Ragi Chocolate Cake – Gluten Free

Like I’ve always said before I don’t bake as much as I used to because I eat up more of the baked goodies than anyone else does. However, sometimes there are some recipes that I come across that simply coax me into baking. This lovely recipe was shared by Laveena Pinto, a member of the food group I run on Facebook. Her original recipe was a cardamom flavoured ragi (finger millet) cake but I decided to adapt it and tweak it into a chocolate cake as I wasn’t sure if my kids would receive a ragi cake well. It was easier to deceive them with some chocolate in it and trust me, they had no idea that it was a gluten free cake. I used Laveena’s basic recipe and added a few ingredients to it to mask the deep, earthy flavour of the ragi. To make sure I had it all covered, I used melted chocolate too. I recommend using dark chocolate with at least 50-65% cocoa solids, however if you like a less chocolatey and more sweeter cake you can use your favourite milk chocolate like Cadbury’s if you please.

If you’ve noticed I made this in a hurry and didn’t bother to do any fancy photoshoot. I was dying to bake that cake and clicked the pictures in the AM and promptly gobbled up a few pieces right after. Considering that I made this with lesser sugar than called for and used soft brown sugar instead of white sugar I consoled myself for binge eating. I told myself that I’d skip the bread that I generally have for breakfast and ate 3 slices of this cake instead.

The ‘no-chocolate-cakes-for-me’ husband also liked this cake. The son had no clue that this cake contained ragi, something he abandoned eating after the several bowlfuls he gulped as a baby and the daughter willingly ate slice after slice until she had had enough.

So folks, don’t wait no more. Go make this cake. It is worth your time & effort and it is perhaps the best ragi cake that I’ve tried so far!

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Ragi Chocolate Cake - Gluten Free

Ingredients

• 125 grams (1 cup) ragi (finger millet) flour (see note
• 2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed (I used Hintz)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• a pinch of salt if you are using unsalted butter
• 100 grams (3/4 cup) unsalted or salted butter (I used Amul salted butter)plus extra to grease the loaf pan
• 100 grams (approx 3/4 cup) soft light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1/8 cup approx 12 small squares of dark chocolate (at least 50-65% cocoa)

Instructions

1. In a bowl sift the ragi flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt (if usintwice.
2. In another bowl beat the sugar & butter till pale and fluffy. Add in 1 egg at a time and beat.
3. Add the yogurt and mix till incorporated
4. Sift in the flour in parts and gently mix using a spatula.
5. Add the milk alternatively till everything is mixed together
6. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix well

7. Preheat oven at 175 degrees Grease and dust an 8"x4" or 9"x5" loaf pan (or line it with baking parchmenand pour the prepared batter into it

8. Bake for 38-40 minutes or until the skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake begins to leave the edges.
9. Remove & cool on a wire rack till cooled completely. The cake may not come out easily so resist the urge to force it out. Instead gently run a knife along the edges, invert and tap lightly all along the base of the pan till the cake loosens up & comes out

10. The cake must be cooled almost to room temp before slicing or it will crumb due to the absence of gluten.

11. Enjoy your cake...almost guiltfree 🙂

Recipe Notes

You can replace 2 tbsp of the ragi flour with the cocoa powder. This may result in a more moist cake.