The very thought that a cake can be baked in an air fryer surprises many people but it’s true. In an air fryer, not only you can bake a cake but can do any type of baking ranging from muffins to bread to cookies to Pies to tarts to footlongs to anything else that you want.
But today, we are talking only about cake. When making a cake, you can follow any recipe of your choice but have to pay attention only to the temperature and baking time. FAQs answered below will clear all your doubts related to this topic. In case, you still have some confusion then please feel free to message me and I will try to resolve it to the best of my knowledge.
As air fryers are compact, they heat up quickly and thus the baking time is reduced considerably.
Lemon cake has been on my list for a long time and when I thought of making a cake especially for this post then this cake seemed to be a perfect choice. The recipe is very much the same as of Orange Blueberry Cake with the necessary swapping of flavorings.
Air Fryer Cake
Cake can be baked in the oven, microwave oven, microwave convection, gas stove as well as in air fryer. Of all the modes, the gas stove is the slowest whereas the microwave oven is the fastest. Air fryer cake is somewhere in between, it takes roughly half the time taken in the oven.
I make Orange Blueberry cake in microwave convection at 180 degrees C and it takes 40 to 45 minutes. And the lemon cake that I made today, which is exactly like Orange cake, got ready in exact 20 minutes and that too at 160 degrees C. Everything is the same in both the cakes except flavoring, but look at the difference in time, just half!
How To Make
- A very easy recipe that is vegan too.
- For this recipe, you mix all the dry ingredients.
- Thereafter, make a well in the center and add all the liquid ingredients.
- Mix everything lightly.
- Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake it in a preheated air fryer.
Step By Step Recipe
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Take flour, baking soda, salt, Khandsari sugar, and dried cranberries in a bowl and mix everything.
- Make a well in the center and add oil, lemon zest, minced ginger, fresh lemon juice, and water.
- Mix everything. The consistency of the batter should be slightly thick.
- Keep the batter for 10 to 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, start preheating the air fryer for 3 minutes at 160 degrees C.
- Grease a 6” pan and pour the batter into it.
- Bake for 20 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed a little.
- Wait for 5 to 7 minutes. Then loosen the sides with a knife and invert it on a wire rack.
- Cut when completely cool.
- Serve with love, tea is optional.
- You can store this at room temperature for 3 to 4 days in winters otherwise in the refrigerator.
Tips For Baking Cake in Air Fryer
- First and foremost, check which cake pan fits into your air fryer and then accordingly decide on the recipe. Like, a maximum of a 6” pan fits in my air fryer and I can easily go for a recipe that calls for 1 cup flour.
- Always bake at 160 or 165 degrees C only.
- As each air fryer is different, so check after 15 minutes only. For that, just pull the air fryer basket and check. You need not switch off your air fryer while doing this check.
- Do not just rely on the golden color of the cake. Always, always do the toothpick test.
- If the toothpick comes out clean then it means that the cake is baked fully.
- If the cake turns golden brown but the toothpick does not come out clean and has some crumbs attached to it then cover the cake with a lid/plate and bake for some more time.
FAQs
Q) Can I bake a cake in the air fryer?
Of course yes! You can follow any cake recipe by making certain changes in the temperature and timing.
Q) What type of cake pan can I use in my air fryer?
- You can take any pan or vessel for making a cake in the air fryer. It can be
- Aluminum or
- Steel or
- Glass or
- Silicone
- Ceramic
- Disposable
- What is important is that the pan should fit in your air fryer. So, before starting your preparations, firstly ensure that the pan fits in your air fryer.
Q) Can I use a steel bowl for making a cake in the air fryer?
Of course, Yes! You may use a regular steel bowl or Katori which is there in your kitchen for baking cake/muffins.
Q) How to bake a cake in an air fryer?
- For baking cake in the air fryer, you simply preheat it and keep the cake pan on the air fryer basket.
- In the air fryer there is no option of choosing a top or bottom rod, so do not worry about it.
Q) At what temperature do I bake a cake in the air fryer?
- Air fryers being compact in size heats up really fast, therefore you need to bake at a lower temperature.
- At a regular temperature of 180 degrees, the cake cooks up fast from the top but remains uncooked from the center.
- Therefore, bake the cake at 160 or 170 degrees C. Or simply, reduce the temperature by 20 degrees from whatever is given in the recipe.
Q) How much time does it take to bake a cake in the air fryer?
- Time is directly proportional to the quantity of cake batter. The more the batter, the more time it will take to bake.
- The depth of the cake pan also affects the baking time. Cake in a shallow pan bakes much faster than a deep pan.
- Temperature plays a crucial role in determining the baking time. A slightly higher temperature means it is baked faster than at a lower temperature.
