March 24th, 2009

Basic Eggless Cake

Basic Eggless Cake

The d day finally arrived exactly 2 weeks ago and I’m happy to announce the arrival of our son. To say life is hectic is an understatement and I’m getting used to the schedules of my newborn with oodles of help from my mother. Motherhood has its own unique share of joys, happiness, anxiety, trials and tribulations and I’m experiencing every bit of it. Life has suddenly changed forever.

This cake was one of the few things I made just a few days before the birth of our son. It is a very versatile cake. You could serve it plain, sprinkle it with icing sugar, bake it in cups to make cupcakes or bake it in a round tin to make wedges or square tin to make squares, slice it in the centre and sandwich with your favourite jams, the possibilities are endless. It can go from being a simple everyday cake to a star attraction on the table with a little bit of imagination. The reasons for eggless baking maybe many, health, allergies, religious or any other, this is quite a useful recipe to know.

I must also mention that divinetaste and my recipe for komola kheer have been featured on Kurma’s blog. Kurma das, known as the vegetarian guru of Australia is a prolific cookery author and a great chef. I feel truly honoured by his gesture.

Basic Eggless Cake Recipe

My favourite way to make this cake is to slice it in equal halves, sandwich with apricot jam* and dredge with icing sugar on top.

Ingredients:

250 gm plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda/ sodium bicarbonate
1 tin/400gm sweetened condensed milk
100 gm butter melted
175 ml water/milk
2 tsp good quality vanilla extract

Method:

Grease and line the bottom of an 8” square or 9” round cake tin with greaseproof paper/baking parchment/butter paper. In a mixing bowl, assemble the flour, baking powder and baking soda, mix with a spoon and sieve once to make the mixture uniform. Preheat the oven at about 100 to 120 degrees centigrade. Put in the condensed milk, melted butter, vanilla essence and water into the mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients. Beat with an electric hand mixer, whisk or spoon  until the mixture comes together and there are no lumps. This shouldn’t take more than a minute with an electric hand mixer/beater. Be careful not to over beat the mixture as this could result into a hard cake. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for an hour at 150 degree centigrade.
The cake is done when a knife or cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the centre of the cake. Invert the cake on a cooling rack, cool and use as required.

* If using jam to sandwich the cake, beat the jam in a bowl with a spoon to soften it and make it spreadable.

P.S. Since this is an eggless cake, you might find the batter on the looser side, but it comes out alright, soft and spongy out of the oven.

Filed Under: Anniversary, Back To Basics, Baking Powder, Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), Birthday, Brunch, Butter, Cakes & Cookies, Christmas/Easter, Condensed Milk (sweetened), Dairy Products, Dessert, Diwali, Eggless Baking, Family Get Together, Flour (plain), Janmashtami, Milk, Picnic, Potluck Party, Vanilla Extract, World · Tags: , ,

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Comments (53 Comments)

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  1. Rashmi says:

    Congratulations Anushruti!Hope you enjoy this truly special phase.

    As always, the photographs and the recipe are lovely!

  2. Vidya says:

    Oh boy! What a joy! :-) Congrats on the new arrival. The cake looks delicious…

  3. Beena says:

    One doubt….what does the pic of the flower indicate? Just curious…..
    ;-)

  4. Supriya Huilgol says:

    Hi Anu,
    Congratulations to all of you! Can’t wait to see the baby! Take care.
    Supriya, Sharad, Yash and Shreya

  5. Mihir Jayaraman says:

    Hi Anu,
    Simply mouth watering. Nice clips. A question – what does the white flower represent & which flower is it?
    Cheers,
    Mihir

  6. Anushruti says:

    Hi Mihir,
    This is a dahlia flower, that I shot in Srilanka. I love to include flower and nature pictures in my posts. Here, if you read the post and put the cursor on the picture you will understand that it is related to the birth of your nephew. :-)

    Beena: I hope this quells your curiosity too.

  7. Kiran says:

    This is a great recipe, we use it quite regularly, and make chocolate and fruit cake using this same basic recipe. Like you said the possibilities are endless….

    Congratulations on the birth of your son. Motherhood is wonderful, enjoy every moment of it, the grow up very fast.

  8. Kiran says:

    oh and use self raising flour, and try it with some lemonade instead of water or milk. This will give a lighter sponge.

    All the best :)

  9. Anushruti says:

    Kiran: Thanks. I’m really looking forward to this phase of my life and ofcourse feeding him with all the delectable things that I can possibly make.

