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
Step-by-step photos
Preparation
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.
How to make ragi cake without eggs
9. Pour milk. You can use any milk.
10. Add vinegar & 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.
Recipe
Ragi cake
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
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)
- ⅓ cup curd yogurt, dahi (80 ml) whisked
- ⅔ cup butter unsalted, melted or oil
- ¾ cup milk or 180 ml, or 100 ml water + 80 ml milk
- ½ tbsp vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
- 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
Instructions
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.
- Fluff up the flour in the jar with a fork. Spoon it to a measuring cup. Level the flour. Do the same while you measure the cocoa. 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, vinegar, 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 INFO (estimation only)
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Pragya says
Looks really tempting. Wanted to know is there any substitute for vinegar?
swasthi says
Thank you!
Yes you can use half tbsp lime juice or 3/4 tbsp lemon juice
Sindhu says
Thank you for the recipe. I made a 2 tier cake for a birthday and nobody could believe it was made of ragi and wheat. Since I refrigerated the cakes before adding the frosting, the cake was pretty solid and easy to handle.
The cake does settle pretty heavy in the stomach.. I guess it is expected since ragi is the main ingredient. Do you think frying the ragi flour prior to baking will ease this? I’ve not seen many cake recipes with yogurt and vinegar. What is the reason for adding these?
swasthi says
Hi Sindhu,
Glad to know!
Yes it is on the heavier side. Most times I use sprouted ragi flour for this recipe. That makes it lighter on the tummy.
You may try roasting it lightly. This cake needs both otherwise the cake will be slightly dense.
Kabyashree patnaik says
Hello Mam,
Thank you so much for the recipe .The cake was a treat to Us as it had a healthy option rather than any normal cake.
It was absolutely delicious and soft but It was a bit oily. I had added 2/3rd cup Oil was that the reason for the cake to become oily
Thanks again😁✌️
Sindhoo says
Thanks a lot for this recipe. Made it 2 times without frosting and it was super yummy.
It stayed fresh for 1 and a half day. Is this expected? What should I do to make it last longer?
swasthi says
Hi Sindhoo
Glad to know. Cool the cake and refrigerate. It stays good for a week.
Radhika says
Hey Swasthi,
I have been meaning to try this recipe for a long time now. Thanks to quarantine, finally tried this yesterday and the cake turned out just fabulous. It was a bit sweet for my taste, will add little less sugar and more cocoa next time. Addition of ragi flour puts quite a unique twist on the chocolate cake and the texture is unbelievably moist and crumbly. This recipe is definitely a keeper, thank you !
swasthi says
Welcome Radhika!
That’s great to hear! Thank you so much for leaving a comment
🙂
Kunal Rathod says
Hi mam,
I tried this recipe twice. First time it was tasty but very crumbly. Second time it was leaving bitter taste in mouth after eating n was crumbly this time also. Can u help me with what mistake i am making. Y it get crumbly and y it taste bitter.
swasthi says
Hi Kunal,
1. It can be crumbly if more flour is used. Fluff up the flour in the jar with a fork before measuring. Then spoon the flour to the cup & level it. Also under mixing the batter can also cause that.
2. Bitter taste can be due to baking soda or baking powder. Try with a good brand. Some brands don’t work well. If you cannot find any other brand then, you can try adding half to 3/4 tbsp of good quality vinegar. If using a aluminum pan, line it with a parchment paper. Hope these help.
Martin says
Thank you for all your healthy recipes, Swasthi. As a Westerner, I love Indian food in general. Your recipe appealed a great deal to me, but because of both dietary needs and ingredient availability, I had to take the liberty of replacing some ingredients. I think it ended up being the best cake I ever made! I used regular millet flour, replaced the whole wheat flour for pecan flour, cocoa powder for carob powder, and any non-vegan ingredient for a vegan one. I will definitely subscribe to your site as I see many reciped I’d like to try!
swasthi says
Welcome Martin
Glad to know the cake turned out good. Loving all the substitutions you made.. Thank you!
🙂
Nima says
Tried this recipe today… Turned out beautiful! Soft and moist and yes very delicate… My round cake broke into half while taking it out of the pan…
Thanks for sharing this recipe… My first time baking an eggless cake and also first time using ragi… Results were great!
swasthi says
Hello Nima
Glad to know it turned out good. Yes the cake is very delicate & has to be handled carefully. Thank you
Kb says
Loved the cake. Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe. And healthy too!!
swasthi says
Welcome! Glad to know!
tn says
Loved it! Best part is None of the family members knew it’s made out of healthy stuff 🤪. Thank you for the delicious and healthy version.
swasthi says
Hi Tn,
Haha! So glad! Same here, my family too most of the times can’t make out.
Thank you!
