Ragi cake recipe – Ragi or finger millet is a well-known grain widely popular in South India. Ragi flour is often used to make porridge, roti, mudde etc. This ragi cake is one of the very old posts on the blog. I used to make this often when my younger kid was a toddler. This recipe yields ragi cake that tastes delicious, very light, fluffy and soft without leaving an after taste of baking soda or baking powder.
This ragi cake is made of no refined ingredients and is quite healthy if eaten in moderation. It can be served to toddlers for an evening snack. I recently happened to make this cake again after a very long time so thought of updating the post with a video.
If making for toddlers, it is good to use melted butter than oil. But the recipe works with both. You can also make this with powdered jaggery, brown sugar, coconut sugar or palm jaggery. The cake tastes very delicious even with out frosting and is very light and delicate due to the addition of curd or yogurt.
For more Cake Recipes, you can check
Eggless chocolate cake
Vanilla cake
Eggless fruit cake
Eggless chocolate banana cake
Egglesss banana bread
Ragi cake recipe
Ragi cake
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- ¾ cup ragi flour fine, or sprouted ragi flour
- ¾ cup wheat flour atta or plain flour
- 2 tbsps cocoa powder check notes
- 1 cup sugar or jaggery or palm sugar (tightly packed)
- 1/3 cup curd yogurt, dahi (80 ml) whisked
- 2/3 cup butter unsalted, melted or oil
- ¾ cup milk or 180 ml, or 100 ml water + 80 ml milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt optional
Frosting(optional)
- 1 cup full fat milk or 3 tbsps milk powder dissolved in 3/4 to 1 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ cup sugar + 2 tbsps more if needed
How to make the recipe
Preparation for ragi cake
- Grease a 7 or 8 inch pan and line with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 170 C for at least 15 mins. If using a fan forced oven, preheat at 160 C.
- Sieve together ragi flour, wheat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa. Sieve thrice.
- To the same bowl, add sugar or jaggery.
- Pour milk, vanilla, curd, and butter to the bowl. Whisk the curd before adding it.
- Mix everything well just until combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour the mixture to the greased tray.
- Knock the pan to the kitchen counter a few times.
Baking ragi cake
- Bake for 25 to 30 mins. Mine was done at 30 mins. When the cake is done a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for about 15 mins before removing the cake to the wire rack. This cake is very delicate so handle it gently.
- Cool the ragi cake completely before slicing.
Chocolate frosting (optional)
- Pour milk to a pot or pan.
- Add cocoa and sugar. Mix well and boil stirring often.
- Within few minutes the mixture turns thick. Add vanilla extract and turn off the heat.
- Cool this completely. The chocolate sauce thickens after cooling.
- Place the cake on a deep serving plate. Pour the chocolate sauce over the cake.
- Gently spread with a spatula. Sprinkle some white chocolate or sprinkles.
- Slice ragi cake and serve.
Video
Video of Ragi cake recipe
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.
How to make ragi cake without eggs
1. Grease a 7 or 8 inch cake pan and then line with a parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven at 170 c for at least 15 mins. If you bake in a fan forced oven, preheat and bake at 160 C.
3. Fluff up the ragi flour in the jar with a fork. Then spoon it to the measuring cup and level it with a spatula. Add it to the sieve. You can also use sprouted ragi flour like I did.
4. Fluff up the wheat flour in the jar and spoon to the measuring cup. Level it with a spatula. Add that as well to the sieve. Add baking powder.
5. Add baking soda.
6. Next add salt, if your jaggery has a slight salt taste then skip adding salt here.
7. Add cocoa powder. You can also reduce the cocoa to 1 tbsp and reduce 20 ml milk in the recipe. Sieve all these well thrice.
8. Then add powdered jaggery / sugar/ palm jaggery or coconut sugar. If you prefer to filter the jaggery, then add it to the milk. Dissolve completely and filter it to the flour. That’s how I do most of the times.
9. Pour milk. You can use any milk.
10. Add vanilla extract.
11. Pour melted butter. You can also use oil, I had used virgin coconut oil before it works well without the flavor of oil in the cake.
12. Whisk the curd and pour it.
13. Begin to mix gently.
14. There should be no lumps. Do not over mix.
15. Transfer this to the greased cake pan. Knock a few times to the counter.
Baking chocolate ragi cake
16. Bake at 170 C for 25 to 30 mins. Mine was done at 30 mins. Do check at 25 mins once. This cake comes out with some cracks on top and doesn’t affect the taste or texture. A skewer inserted comes out clean when the cake is done.