- A regular 6-inch cake at 160 degrees in the air fryer is baked in roughly 20 minutes.
- As all air fryers are different, therefore time may vary slightly so keep a check from 15 minutes onwards. You can pull the air fryer basket and see if it is done or not.
Q) How do I know that my cake is fully baked in the air fryer?
- After 15 minutes, pull the air fryer basket and see whether the cake is done or not.
- You can do so by inserting a toothpick in the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, it means it is baked fully. If not then continue baking for some more time.
- At times the cake gets brown from the top and may give the impression that it is fully baked. But always do the toothpick test. If the toothpick is not clean and comes with batter then cover the cake with a plate or foil to prevent further browning and continue baking for a few more minutes.
Q) Do I need to preheat the air fryer for baking cake?
Yes, this step is really important and cannot be ignored.
Q) How do I preheat my air fryer?
- Ensure that the air fryer is empty without any utensils in it.
- Set the temperature and start it for 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, your air fryer is ready for baking.
- Open it up and keep the cake pan on the air fryer basket.
Q) Why is my cake uncooked from the center whereas the top is perfectly golden brown?
- This is a common problem when baking a cake in the air fryer. And this is when we bake at a higher temperature.
- Therefore always bake at a lower temperature, around 160 or 170 degrees C.
- As a general rule, reduce the temperature by 20 degrees from whatever is given in the recipe.
- If the top gets golden brown even then check by inserting a toothpick. If it is not clean then continue baking and cover the cake with a lid or plate to prevent further browning.
Q) How to take out Lemon Zest?
- The aroma of fresh lemon zest beats all the artificial essence/extracts.
- To take out lemon zest, wash the lemons, wipe them and grate them. Freezing lemons for an hour or two facilitates grating.
- Grate only the green/yellow skin and not the pith, which is the white part.
- This is because pith is very bitter in taste and will spoil the taste of your cake.
Q) No vanilla essence is added in this recipe. Did you miss it?
Yes. When baking with aromatic fruits, I avoid vanilla essence as it hampers the natural aroma and flavor of fruits. This is the reason, I have not added it just like Strawberry Muffins, Orange cake.
Q) I do not have an air fryer. How can I bake this cake?
No worries! Bake it in microwave convection or oven or in a cooker. Once the batter is ready, bake it in any of the modes given.
Q) Any substitute for Khandsari sugar?
Use any sweetener of your choice, be it coconut sugar or brown sugar or jaggery powder or any other. If using jaggery powder then ensure to sift it first otherwise tiny grits in it may spoil the texture of the cake.
Q) Isn’t 1/4 cup lemon juice more for this recipe?
Not at all. It gives a mild lemony taste to the cake.
Q) Why do we wait for 15 minutes once the batter is ready?
This is because the bran and the germ present in the WWF get a chance to be hydrated and thus soften up. Read in detail in my post 5 Tips for Baking with Wheat flour
Related Recipes
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Lemon Cake in Air Fryer
Ingredients
My 1 Cup measures 240 ml
- 1 Cup 130 g Wheat Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 Cup Khandsari Sugar Raw Cane Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries Optional
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
- 1 tsp Grated Ginger Optional
- 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
- 1/4 Cup Oil
- 1/2 Cup Water
Instructions
- Take flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk well.
- Add Khandsari sugar and again mix everything nicely with a whisk.
- Make a well in the center and add oil, lemon zest, minced ginger, fresh lemon juice, and water.
- Mix everything. The consistency of the batter should be slightly thick.
- Keep the batter for 10 to 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, start preheating the air fryer for 3 minutes at 160 degrees C.
- Grease a 6'' pan and pour the batter into it.
- Bake for 20 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed a little.
- Wait for 5 to 7 minutes. Then loosen the sides with a knife and invert it on a wire rack.
- Cut when completely cool.
- Serve with love, tea is optional.
- You can store this at room temperature for 3 to 4 days in winters otherwise in the refrigerator.
Notes
- I have used normal wheat flour which is used for making chapatis. You can use all-purpose flour too. But in that case, adjust the quantity of water.
- Do not add vanilla essence and do not skip lemon zest by any chance. This zest gives the real aroma to this cake.
- The quantity of water may vary slightly, from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup, depending upon the flour used.
- You need a 6″ cake pan for this recipe.
- Time may vary by 5 minutes, less or more, as each air fryer is different slightly. So keep a check from 15 minutes onwards by pulling the drawer and checking it.
- You can bake it in a pressure cooker also. For baking in the pressure cooker, check the details shared in the main post.
Very interesring. I will surely try it.
Thank you so much! Do share your feedback once you try it out.