Ragi Banana Chocolate Cake (Gluten-free and Eggless)

Best soft and moist healthy Ragi Banana Chocolate Cake Recipe with super grain Ragi, powder packed bananas, mixed nuts and dried berries. This cake is not only healthy but also so delicious that your kids won't even know that it is made with Ragi.

This Chocolate Ragi and Banana cake Gluten-free, Vegan Friendly. And is made all the healthy ingredients that make it a guilt free treat for your whole family.

You can include this soft and moist Ragi Chocolate cake loaded with nuts and berries for Holiday bake for those who avoid wheat in diet and are looking for health friendly options.

Stepwise Video included in Recipe Card

About the recipe

This Chocolate Finger Millet banana cake is also eggless and perfect for those who avoid eggs in their diet due to medical(egg allergies) or religious reasons. Though cake is eggless but has soft texture and beautiful crumb and not very dense. Obviously, the texture of Ragi cake or Gluten-free eggless cake cannot be like the one made with All Purpose Flour(APF) but it is definitely much more health friendly then the one made with APF.

Healthy Ragi Banana Chocolate Cake

Ragi or Finger Millets is one of the most healthy grains available to us. It is extensively grown India and Africa. In India, Ragi or Finger Millet is also known as Nachini, Mandua, Kodra in local languages. It is rich in iron, protein and calcium, high in fibre and a very common baby food in South India. It strengthens the bones, good for those with iron deficiency, helps in weight loss and one of the best grains beneficial in diabetes.

Banana is of the most inexpensive budget friendly fruit. It is rich in nutrients and loaded with antioxidants. Bananas are excellent food for toddlers and kids and good for digestive health.

The other ingredients used in the cake are yogurt, jaggery, nuts and dried berries which again are loaded with health friendly nutrients and have their own share of numerous health benefits.

Ingredients to make Gluten-free Ragi Chocolate Banana Cake

Ragi Flour- Use fresh Ragi flour as long kept Ragi flour goes rancid and gives an after taste.

Bananas- Use overripe bananas, as these are more sweet and more flavorful.

Sugar- I have used jaggery powder, you can use any other organic sugar or even castor sugar.

Yogurt- It acts as an egg replacer and also adds additional moisture to cake. I have used dairy yogurt. Vegans or those with lactose intolerance an use any plant based yogurt like cashew or peanut yogurt.

Oil- Secret to some of the moistest cakes/ quick breads is oil. You can add melted butter also but it solidifies when we refrigerate the cake. Ragi flour needs more moisture than the regular APF or Wole Wheat Flour. I prefer and suggest you add oil to this recipe.

Mixed Nuts and Dried Berries- Almonds and Walnuts add crunch and increase the nutritional value of the cake. You can add any nuts of your choice like hazelnuts, pecans, cashews.

Leavening Agents-Baking Powder and Baking Soda add softness and volume to cake. If you baking powder and soda are more than 3 months old, discard it and use fresh one. Both of these leavening agents won't work if you use very old ones.

Add salt when using oil. Vanilla Essence/Cinnamon Powder enhances the flavor.

Note- You can bake this cake for your toddlers too. Avoid nuts and berries. Also, you can skip baking soda and powder. The cake won't rise much but will have brownie like texture. You can add 1 tsp Apple Cider vinegar or any plant vinegar for soft and fully texture.

How to make Ragi Banana Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven at 180C/350F. Use a good oven thermometer to keep track of the oven temperature.

Prepare your pan. Take 6" round pan. I used a 5" round pan. You can also use square tin or similar capacity loaf tin. Baking time may differ as it depends on the oven temperature and also your pan.

Preheat Oven to 180C or 350F. When using an OTG keep the baking mode ON with both the rods. When using a convention oven, switch on the CONVECTION Mode on an preheat oven. Do not bake cake in microwave. This is not the recipe for microwave baked cake.

1. Mix all the dry ingredients(flour, leavening agents and salt).
2. In another bowl, mash bananas with jaggery powder. Use a potato masher or do it in blender jar.
3. Then whisk together oil/melted butter, yogurt,vanilla essence.
4. Add the flour mix, chopped nuts and berries. Fold nicely.
5. Transfer batter to pan and bake for 25-30 mins. at 180C/350F.
6. After 25 mins. insert a toothpick/skewer in the center. If it comes clean or has crumbs then cake is done. If there is batter sticking to it, bake for another 10 mins.
7. Once done, take out of the oven and after 2 mins, de-mould it and let it cool on a wire rack.

Pro tips to bake Perfect Finger Millet/Nachni Chocolate Cake

• All the ingredients should be at room temperature.
• Always use fresh Ragi Flour. Old Ragi flour may taste stale and may give not very good results.
• Preheat your oven to the required temperature. Invest in a good oven thermometer. Oven temperatures may differ so keep a check on it.
• Do not over bake the cake as it may go dry and hard.
• IF the cake is undone even after 30 mins. the cover the pan loosely with an aluminum foil and bake for another 10 mins.
• De-mould the cake after 2 mins and carefully. Cool it on a wire rack/cooling rack.
• Let the cake cool completely before cutting it, warm cake may crumble.

Store and Shelf Life of Ragi Banana Chocolate Cake

Store cake in an air tight container. Stays good for 2-3 days at room temperature and about a week when refrigerated. Cake may start drying after 2 days due to the Ragi flour.

You can freeze cake for a couple of weeks. Thaw and eat as and when required. Do not refreeze after you thaw the cake/slice.

Delicious and Healthy recipes with Ragi flour/Nachni on the blog

Ragi Soup, Instant Ragi Dosa, Ragi Chocolate Cookies, Ragi Dried Fruit and Nuts Ladoo, Ragi Buttermilk, Instant Ragi Idli with tadka dahi, Whole Wheat Ragi and Edible Gum Ladoos

Few healthy and delicious recipes with Ripe Bananas from the blog

Nutella Banana Milkshake, Banana Oats Smoothie, Banana Bread (Eggless with Whole Wheat Flour), Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Recipe Card with Video for Nachni/Ragi Chocolate Banana Cake

Do try this moist and soft Healthy Ragi Chocolate Banana Cake recipe and treat your loved ones from kids to elders in the house.

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