For people like me who happen to live in a country where power supply is epileptic, one has not to solely rely on electricity for one's daily activities.
This is especially essential for cake makers like me. So in a case where there is no electricity and one cannot afford to use a gas oven, we are made to find a way out - IMPROVISATION.
This baking without an oven technique came in handy many times as a cake maker while studying in the University and still does when I want to be very economical.
You can still try it out if you have a cooker that has a non-functional oven or if you find yourself in a situation where an oven is not readily available
Here is how to bake a cake without an oven.
Things you'll need;
2. Aluminum Pot - it can vary in size depending on the size of cake. Cupcakes don't require large pots but larger cakes do.
5. Stove head or peebles ( I always prefer stove head, it gives the baking tin more balance)
6. Already prepared cake batter
7. Baking Thermometer (this is optional)
Procedure : After lighting up the stove carefully, preheat the pot with the stove head inside it for 30minutes. Make sure you maintain a steady heat from the stove. The temperature range for baking the perfect cupcakes or layer cake is between 177 degrees Celsius to 200 degrees Celsius. I know you are wondering how you will know that the pot has heated to the right temperature without a thermometer. Do not fret as I have a solution. What has worked for me so far is that when my pot is heated up I put in my hand to my wrist level to feel the heat, if the heat is at a temperature where I can almost feel it burning me, then I know its at the right temperature(crude way right , but works. LOL) or put some granulated sugar in a small pan into the pot if it melts then its running hot and the cupcakes or cake is ready to go in. Just choose whichever method works best for you.
Then portion your cake batter into the lined tins (lined either with the cupcake paper or with the baking sheet, depending on which type of cake you are making).
Put the baking pan with the cake batter into the pot making sure its well placed and in the case of cupcakes, put the cupcakes into a bigger baking pan ( a 9inches tin can take up to four tins at once) and place it in the pot. Cover it first with a wide layer of baking sheets or three layers of old newspapers and finally cover it up with the pot lid. Leave to cook for 15minutes. Then check for doneness. 
Here are pictures of how mine turns out when I use this method. Enjoy! Hope this article was helpful, feel free to ask your questions
P.S - Am sorry I couldn't show step by step process of these pictures.
TIPS and ADVICE
1. Make sure your stove is set at a steady heat as this can affect the temperature in the pot. A fluctuating heat can lead to a rise and fall in temperature inside the pot and this can affect the cake
2. Make sure the pot used doesn't have any undulations inside as this may cause the baking pan not to be balanced thus causing the cake to be sloppy
3. Avoid the urge to open the pot before cook time as this may result in the drop of temperature inside the pot, causing a volcano looking cake.
4. Make sure after layering with newspaper, the pot lid is properly placed to prevent loss of heat and influx of cold air
5. Finally be careful with the handling of the pot as it can burn you if carelessly handled (take this seriously as I have been a victim, *winks*)
P.S : All pictures except the cake pictures are courtesy Google search
Hello Annie,
ReplyDeleteI read a comment you left on another website and looked you up to find your site. I'm glad I did. You made me realize how spoiled I am, and that I should be thankful for what I do have. I complain that my oven doesn't work perfectly. How foolish I am! When I first began cooking (not baking) I learned how to improvise. We had a catering business and sometimes we'd forget to bring important equipment like a saute pan. Than I'd figure out how to use a sheet pan over a burner to create my own saute pan. Often we wouldn't have enough oven space to heat-up all our food at once. So we took metal cabinets and placed Sterno in them, to great our own oven. Your lesson of how to bake in a pot, reminded me of that. It's basically the same thing- an improvised oven. Have you ever tried that? I'm not sure if Sterno is available in your area, but it's relatively inexpensive in the States. We put a pan between the heat source (the sterno) and our food so it wouldn't directly burn the food and the heat radiates around the food just like an oven.
Wow! Thank you so much @Wendy DeBord. I am glad that I made you realize how 'spoilt" you are, LOL. But never call yourself foolish. We humans don't usually know the value of our things, thoughts, people around us etc, until we lose them, or hear other peoples' stories. I am a very big fan of improvisation because it shows how much potential every human has. I honestly haven't heard of a Sterno before, but you made me research it and got to know more about it. They almost seem like Bursen burners to me (reminds me of my physics classes, LOL). Unfortunately it isn't readily available in my area. But I will definitely love to try it out when I get the opportunity to. I don't know if such things can be shipped to other countries. But you have certainly piqued my interest in it. Thanks so much and wish you every ounce of luck I can muster in your catering business. *hugs
DeleteThank you Annie. You just saved my day.
ReplyDeleteI am glad my post was helpful to you.
DeleteU rock Anne.. UR method s quite xplanatory and suitable coz I don't have a gas yet. So, yeah, thank a ton.
ReplyDeleteI am glad my post could help
DeleteYour article is very insightful Anniesland,there is so much we human beings can do.All the best in your business
ReplyDeleteThank you so much anonymous.
Deletehi annie! thanks for the tips, but I tried it once and my cake had this smell like mud.
ReplyDeleteHi Annie! thanks a lot for this tip but when I finish baking I get this muddy smell
ReplyDeleteHi @Nana, so sorry about your cake. But i would like to ask what method you used. Did you use the sand-in-the pot method, stove head in a pot method or the stone in a pot method. Also what type of cake did u bake. All this will help me determine what went wrong. I await your reply.
DeleteI'm so amazing at what I saw on your blog,was searching for a nice site where i can learn how to bake a cake, when i came across your blog. Your steps are easy and simple to understandable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for creating this site.
Thank you Faith. I am glad the page was helpful.
ReplyDelete