    I’m not a fan of self raising flour. Its not easily available here in India and also other parts of the world. I prefer making my own self-raising flour, if a recipe calls for it.

  10. Soumya says:

    Hi Anu..
    First of all congratulations on your baby boy! must be a bundle of joy!! nice post.. and a great way to include ur baby in it ( new life). Also aunty told me that kurma das has mentioned you in his blog..thats quite something! Wishing you all the very best in all your future endeavours… keep cooking!

    Lots of love Soumya

  11. nisha says:

    hi anu..
    this cake looks amazing.. i actually tried making it in a bundt and square pan… the center did not rise.
    i baked this on 350 degrees farhenheit for 40 minutes.

    the center was sort of mushy, it didn’t separate as it would when using eggs.

    please help.
    thanks.
    nisha

  12. Anushruti says:

    Nisha: This cake works beautifully well in a bundt pan. http://www.purplefoodie.com/2009/10/dulce-de-leche-cake-with-vanilla-bean.html

    Try baking it at 300 degree F or 150 degree C for a few minutes longer. At times the oven plays mischief!

  13. veena says:

    Anu,

    The cake looks great. I have been looking for eggless recipes for ages and do hope this is it. Just a query. offlate I have started baking cakes wth oil totally doing away with the butter. do you think that is possible in this recipe?

    Veena

  14. Anushruti says:

    Veena: I have not tried substituting this recipe with oil. But there are other recipes of cakes on divinetaste with oil. In my opinion, butter would taste best here, oil would make the cake more dense and alter the texture of the sponge. Let me know if you do decide to use oil instead of butter in this recipe.

  15. Made this for afternoon tea and it was very well received. I’ll have to bake it again for photos since half of it was gone before I could find my camera. Thank you!

  16. [...] of cuisines. The eggless almond cake featured today [adapted from Anushruti's wonderful blog, Divine Taste - Feed Your Body, Mind and Soul] has a hint of the delicate almond flavour that make you reach for more. I guiltily admit that I [...]

  17. anuradha verma says:

    your cakes look great.i want to know what type of oven do you use.i am new in baking and want to buy one what would you suggest.oven or otg?

  18. Anushruti says:

    Anuradha: Thanks. I’m happy you enjoy my cakes. I use a traditional convection oven or what you call the oven toaster grill in India. Set your oven to “bake” mode when baking in an OTG. I have the largest capacity Bajaj model and my new acquisition is my Siemens convection oven http://www.siemens.com/entry/in/en/.

  19. Gauri says:

    I have to tell you this basic eggless cake recipe plays a very important role for me in making my loved ones happy. This year i celebrated each of my near n dear ones birthdays with variations of this basic recipe and modifying it to make cakes of different flavors and frostings. I must thank you for this.
    Being a vegetarian and finding the perfect eggless cake recipe was not easy, and I was so glad when i found this. I’ve tried almost all the cakes featured on your site. The chocolate cake too is a bag hit with my friends.
    I also have a query : Is it possible to make the super-spongy sponge cake we get in bakeries without use of eggs? If this same recipe can me modified to make it a sponge cake can you give me some suggestions?
    Thanks, Gauri.

  20. Anushruti says:

    Gauri: Cakes always make people feel special and homemade ones are a great way to celebrate any occasion. This one is a true winner with my folks too and I’m happy you like it.

    As far as your query for sponge cake goes, have you tried the vanilla cake featured here? I have given the recipe and trained folks selling eggless cakes in a bakery in Bangalore with a similar recipe, omitting the yogurt and increasing the milk.

  21. Gauri says:

    I’ve tried the vanilla cake featured, but will try it with the variation soon. I’ve tried making this same basic eggless cake with more milk to make the batter on the looser side so it comes more spongy, but I’ve noticed the cake turned soft, but not like sponge.

  22. Christina says:

    Just tried your recipe just for the heck of trying an egg-less cake and boy did it taste as good as the regular cakes:). I served it by sprinkling icing sugar on top. Moist and fluffy and pretty looking cake, and yum tasting..thanks for sharing the recipe

  23. Anushruti says:

    Christina: Thanks for reporting your success. This will encourage many to try eggless cakes. :-)

  24. Sandhya says:

    Hi,
    For some time now I have been following your recipes here. I am a vegetarian and am always looking for egg-less baking. I have a few egg-less cake recipes and they come out well. I tried your Basic Egg-less Cake Recipe and it came out perfect. Soft and spongy. everyone who ate it could not believe it was egg-less. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Next I am going to try the Mango cheese cake. Unfortunately the mango season is over now but I have some pulp in the freezer of our home grown organic mangoes and use that to make the cheese cake.
    Congratulations on being mentioned by Kurma Dasa. I just love his recipes and have one of his books.