17. Cool it for 15 mins and then invert the cake pan over a wire cake.
18. Ragi cake turns out very soft, spongy and light. Cool this completely. It tastes very good and doesn’t need any frosting.
Frosting ragi cake
19. Here is the method to make chocolate sauce which can be made while the cake bakes. Pour milk, cocoa and sugar to a pan. Do adjust the amount of sugar as needed.
20. Whisk all of these well and begin to boil. You can dd vanilla towards the end but i added it half way.
21. Stir often and boil until the sauce thickens.
22. Cool the sauce completely.
23. Pour the cooled sauce over the cooled cake. Gently spread it with a spatula.
You can add some grated white chocolate or chopped cashews or sprinkles.
Slice and serve ragi cake. You can store this in the fridge for 6 to 7 days. Just heat up in microwave for 30 to 40 seconds before serving.
Shuchi says
Hi,
Can I use this recipe with only wheat flour.
Thank you
Shuchi
swasthi says
Hi Shuchi,
This recipe is best made with ragi flour. You can check this eggless chocolate cake recipe. You have to add little more water if using wheat flour.
Manali says
Hi
Can I use only ragi flour,as wheat flour is not allowed as I am on diet.
swasthi says
Hi Manali,
This recipe may not work only with ragi flour. Let me know which other flours you can consume. I will suggest you.
Shyama says
I was searching for ragi cake and came across yours.. And I just knew since the recepi is yours, its definitely safe to try and yay it came out super soft and yumm inspite of be making a few alterations bcz of availability of ingredients. Thanks. Keep cooking, keep sharing.
swasthi says
Hi Shyama,
You are welcome. So glad your cake turned out good! Yes sure will keep sharing. Thank you!
Ambika says
Hi Swathi incase I want to make this recipe gluten free what can I add instead of wheat flour?
swasthi says
Hi Ambika,
I haven’t tried it anytime. For the eggless version I guess it is hard to make this gluten free.
Rajlaxmi says
Hi Swasthi,
I tried this in a cooker. I had no baking powder so added half a spoon of soda only. Cooking oil was used. I used a steel pan and had no parchment paper. Cake turned out very crusty almost burnt, not very soft and quite moist maybe due to 10ml extra milk i added. I baked it for an hour and 10 mins as the knife didn’t come out clean before that. Is it mandatory to use butter paper? Where else did i go wrong?
swasthi says
Hi Rajlaxmi,
Baking recipes cannot be altered. Firstly skipping baking powder or any other ingredient in a baking recipe will not yield the same results. Your cake went wrong because of skipping the baking powder as there is not enough leavening. I haven’t experimented this recipe without butter paper. But if you do not have then just grease the pan lightly and then sprinkle some cocoa including the sides. Dust off the excess. Please do not alter the recipes as it will only waste your ingredients & time. If you do not have some ingredient then ask if there is a substitute. Hope this helps.
Prajakta Kulkarni says
Hi I did this Ragi Cake and it did come out very well. My daughter finished 1/2 cake the same evening. :-). Thanks for providing such a healthy recipe.
swasthi says
Hi Prajakta,
You are welcome. Glad your cake turned out well. Thanks much for the comment.
Srilatha says
Hi swathi
Tnx for the amazing recipe..i tried it n the taste was good..i have a common query..wenever i bake a cake, the centre part always looks like it got punctured..i mean, it goes down like a balloon out if air..it will be great if u could suggest y..
swasthi says
Hi Srilatha,
You are welcome. Here are the common reasons for the sunken cake:
1. If the oven is too hot then the batter rises suddenly and then sinks. To rectify – check the internal temperature with a oven thermometer and calibrate your oven. Often baking at lesser temperature resolves this problem.
2. Over beating the batter – especially in cake recipes with egg.
3. Too much of baking powder or baking soda in the recipe or not activating it correctly.
4. Opening the oven door too often while baking.
a little research from your side should help you to find out the actual reason.
Hope this helps.
Aswathy says
Tried it and it finished so fast that I couldn’t even taste it properly! Came back to this site to make it a second time.
swasthi says
Hi Aswathy,
Haha! So glad!
Jennifer says
I need to be gluten free when making the eggless chocolate cake. What can I substitute for the wheat flour… Besan?
