Think about your favourite chocolate cake or an irresistible piece of red velvet cake; most varieties are made by adding all-purpose flour. However, if you are moving towards a millet-friendly diet or have gluten allergies, you can still enjoy the soft and light slices of cake by replacing maida or wheat with millet flour.
From the classic ragi cake to using bajre ka atta in the batter, there are way too many options you can experiment with different types of millet flour. If you are conscious about your health but don’t want to stop pleasing your sweet tooth, here are some millet cakes that also replace processed sugar with jaggery or honey. So, what are you waiting for? Get to baking a healthy cake and binge without any guilt.
Ragi Chocolate Cake
Ragi, also known as finger millet, is one of the most nutritious millets that can be incorporated into your cake’s batter. As per a study published in Advances in Food and Nutrition Research in 2013, It has higher dietary fibre, minerals, and sulfur-containing amino acids compared to white rice, the current major staple in India. With its nutty taste, you can make a batter with ragi flour, milk, eggs, butter, and sugar. Once baked, you can add a layer of chocolate ganache and turn it into a millet-based fudge cake.
Jowar Cake
Sorghum or jowar has found its way into South Indian cuisine, but it’s about time that you experimented with millet flour to replace gluten. Thanks to its subtle sweet flavour, you can bake a cake even by replacing processed sugar with jaggery and honey. While the jowar vanilla cake is the go-to recipe, you can also add the winter ingredient - carrot to bake a seasonal treat.
Kodo Millet Cake
High in protein, fibre, minerals, and antioxidants, kodo millet is an impeccable choice for making a cake. With just a cup of millet flour, eggs, sugar, milk, and vanilla essence, you can make a smooth batter. Preheat the oven, pour the batter into a baking tray, and bake till the millet cake is fluffy. You can further garnish it with chopped nuts and take a slice with your evening coffee or tea.
Bajra Cake
Apart from wheat and rice, bajra is used in an Indian kitchen to make rotis, laddus, and even snacks like chilla. As per a study published in the International Journal of Scientific Research in 2024, bajra can even lower the risk of developing diabetes due to its slowly digestible starch. So, to enjoy a dessert without any guilt, you can bake a light and airy bajra cake with bajre ka atta, eggs, butter, milk, and jaggery.
Barnyard Millet Cake
Another gluten-free alternative that can be used to replace all-purpose flour to bake a cake is barnyard millet flour. Since it doesn’t have an overpowering taste, barnyard millet is versatile and can be used to experiment with different flavours like almonds, chocolate, and even an apple cake. Depending on the availability of fruits, you add some chopped slices to the batter and bake it to perfection. Add a generous amount of chopped dry fruits and nuts and enjoy the gluten-free dessert.