By Aditi Saraswat
December 24, 2025
Looking for a homemade cake that can be prepared without an oven or any fancy ingredients? This soft rava cake is soft, lightly sweet, and goes perfectly with evening chai.
1 cup rava (sooji) ½ cup sugar ¾ cup curd ¼ cup oil ½ cup milk 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp fruit salt (eno) ½ tsp baking powder 2 tbsp chopped nuts (optional) 1 tbsp tutti frutti (optional)
In a pan, dry roast 1 cup of rava on a low flame until it turns aromatic, but not browned. Let it cool fully, then grind it to a fine, sand-like texture.
In a bowl, whisk the rava powder, sugar, curd, oil, milk and vanilla to make a smooth mixture. Keep the batter resting for 15 minutes.
After the resting time, mix the baking powder into it. Just before baking, add the fruit salt and lightly stir. This step gives the cake its airy texture.
Grease the cake tin and pour the batter evenly into it, tap lightly, and top it with nuts or tutti frutti to give it a festive visual appeal.
Preheat the oven to 180°C for about 35 to 40 minutes or cook in a preheated cooker without a whistle for about 40 minutes.
Let it cool completely before slicing. The cake will set beautifully, remain moist from within, and pair perfectly with a cup of chai.