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Eggless mawa cake topped with almond slivers on a lace doily, with a cup of tea

Eggless Mawa Cake

A moist, dense eggless mawa cake flavoured with cardamom and saffron and topped with nuts and rose petals. No frosting needed, perfect with tea.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian Fusion
Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour about 190 g; or use wholewheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup desiccated coconut about 20 g
  • 1 tablespoon cardamom powder
  • 1/2 cup butter about 115 g, softened
  • 1/4 cup caster sugar 50 g
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar about 50 g
  • 1 cup curd (yogurt) or sour cream about 245 g
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon saffron strands
  • 1/4 teaspoon kesar pista flavour optional
  • 1/2 cup mawa (khoya) crumbled, about 100 g
  • pistachio and almond slivers for the batter and topping
  • edible dried rose petals for topping

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 6-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with butter paper.
  2. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together and whisk. Add the desiccated coconut and cardamom powder and whisk until well mixed.
  3. Beat the butter until a little light. Add the caster sugar and beat, then add the brown sugar and keep beating. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  4. Add the curd and keep beating. Mix the saffron into the vanilla extract to bring out its colour, then add it to the bowl along with the kesar pista flavour (if using). Beat again.
  5. Fold in half the flour mixture, then the rest along with the chopped pistachios and almonds (keep some for the topping). Stop as soon as you no longer see pockets of flour.
  6. Add the crumbled mawa and mix well. The batter will be thick, so don't try to thin it.
  7. Spread the batter in the tin and level it with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and dried rose petals on top. Bake for 55–60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  8. Let the cake cool in the tin for 10–15 minutes, then turn it out. Serve as it is, with a cup of tea or coffee.

Video

Notes

A 6-inch cake gives 8 generous slices. It is dense and rich, so you can also cut 10–12 thinner slices. An 8-inch cake gives about 10–12 slices.
You can bake this in an 8-inch round tin instead. I use a 6-inch tin because I love a taller cake. A wider tin will bake faster, so start checking earlier.
You can use only caster sugar or only brown sugar.
Homemade mawa works beautifully here.