  25. Anushruti says:

    Sandhya: I’m so glad you and your family like these cakes. Eggless cakes can taste as good if not better than egg-based cakes. I’m so happy when someone reports their success like you have here.

    Your organic mangoes sound great. Using the pulp is an option when mangoes are not in season. Do let me know how it turned out.

  26. Ashwini says:

    Hi Anushruti-I am an ardent fan of all your recipes, the pictures and the manner in which you post the recipes. I was wanting to know if I can bake this cake using a microwave, coz I dont really have an OTG. The microwave is one with the convection function, let me know if I can try it. Thanks :)

  27. Anushruti says:

    Ashwini: Thanks for writing in. I’m afraid I cant give you directions for microwave cooking, since I dont cook with it. I’m actually against the use of one and the one I received as a wedding gift is lying packed and unused. I’m sorry I cant help you with this. Please do consider buying an OTG, atleast a small one to start with.

  28. nigel says:

    Fabulous recipie! Very well worth trying. I hope that you will consider using locally made pottery for cooking. It helps the economy our community and the environment!http://blog.sidestreetstudio.com/wood/10-reasons-why-you-should-buy-local-arts-crafts/

  29. Ashwini says:

    Anushruti – I tried the recipe and baked it in my friends OTG. It came out superbly well :) Next on my agenda is to get myself an OTG. Thanks a ton for this lovely recipe.

  30. Honey says:

    Hi Anu,
    I tried posting last week, but for some reason it didn’t go thru. I just wanted to thank you so much for this recipe. I recently made this eggless cake and tweaked it, but your measurements really helped me out. You have a wonderful blog here.. i really enjoy it.

    http://www.honeywhatscooking.com/2010/10/eggless-condensed-milk-vanilla-cake.html

    thanks!
    nisha

  31. Simi says:

    Baking this for marking a close to 2010 :)

  32. Krystyn says:

    I’m very excited to make this cake. My daughter turns 1 tomorrow and she is allergic to eggs. I have been searching for an eggless cake recipe that sounded as if it would taste good. Very happy to have found your site. Thank you!

  33. Pinky says:

    Hi,am so glad to find your blog.I love baking and I was so excited to see ur eggless version of cakes and cookies.I have baked before Sanjeev kapoors eggless cake but ur proportion was different so thought of trying it :) .I used 1/4 th portion butter and the rest oil.but my batter wasn’t on looser side though I used 175 ml low fat milk.it took 45 minutes to bake. The cake was beautiful and tasted great.but i had a problem,the cake wasn’t in spongy texture evenly.could you please tell me what went wrong? How do I send you the photo so that you will know what I meant :) Eagerly waiting to hear from you:)

  34. Anushruti says:

    Pinky: I have never tried this recipe with 25% butter and 75% oil. Try making it without changing the recipe. You can send me the picture by going to the contact page.

  35. Pinky says:

    Thanks a lot for the reply :)

  36. Elmira says:

    Hi,

    I tried out the eggless cake recipe for a vegan friend and it turned out absolutely delicious. Thanks so much.

  37. Anushruti says:

    Elmira: Great…thanks for the feedback!

  38. neesha says:

    HI anu,
    I am a “long time ” fan but a first timer for putting in my comment. Just wanted to say … that i have tried most of the cake recipes from your blog and they have all turned out well… and well complemented by those who tried it :)
    Have recommended your website to many of my friends and family members..
    Tried the simple cake above ( without the jam ) just plain … it was gone within minutes :) thank you . Hope to see more of your wonderful entrees

  39. Anushruti says:

    Neesha: Thank you for taking the time to write and for the feedback. Always love to hear from my readers and this is precious to me.

  40. [...] Originally Posted by Yogesh Sarkar …. But the real problem was the fact that there was just way too much butter and sugar, and that I felt was primarily responsible for the screw up. … Indeed, you used far more butter than needed? And condensed milk has way too much sugar for the cake to need any more. Where did you get this recipe from? Google never lets you down. e.g. Basic Eggless Cake Divine Taste [...]

