Indian Recipes
Rasmalai Cake
Presenting a fusion dessert – the rasmalai cake that is sooo good you’ll be amazed at how spot on the flavour is!
- Serves 9 pieces
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 30 minutes
- Total 40 minutes
If you’re looking for a fun, new dessert idea for rakhi, then this rasmalai cake is the one! Featuring the best of both worlds – the melt-in-your-mouth moistness of tres leches with the flavours of our favourite Indian mithai, rasmalai, it’s the ultimate Indian fusion dessert.
I’ve never been a big fan of ‘fusion’, but with this one I’m a convert. Whoevers tried this cake instantly said ‘rasmalai’. And I’ll never share something with you that’s not worth it.
What you Need for Rasmalai Cake
This rasmalai cake uses no fancy ingredients, and if you bake once in a while, chances are that you already have most of the ingredients in your pantry. We replace butter with a neutral-flavored vegetable oil to make the sponge really, really moist. Most of the flavor of this cake comes from three main ingredients – rose water, cardamom powder, and saffron. Once the cake is baked, we poke tiny holes using a fork and pour a mix of milk and condensed milk over the cake for both flavour and that extra moist texture.
Richa’s Top Tips To Make The Best Rasmalai Cake
- Make sure you use the best quality saffron, cardamom and rose water. These are the flavour pillars of this cake and with all of these, a little goes a long way.
- Avoid overmixing the batter. Over mixing can prevent the air bubbles from forming and can make the sponge dense instead of light and airy
- Use a neutral flavoured oil like sunflower, canola or rice bran. Avoid coconut oil for this recipe because it tends to solidify in the fridge and will make the cake dense once it’s cold.
- It is possible to make this vegan by using plant based ingredients. But honestly, I’m not sure what a plant based sub for condensed milk is. If you know, please leave us a comment below.
- You can store this rasmalai cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 day.
- I would recommend chilling this cake for about 3-4 hours in the fridge before serving. This helps the flavors to develop and improves the structural integrity of the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
The recipe
Rasmalai Cake
An Indian fusion dessert that combines the gooey textures of tres leches cake and our favorite Indian mithai rasmalai – this is a dessert you need to try at least once!
- Serves 9 pieces
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 30 minutes
- Total 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup warm milk
- 8-10 saffron strands
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp rose water
- 1/2 cup cooking oil (any neutral flavoured oil like canola, rice bran or sunflower)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
For soaking the cake:
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 5-6 saffron strands
- 1/4 cup condensed milk
Method
- 1
Preheat the oven to 180C. Prep a 8X8 inch square baking pan by brushing it with butter and dusting it with flour.
- 2
Pour warm milk into a bowl and add saffron stands. Let them soak for 1-2 minutes and then add vinegar. Let this sit for another minute.
- 3
Add rose water, oil and sugar and whisk well.
- 4
Then add all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and cardamom powder. Mix until just combined. Pour this batter into the prepared cake tin and bake at 180C for 30 minutes. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean and that’s when you know the cake is baked.
- 5
Take the cake out of the oven and poke holes in the warm cake.
- 6
Whisk together warm milk, saffron and condensed milk and pour this mix on the cake while it’s still warm. The cake will instantly soak up the liquid and this makes the cake super moist.
- 7
Refrigerate for at least two hours before adding your favourite topping – whipped cream or rabri. Serve cold.
Nutrition
- Calories 303 kcal
- Carbohydrates 39 g
- Protein 4 g
- Fat 15 g
- Saturated Fat 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 8 g
- Trans Fat 0.05 g
- Cholesterol 8 mg
- Sodium 196 mg
- Potassium 118 mg
- Fiber 1 g
- Sugar 23 g
- Vitamin A 89 IU
- Vitamin C 0.3 mg
- Calcium 104 mg
- Iron 1 mg
Common questions
What is rasmalai cake made of?
We use milk, flour, sugar, and oil to make this cake. The main flavors for this cake come from cardamom, rose water, and saffron. After the cake is baked, we poke holes into the sponge and pour condensed milk over it to further moisten the sponge and enhance the flavor of rasmalai.
Can this rasmalai cake be made vegan?
This rasmalai cake is 100% vegetarian, and you can easily make it vegan by using plant based ingredients.
