Chocolate cake for vegans and health-conscious people with just 5 ingredients and in 5 minutes in microwave!

 Who does not like cakes? It is that sweetness that satisfies our taste buds anytime and anywhere. It lifts our moods, binds us and bridges personal gaps. It says more than words and are meant for every occasion. It can fill the air with its aroma and with romance and goodness! 

But the weight-conscious people are worried and seem to not enjoy it. Besides, the proportion of vegetarian people and vegans is rising in the world. The eggs and milk in the normal shop-sold cakes seem to bother them. So what is the way out? Yes, there are healthy and vegan cake options that you can make at home quickly, easily, and with the minimum ingredients. You do not even need an oven for it. You can pressure cook it or even microwave it. 

The chocolate cake recipe: Easy, quick, and healthy cake at home

Ingredients

All-purpose flour or refined flour or Maida 1.5 cups

Cocoa powder unsweetened 2/3 cup

Fine sugar or granulated sugar or brown sugar 3/4 cup

Baking powder 2-3 tsp

Vegetable oil 1 tbsp

Warm water 2 tbsp

You can substitute jaggery (Gur) in place of sugar. For sugar-conscious people,one can use non-sugar sweetener but the amount would vary accordingly. 

Chocolate cake (Source: Emerils)

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1. The Microwave method

Take a microwavable or microwave-safe container of suitable size. Use parchment paper to line i5, grease it with oil and lightly dust flour on the inside. Keep this aside. 

Mix flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in another bowl. Add sugar to this and mix thoroughly. Add oil. Add warm water and whisk thoroughly to a pasty consistency. Add more water if required. 

Pour into the readied microwave-safe container and microwave for 2-5 minutes until a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean. Usually 100 degrees for 2-5 minutes suffices. The time depends on your microwave brand and container size and shape. 

Allow to cool for a few minutes. Put it on a dish and consume. 

The pressure cooker method

Use a 3 or 5 liter aluminium pressure cooker. Do not use the non-stick type of pressure cooker. It is not advisable. Also do not use pressure cooker to regularly bake a cake. You can use it for a few times a year. Regular baking with it will spoil its parts early and the metal would weaken. Pressure cooker is not meant for baking cakes. It is only for emergency or rare uses for this purpose. 

You need to use a stand in between the base of the cooker and the container containing the cake mixture. This is to prevent the lower part of the cake mixture from getting overheated compared to the upper layers. It should be exposed to the dry heat in an even manner. For the stand, one can use the inside stand that comes with the pressure cooker.  Alternatively, one can keep a flat griddle or a tawa in between the pressure cooker and the flame. One can also layer the bottom of the cooker with sea salt or sand.  Do not use water in the pressure cooker for baking. 

Remove the whistle and gasket (rubber ring) of the pressure cooker before using it as a baker. The container for the cake mixture should be able to stand the dry heat. Aluminium pans are good for this purpose. 

After you have readied the pressure cooker noting the above points, pour the prepared mixture into the cooker container after greasing it. You can pre-heat the cooker on medium flame for 2 minutes. Then place the container with the mixture into the cooker with a pair of tongs. 

Close the lid without the gasket and whistle and heat on medium flame for 5 minutes and lower the flame to a simmer. Let it bake for 40-45 minutes. Off the flame. Allow to stand for a few minutes until it cools. Open the lid, remove the cake and enjoy! You can add icing or frost it if you like! You can add mashed fresh fruits or dry fruits to the cake mixture to make it more healthy and nutritious!