  41. Kavitha says:

    Just felt like thanking you for this wonderful eggless cake recipe. I have been on the search for a good eggless cake recipe and I must say I was very lucky to get this. It turned out very well. I had baked this to celebrate Diwali with a set of under priviliged children, everyone liked it and it was enjoyed thoroughly. I made just one variation to your recipe, though I am not sure if it made any great difference. Thanks for putting up this wonderful recipe.

  42. Anushruti says:

    Kavitha: You are most welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe and used it for such a noble cause. Thanks for letting me know!

  43. Ashwini Kumble says:

    Dear Anu,

    Do you cut the cake into two halves and spread the jam
    on both halves and then cut them into cubes, or do you fist cut
    them into cubes and then make each cube a sandwich?

    If you are following the first method, i m really not sure how to cut the
    cake uniformly into two halves, won’t the cake crumble while cutting?

    Please help!

  44. Anushruti says:

    Ashwini: Yes I slice the cake into two halves. The cake won’t crumble if you are careful. If you are still skeptical, I suggest divide the batter into two halves and bake it in 2 8″ or 9″ round pans.

  45. Ashwini Kumble says:

    Thanks Anu! Will definitely give it a try soon!

  46. anthem jardine says:

    i made em xactly like ye said it in yer blogs! gotta “taste” of heaven! simply divine! thanks anu for the sharing divinity! GOD bless..

  47. Anushruti says:

    anthem: Glad you like it! :-)

  48. LadySparta says:

    I bake for a living and was looking for a workable cake recipe for a client who has allergies to eggs, nuts and citrus…Judging by the picture, it leaves me a little wary of wanting to try this…

    I’m sorry when I say that right from the first picture, thing looks like a BRICK! And it doesn’t help the appearance when you dressed it up in the following pictures, it just makes it look like a DRY TOAST sandwich with jam and sugar lol. Maybe that’s passable for household use, but if I tried passing that off at work, I’d be strung up! It may taste good, but if it’s not fit for presentation, it’s not going to matter to customers…or the waiters whom I rely on to sell it, they’re always going to sell things that make THEM look good. I can tell that if I made that as suggested by the photos, it wouldn’t move and I’d get in trouble for making a dud lol. I don’t know what you butt-kissers see in it, calling it “mouthwatering” and “yummy”? I guess they’re fans of dry toast sandwiches lol

  49. Anushruti says:

    LadySparta: Its very obvious that you have concealed your real identity by hiding under a fictitious name and are not bold enough to come out with your real self! And, who loves cowards? If what you said was constructive criticism, I would welcome it. But you have not just tried to insult my creative endeavours but also all the genuine visitors and people who have tried and tested this recipe.

    Instead of wasting your valuable time here if you dont care about it, why dont you go in search of something that suits your pursuits and help you make a better living?

  50. Indu says:

    @LadySparta: I couldn’t agree more with Anushruti.

    Your comment has brought out so many aspects of you: you do not respect creativity, you don’t know what you’re looking for (this is not a ‘let’s sell cakes’ blog), you don’t have enough decency to respect people, and you are flaming and disrupting harmony on an otherwise wonderful site.

    It is only tribute to Anushruti’s decency that she did not retaliate in kind.

  51. Diana says:

    Lady Sparta: I’m a professional baker and have been inspired by many cakes here on DivineTaste http://www.divinetaste.com/archives/eggless-chocolate-ganache-cake/ http://www.divinetaste.com/archives/eggless-pineapple-cream-cake/
    http://www.divinetaste.com/archives/eggless-almond-cake-with-almond-buttercream-icing/
    and her date and cashew cake was made by Rosie Lovell who has a cafe called Rosie’s Deli cafe in London for her shelves. http://www.divinetaste.com/archives/date-cashew-olive-oil-cake/

  52. Priya says:

    Hi Anushruti,

    Thks fr sharing the recipe. However, I have some queries:

    1. In my oven, I have to manually seethe time for preheating. Plz advise how long do I need to preheat the oven?

    2. I have tried making the eggless cake but every time it deflates/ does not rise enough. Please advise where am I going wrong?

    3. Is it ok to use soda instead of water or milk in the cake? Does it help in raising the cake?

    4. My cake turns out to be sticky. Is it because of the condensed milk ?

    4. My cake turns out to be quite sticky. Is it because of condensed milk?

  53. Anushruti says:

    Priya: You can pre heat for 5 to 10 minutes…until the oven is hot enough! Since you are having many problems with your cake, it could be your oven. Or maybe you are not measuring the ingredients properly? My cake with condensed milk does not turn sticky…I don’t use soda to make eggless cakes so I can’t really say!

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