Cynthiya says
Hi… I tried this recipe twice… First time, the top layer was cracked as you said… But with the frosting, everyone liked it…
Second time, the cake crumbled when I tried to flip it after cooling… Wondering what went wrong… But the taste was awesome…
swasthi says
Hi Cynthiya,
Glad to know you all liked it. You just need to be careful while you remove and cool as well. Ragi flour makes it very delicate. Thank you
Abinaya Narasimhan says
Hi Swasthi tried this cake and got vanished in no time… Thanks for the super healthy and tasty cake. I do have a query regarding the oven temp. U have mentioned to reduce the temp to 160 if using a fan forced oven so I did exactly and the output was fantastic. Does this hold good for all cake recipes? Should the temp be reduced by 10 deg for fan forced ovens?
swasthi says
Hi Abinaya
You are welcome! so glad to know. I remember all eggless cakes work well at 160 C in fan forced ovens. Thank you
Kaustubh Sansi says
Hi Swasthi. I am big fan of .your recipes. Trying them even more during this lockdown. I am planning to try this ragi cake recipe. Couple of questions/clarifications:
1. Yoghurt can be replaced by 2 eggs?
2. Any substitute for cocoa powder?
3. Any nuts or fruits can be added to this and in what proportion?
swasthi says
H Kaustubh,
Thank you so much!
For best results I suggest not to alter the recipe as I have not tried it that way. If making it as is then you can add 1/4 chopped nuts. Not sure if fruits go well in this.
Srivani says
Hi gonna try this cake in microwave oven…. Can I reduce to half quantity… Please advise
swasthi says
Hi Srivani
I can’t assure the results in microwave. You can also bake any of my cakes in cooker. The results will be better in cooker. For this recipe yes cut down the quantities to half and try. You can try it in any bowl or even small masala dabba cups. You have to experiment the timings. Hope this helps
Srivani says
Thanks for your reply…. Can I make ragi cake in cooker….
swasthi says
Yes can make
Sara Ghansar says
Made half the quantity, I added powdered walnuts and used jaggery and oil . Turned out good , obviously not as fluffy as maida cakes but quite nice tasting , moreover toddlers can’t tell the difference so my kids are enjoying it 😀 .
swasthi says
Hi Sara
Yes I agree! Toddlers can’t make out the difference. So glad to know your kids enjoyed it. Thank you
selvambigai says
gonna try this cake tmrw mam, any substitute for vanilla essessence plz?
swasthi says
You can skip it
Swati Kumar says
Thank you so much for this recipe. The cake really turned out very tasty and soft.Best cake I ever baked.Thank you ♥️
swasthi says
Welcome Swati
Glad it turned out tasty. Thank you
priyanka maske says
Can I make this raagi cake in pressure cooker?
swasthi says
Yes you can follow this cooker cake post for details.
Sunitha says
Hi swasthi,
Great recipe…I am planning to make this recipe soon…just some doubts..can we substitute ghee for melted butter…? Do u have any recipe for ragi banana cake..?
swasthi says
Hi Sunitha,
Thank you! It should work but I haven’t made it with ghee. I use this banana bread recipe to make ragi banana bread. You will need to add a few tbsps more water.
Aparna says
Hi..i followed your recipe to the T. But the cake split into 2 when transferring..jt was quite disappointing as i had got the right consistency as its when pouring it in to d pan. Can you give some ideas in how to mend this cake and how to transfer cake from pan?also had rested cake for 20 mins to cool and then tried transferring .
Thanks
swasthi says
Hi Aparna,
I have mentioned in the recipe that the cake is very delicate so handle with care. Just transfer the cake as is to a large wide plate and frost it or pour the sauce.
Bharti says
Thanks Swasthi.. the cake was yum and my 3 year old loved it!
swasthi says
Hi Bharti
You are welcome! Glad your kid loved it!
Neha Saxena says
Can’t wait to try this! If I want to make this with eggs, what should I change in the recipe?
swasthi says
Hi Neha,
You can use one egg and reduce the yogurt to 20 ml or 1.5 tbsps. I also have this chocolate cake recipe with eggs. You can substitute half of the all purpose flour with ragi flour.
Neha Saxena says
Thanks! Got the cake out of the oven a while ago. It is wonderful! Except that it seems to have excess butter. The texture is crumbly, the taste has too much butter and feels really heavy on stomach. I will try next time with 1/2 cup butter
PS: I have tried many of your recipes and LOVE them. your instructions are amazing
swasthi says
Hi Neha,
You are welcome! Thank you so much for trying the recipes. I have made this cake a couple of times with reduced butter. But somehow has not yielded me good results. It turned out more crumbly and even broke. However I use sprouted ragi flour so wondering .. Would love to hear if it works out for you.
NS says
Hi. Why does my cake not rise fr the middle? And it takes the longest time to cook. Almost a hour..