No-Oven Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 1.25 cup Milk (Warm; combined with vinegar to make a buttermilk-like mixture)
• 2 tbsp White vinegar (Same quantity of lemon juice may be substituted)
• 1 cup Castor sugar
• 0.5 cup Sunflower oil (Use some additional oil or butter to grease the saucepan)
• 0.25 cup Yogurt (Homemade curd may be used; use plain, unsweetened yogurt)
• 0.5 tsp Red gel food coloring
• 1.5 cup All-purpose flour (Sifted)
• 1 tbsp Cocoa powder (Sifted)
• 1 tsp Baking soda (Sifted)
• 1.5 cup Butter (Softened, for the cream cheese frosting)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 0.75 cup Cream cheese (Softened)
• 3 cup Icing sugar (Sifted; add gradually)

Steps

1. 1

   Warm the milk until comfortably warm, not boiling. Combine it with the white vinegar in a bowl. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes, until it begins to curdle. If needed, replace the vinegar with the same quantity of lemon juice.

2. 2

   In a large mixing bowl, combine the castor sugar, sunflower oil, yogurt, the curdled milk-and-vinegar mixture, and red gel food coloring. Whisk until the mixture is evenly combined and the color is uniform.

3. 3

   Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda together to remove lumps and distribute the leavening evenly.

4. 4

   Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix just until combined and no large pockets of flour remain; avoid prolonged mixing so the cake stays tender.

5. 5

   Grease a 6-inch saucepan with sunflower oil or butter. Line the base with parchment paper, then pour in the batter and smooth the surface.

6. 6

   Place a tawa or flat frying pan over low to medium heat. Set the filled saucepan on the tawa, cover it securely with a lid, and cook for 45–50 minutes.

7. 7

   Check the cake by inserting a skewer into the center. It is ready when the skewer comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs. If wet batter remains, cover and continue cooking briefly, checking again.

8. 8

   While the cake cooks, prepare the frosting. Place the softened butter and vanilla extract in a bowl. Beat with an electric whisk until pale, light, and fluffy.

9. 9

   Add the softened cream cheese to the whipped butter. Beat again until fully combined and smooth.

10. 10

    Gradually add the sifted icing sugar in several additions, mixing slowly after each addition to prevent a cloud of sugar. Continue beating until the frosting is smooth and well combined.

11. 11

    Chill the finished cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator while the cake finishes cooking and cools.

12. 12

    Let the baked cake cool completely to room temperature before loosening and demoulding it from the saucepan. Spread or pipe the chilled frosting over the cooled cake, then serve.

Notes

The written method refers to the curdled milk mixture as buttermilk in step 2; it is made from the listed milk and vinegar, so no separate buttermilk is required. Keep the heat low to medium and keep the saucepan covered so the cake cooks evenly without an oven. Cool completely before frosting. Store covered in the refrigerator and serve chilled or allow it to sit briefly at room temperature before serving.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cake
• eggless
• vegetarian
• no-oven
• stovetop
• red-velvet
• cream-cheese-frosting