Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake (Diwali Fusion Cake)

This eggless gulab jamun cake tastes just like the gulab jamuns we all grew up with: soft and spongy, fragrant with cardamom, saffron and rose, and soaked in a light rose syrup. It is my favourite fusion cake for Diwali.

I first made this cake for Holi, but honestly, you don’t have to wait for a festival. Whenever you feel like something traditional in your dessert, bake this and have it with your evening cup of tea or coffee. For Diwali, it makes a beautiful centrepiece and a lovely homemade gift.

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What gives this cake its gulab jamun flavour

• Milk powder and semolina: these give the cake that rich, slightly grainy, mawa-like texture of a real gulab jamun.
• Cardamom and saffron: the classic gulab jamun spices, mixed right into the batter.
• Rose water and kesar gulab extract: for that beautiful rose fragrance. The extract is optional; rose water alone works too.
• The rose-cardamom syrup: poured over the warm cake so it soaks in, just like jamuns sitting in their syrup.

My tips for the perfect eggless gulab jamun cake

• Let the buttermilk rest. After adding vinegar or lemon juice to the milk, leave it for 10–15 minutes before using.
• Mix gently. Once wet and dry ingredients meet, fold just until combined. Over-mixing makes the cake dense.
• Bake low and slow. 160°C for 50–60 minutes gives an even, spongy crumb.
• Soak it well. Keep a tray under the cake, brush syrup on the sides, pour the rest over the top, and keep pouring the collected syrup back until it is all absorbed.
• Decorate simply. Chopped pistachios and dried rose petals look festive. Almonds or a dusting of powdered sugar work too.

Serving and gifting for Diwali

Serve slices as they are, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a gulab-jamun-and-ice-cream moment. For gifting, cut the cake into neat wedges and pack them in a box lined with butter paper, with a few rose petals on top.

Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake

A soft, spongy eggless cake flavoured with cardamom, saffron and rose, soaked in a light rose-cardamom syrup, just like a gulab jamun. Perfect for Diwali, Holi or any festival.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Servings: 10 slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian Fusion

Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

For the cake

• 1 & 3/4 cup milk
• 1 & 3/4 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (maida) plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/4 cup milk powder
• 1/4 cup semolina (sooji)
• 20 grams cornflour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup caster sugar or powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 5-6 saffron strands
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• 1/2 teaspoon kesar gulab extract optional
• 1/2 cup flavourless oil I use canola

For the syrup

• 80 grams sugar
• 50 ml water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• 2 pinches cardamom powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kesar gulab extract optional

To decorate

• chopped pistachios or almonds
• dried rose petals or rose buds

Method

 

1. Make the buttermilk: add the vinegar or lemon juice to the milk, stir, and keep aside for 10–15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease an 8-inch round bundt pan with oil and dust it with flour.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, milk powder, semolina, cornflour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cardamom powder and saffron.
4. Into the buttermilk, add the rose water, kesar gulab extract and oil, and whisk well.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (in batches if you like) and mix gently until just combined. Do not over-mix. Give it a last mix with a rubber spatula.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50–60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15–20 minutes.
8. Meanwhile make the syrup: in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the sugar, water, lemon juice, rose water, cardamom and kesar gulab extract. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then boil on low heat for 5–6 minutes until slightly thickened.
9. Demould the cake onto a rack with a tray underneath. Brush the syrup all over the sides, then pour the rest over the top so every part soaks it up.
10. Collect the syrup that drips into the tray and pour it over the cake again, until all the syrup is used.
11. Decorate with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals. Serve as it is with tea or coffee, or with a scoop of ice cream.

Video

Notes

Keep a tray under the cake while soaking it, and keep pouring the collected syrup back over the cake until it is all absorbed.

No pistachios? Use almonds. No dry fruit at all? Just dust the top with powdered sugar.

Related Recipes You’ll Love

• Eggless Thandai Pistachio Rose Cake — another festive fusion cake full of Indian flavours.
• Condensed Milk Cake — a rich, soft tea cake that is perfect for festive gifting.
• Eggless Whole Wheat Vanilla Cake — a simple atta tea cake with no maida and no eggs.

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