Thank you
swasthi says
Hi Jennifer,
I haven’t tried this recipe with besan. The cake is very delicate and light so I am not sure how besan would affect the texture.
Thenmozhi R says
Will try this way. I did try with Ragi flour and 1/4 cup sathumaavu baked for 45 min but still the cake inside was very sticky..
swasthi says
Hi Thenmozhi
It depends on what grains are used to make sathumaavu. The stickiness could be from one of the lentils used.
Pooja says
Hi Swathi,
I am really eager to try this recipe.. but just wanted to know if i can substitute wheat flour with oats flour?
swasthi says
Hi Pooja,
Not sure how it will come out. Ragi flour is very dry. I feel it may work as oat flour is sticky & should bind well with ragi flour. But texture not sure. Would love to know how it turned out if you try.
🙂
Thank you!
Laura says
How does this work out …its great tastes good. Eggless cakes are the future Ragi Cake are best!!!!
Lizanne D'souza says
I was very eager to try the cake when i seen the recipe. Tried it today afternoon and it was delicious. Never thought it was so tasty. Thank you for the lovely recipe.
swasthi says
Hi Lizanne
You are welcome. So glad to know your ragi cake came out delicious. Thanks for the comment.
Rujuta says
This is an awesome recipe!! Trying to eat more mullets this year . Made this last week and it is so yummy! Kids loved it too! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
swasthi says
Welcome Rujuta
Thank you. So glad to know you liked it.
Sanam Tibrewala says
Hello.
Read your recipe. Seems very tempting and nutritious. I don’t have much idea about ragi. Please clear these doubts. Ragi flour should be directly bought from market else I should buy ragi and make the flour done in chaaki. Moreover what is sprouted raagi flour. Finally can I make this cake in pressure cooker. I will be really very obliged.
swasthi says
Hi Sanam
Thanks for being here. You can take a look at this link to know what is ragi. You can buy the flour from the market or mill it. Here is the link to make sprouted ragi flour. Yes you can make the cake following this link on how to make cake in cooker. Hope this helps
Priya says
I have tried this cake and it came out perfect. I used butter and the cake was very spongy and light. Thanks for the awesome recipe swasthi.
swasthi says
Welcome priya
Sravanthi says
Dear swasthi,
Thnq lot for this tasty recipe.
Yesterday I baked it and the outcome is really delicious
Once again thnq
swasthi says
Hi Sravanthi
You are welcome. Thank you so much.
Maithili says
Hi.
I made the cake using refined sunflower oil (which I use often to bake cakes). The cake turned out to be very nice. I was scared that it might turn dry as ragi brings in some dryness. But is wasnt at all. But just thought that it was oily. Will reducing the oil make the cake dry?
swasthi says
Hi Maithili
Thanks for trying. Yes it turns dry I did try before & it is hard to swallow.
🙂
I bake this often whenever my kids ask for chocolate cake. I never felt it is oily but yes if you look at the recipe it has. I will give another try and update if it turns out good.
Anuja says
Hi Swasthi,
I enjoy doing this awesome cake ,,, done it many times over now ,, recipe is just perfectttt. Thanks Dear !
Wanna know if there is a way to do it with ragi only , as in no wheat flour coz a nephew of mine is allergic to wheat ..
Please revert asap & oblige.
Thanks & regards
Anuja Sawhney
swasthi says
Hi Anuja,
You are welcome. Thanks for trying. I guess it will work if you make cake flour using ragi and corn starch. I haven’t tried it but it should work. Without wheat flour the cake may break.
Jisha says
Hello ma’am,
Can we make this in microwave as well? If so please share the time and power required
Thanks,
Jisha
swasthi says
Hi Jisha
I don’t know if this can be baked in microwave
Regina Silva says
Hello dear Swasth!
I hope you are doing well😉😉
I’ve tried this cake yesterday and came out very good, my hubby and friends loved it😋
Thank you, you are show dear!
Have a nice weekend!
swasthi says
Hi Regina,
You are welcome
Thank you so much for the comment. Glad to know it came out good.
You too have a nice week ahead!
🙂
Aruna says
Hi Swasti,
Thanks for such healthy recipe. I was just wondering if I can substitute butter with ” I can’t believe it’s not butter “.
Thanks
swasthi says
Hi Aruna
Your are welcome. Yes you can substitute butter with oil. I have made it several times with coconut oil too. But Choose a neutral flavor oil otherwise you may smell the cake oily.