the batter in to the pan.

6. Place it carefully on the pressure cooker, which is already been heating and hot inside. Cover with lid. Reduce the flame to low and let the cake get baked for another 50 -60 minutes. After 50 minutes, you can use a toothpick to insert and see. If the batter sticks to the tooth pick, then the cake is not done. When the cake is cooked well, the top of the cake will be dry and not wet. Also, the sides of the cake would not stick to the pan. Also, if you insert a toothpick and take it out, you cannot see the cake batter on the tooth pick.

7. Allow it to cool down for another 10 to 15 minutes. Now transfer the cake in to the rack and let it rest for another 5 minutes, until it is completely cool.

8. Your vanilla cake is ready ! You can eat it as such !But my son asked for extra decorations on that. So I made a vanilla butter cream frosting above it and adorned with black chocolate sprinkles. It is purely optional and I would suggest you for a frosting, only if you are sweet tooth ! . If you ask me, I dont like frosting at all, mainly because it has too much sugar content and doesnt suit me .

9. In a bowl, take 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, 2 teaspoon of vanilla essence, 1 tablespoon of whipped cream . whisk the contents well using a manual whisker, until it turns creamy and thick.

10. Now spread it over the cake. Also sprinkle some chocolate sprinkles. It may be wet and sticky, but when you refrigerate , it turns hard and gives a frosty look !