Using A

Pressure Cooker

For Stovetop Baking: A Handy Guide For Beginners

Quick Summary

Pressure cooker baking is an old-school Indian technique that lets you prepare treats without a conventional oven. In the days when OTGs were standard in most homes, bakers would use cooktop cookware to create a heated, enclosed oven. Using regulated heat, the batter or dough is cooked in a baking pan set on an elevated stand within an appropriate cooking pot. The set-up, heat control, and cookware restrictions are the three most important things for beginners to know. Learn the ins and outs of ovenless baking, as well as some tasty treats and safety tips, in this comprehensive guide.

Deep Dive

Finding a new use for a common kitchen tool in an Indian kitchen is really creative.

Dal, rajma, rice, and other substantial one-pot dishes have long been linked to the pressure cooker. But, for many years, home chefs have also been experimenting with the idea of utilising common cookware to replace an oven for baked goods. When the electricity was out or ovens weren't accessible, this improvised solution came in handy. It’s energy-efficient and delivers wonderfully moist, even baked. Long before the trend of "no oven" baking gained traction, beginner bakers used pressure cookers to make cakes.

The most important things in pressure cooker baking are mastery of heat, cookware, and time, rather than having the most cutting-edge equipment.

What Is Pressure Cooker Baking?

The simplest definition of “pressure cooker baking” is to cook a baking pan set on a stand using the dry, contained heat of the cooker.

Unlike pressure cooking, the goal here is not to build pressure or generate steam. There is no water involved in the traditional dry-baking setup. Instead, the cooker is treated somewhat like a small enclosed baking chamber, with the batter or dough kept away from direct contact with the hot base.

Pressure cookers usually cook food rapidly by using a sealed vessel, water, and pressure. However, if you’re baking in a pressure cooker, you’re attempting to replicate an oven atmosphere rather than using the equipment for its primary purpose of pressure cooking.

This is also why there is an essential caution to this ovenless baking technique: before you do this, read your pressure cooker’s instruction booklet. Some manufacturers clearly state that their cookers are only to be used for their original purpose. 

How Does Baking In A Pressure Cooker Work?  

The origins of ovenless baking is fundamentally rooted in the creativity of Indian household kitchens.

For decades, the pressure cooker was one of the most ubiquitous kitchenware in Indian homes. It was already being used for dal, rice, vegetables and countless other everyday dishes, so adapting it for baking was a practical solution when dedicated ovens weren’t readily available.

And cakes weren't the only treats to benefit from this workaround. Nankhatai, the crumbly, ghee-rich Indian shortbread, is another classic example of a baked treat that has traditionally been made without a modern oven.  

So, in a way, pressure cooker cake baking isn't really about making do without modern equipment. It is a reminder of how Indian cooks have always adapted familiar utensils to suit the kitchen they actually have.

Create A Stovetop Baking Setup

Think of your cooker as a little oven on the stovetop. Here’s the basic setup:

• A pressure cooker or suitably heavy bottomed cookware

• A heat-diffusing foundation or layer

• A little metal stand  

• A baking pan that fits tight within

• Cake or cookie dough

• A lid that allows the cooker to remain unpressurised

The baking tin should be on the stand and not on the bottom. This leaves a space between the tin and the heat source so that the base of your cake or biscuits may not burn before the inside is cooked.

In many traditional Indian dishes, a cooker is preheated with salt or sand and a trivet is placed on top. Variations on this approach are still used in no-bake dishes today.

How To Bake In Pressure Cooker: A Beginner's Overview

Once you have confirmed that your cookware is suitable for the method, the process is relatively straightforward.

Choose a suitable baking vessel: The first step is choosing a vessel large enough to accommodate your baking tin without squeezing it inside. There should be sufficient room around the tin, and the lid should close properly without touching the bake.

Position a rack or trivet: Place a suitable metal stand inside the vessel. The baking tin should sit on this stand rather than directly on the bottom. This creates a buffer between the baking tin and the strongest source of heat.

Preheat the vessel: Preheating helps to create a heated atmosphere before the batter goes in. The exact time depends on the recipe and cookware, so follow the recipe you're using rather than assuming a universal preheating time.

Prepare your baking tin: If the recipe specifies that you must line or grease the pan, do so. Cake batter requires room to rise while cookies and nankhatai need room to spread.

Place the tin carefully: Once the vessel has reached the perfect temperature, gently place the baking tin on the rack. Keep in mind that the vessel, lid, and handles can get really hot!

Cook over controlled heat: A very high flame may heat the base too aggressively, leaving you with a beautifully risen top and an overly dark bottom. Gentler, controlled heat gives the bake more time to cook through.

Check only when necessary: Don't keep opening the lid to check your cake. Each time you open the lid, you lose heat and the cooking environment changes. For cakes, insert a toothpick near the end of the indicated cooking time to test whether the centre is baked or not.

Seven Tips For Better Pressure Cooker Baking

1) Don't rush the preheating

A properly heated baking area ensures that the batter begins to cook evenly.

2) Keep the baking tin elevated

The tin is more likely to burn if it comes into direct touch with the base, which is why keep the baking tin elevated. 

3) Choose the correct tin size

A very deep tin may leave the centre undercooked while the edges become overly browned.

4) Don't keep opening the lid

Checking too often can let heat slip away, leading to uneven cooking times.

5) Don't rely entirely on cooking time

Stovetop temperatures can differ from one kitchen to another. Use the recipe's time as a helpful guide, but be sure to check the actual bake for doneness too.

6) Keep the flame controlled

With pressure cooker cake baking, more heat isn't necessarily better. You can have more control over the cooking process with a constant flame.

7) Let baked goods cool

Cakes and biscuits continue to set after coming off the heat. Give them enough time before cutting or transferring them.

Pressure Cooker Baking Vs Oven Baking 

Temperature control is the main difference here.

With a standard oven you can choose and maintain a precise temperature, but a cooker arrangement relies considerably more on the flame, cookware, preheating and placement of the baking pan.

A Little Patience Goes A Long Way

The beauty of pressure cooker baking is how easy it is. You don’t have to turn your kitchen into a professional bakery; all you’re doing is making a small, controlled baking space with cookware you may already have. Start with something easy to forgive, like nankhatai or a simple tea cake. Find out how your cooker works, how fast your cooker heats up, and how your specific tin reacts to heat. That way, you can try out different bakes once you know that.