Chocolate Ragi Cake is a great way to use millets. It is rich, soft, moist, chocolatey, and a healthier cake recipe. And don’t worry, you can hardly taste the ragi; just lots of chocolatey goodness. Buckle up, your chocolate cake game is about to change forever!
Today we’re going to bake a delicious homemade chocolate cake using the most unexpected ingredient - finger millet! More commonly known as ragi, it’s a powerhouse of the good stuff like protein, fiber, vitamins and nutrients, and is the perfect healthy alternative to all your sweet cravings. This ragi cake is a great way to include millets in your diet, especially if you are a beginner. Plus the flavors of chocolate and ragi are like a match made in heaven, and the result is this beautiful millet cake that is really moist, spongey, and rich. No one’s going to be able to have enough of this!
Looking for more fun ways to include ragi in your daily diet? Check out these recipes - ragi soup, chocolate ragi pancakes, and ragi crepes
What does Ragi taste like?
Ragi has a naturally sweet and earthy taste. But it can sometimes leave behind a dry and bitter after taste. If cooked well though, and paired with the right ingredients (like in this chocolate ragi cake), you will barely be able to taste it.
If you want to learn more about millets, including the types, how to cook them, ideas to include them in your diet and a lot more, make sure to check out my Millets 101 article.
Ingredients You'll Need to Make Chocolate Ragi Cake
- Ragi: The star of this recipe. All purpose flour has been replaced with ragi flour. You can easily find ragi flour online as well as in most supermarkets.
- Cocoa Powder: I recommend using unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe. Hersheys is my favourite, but Cadbury also works.
- Eggs: Two whole eggs for binding and to help the cake turn out light and spongy
- Jaggery: Jaggery is a healthier alternative to sugar. Use powdered jaggery so that it mixes easily. Can be substituted with sugar in the same quantity
- Baking powder and baking soda: Helps the cake leaven and expand.
- Oil: The secret to an incredibly moist and rich chocolate cake.
Top Tips To Nail This Chocolate Ragi Cake
- Always sieve the flour and other dry ingredients before mixing to prevent lumps
- Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients. This will ensure the ragi gets mixed properly.
- Allow the cake to cool down for about 15 minutes before you unmold it.
- Make sure to preheat the oven before you start baking to help the cake rise properly.
- To check if the cake is baked through, stick a knife or skewer in the middle. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If not, put it back into the oven for a few minutes and check again.
- I would recommend using 60-70% dark cocoa powder to achieve that rich chocolatey flavor. However, you can use milk chocolate if you prefer your chocolate cakes sweeter.
Millet cake might not sound the most appetising at first, and that’s ok. But just a bite into this deliciously rich, soft and fluffy chocolate ragi cake will definitely change your mind. Have it as is with a cup of tea, or go fancy and top it with some of my chocolate buttercream frosting - either way you’re going to love this one. I promise!
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Ragi Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup Milk 120 ml at room temperature, can be substituted with any plant-based milk
- ¾ cup Jaggery Powder 125 grams
- 2 whole Eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil 120 ml
- ½ teaspoon Vinegar
- 1 cup Ragi Flour 135 grams, (Finger Millet Flour)
- ⅓ cup Cocoa Powder 30 grams
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup chopped Almonds or Walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with butter and line the base with parchment paper.
Preparing the Batter:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together jaggery, milk, eggs, oil, vinegar, and vanilla until homogeneous.
- Place a sieve over the bowl, ensuring it doesn't touch the wet ingredients. Sift ragi flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl.
- Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well mixed.
Baking:
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and tap twice to release any air bubbles. Top with chopped almonds or walnuts.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Optionally at this stage, poke some holes into the hot cake and drizzle 2 tablespoons milk on top. The cake will soak up the milk and become more moist.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper, and let it cool completely. Slice and enjoy your Ragi Chocolate Cake.
Notes
- Always sieve the flour and other dry ingredients before mixing to prevent lumps
- Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients. This will ensure the ragi gets mixed properly.
- Allow the cake to cool down for about 15 minutes before you unmold it.
- Make sure to preheat the oven before you start baking to help the cake rise properly.
- To check if the cake is baked through, stick a knife or skewer in the middle. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If not, put it back into the oven for a few minutes and check again.
- I would recommend using 60-70% dark cocoa powder to achieve that rich chocolatey flavor. However, you can use milk chocolate if you prefer your chocolate cakes sweeter.
- If jaggery powder is too coarse, dissolve it in milk first before continuing with the recipe.
- When mixing dry ingredients into wet, use a whisk to avoid lumps
- Optional Serving Suggestion: Melt equal amount of chocolate chips & fresh cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it in 10 second intervals to make a ganache. Be very careful, because chocolate can burn easily. Stir after every 10 seconds and microwave until it’s just melted. It should be of a thick yet pouring consistency. Pour this over the Ragi Chocolate Cake and then top it with chopped almonds or walnuts.
- The nutritional info above does not include ganache if using.
Nutrition
A little bit about Ragi
Finger millet or ragi is very popular in South India, and is often used to make idlis, dosas, kheer, laddoos, and bhakris. Apart from being loaded with fiber and protein, ragi also makes for a great vegan source of amino acids, and can be instrumental in supporting bone health in adults. It is also considered to be a great addition to children’s diets and can aid in the systematic development in growing children. Additionally, being rich in calcium and iron, finger millet can help to support and improve hormonal health, particularly in pregnant and lactating women.
If you want to learn more about millets, then check out my article on Millets 101. It has everything you'd need - right from different types of millets, ideas to include them in your diet, benefits, as well as cooking methods and time - to get you started on your millet journey.
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