Salmah Hack

Gulab Jamun Cake

Gulab Jamun Cake

Gulab Jamun is a popular Indian dessert, a fried dough made of milk solids scented of rose and cardamom soaked in a floral syrup. It's all in the name, Gulab translating to 'flower' hinting at the fragrance from this dessert. The fried soaked Gulabs resembling Jamun an Indian fruit. I've taken the aromas and decadence from this dessert to bake into a cake! It's a sponge cake enhanced with milk and custard powder, lightened with heavy cream and soaked in the floral syrup. Enjoyed with tea or my favorite with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting 4 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian
Servings 25

Ingredients
  

  • 4 sticks softened butter
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 tspn rosewater
  • 10 eggs
  • ground toasted anise
  • ground toasted cardamom
  • 1/2 tspn salt
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup milk powder
  • 1/4 cup custard powder dissolved in 3 tbsp water
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • saffron threads
  • 5 cracked cardamom pods
  • 1 tspn rosewater
  • zest of 1 lemon

Instructions
 

  • Toast anise and cracked cardamom on stove for about 2-4 mins just till fragrant. Blitz in a coffee or spice grinder and set powder aside
  • Cream together softened butter and sugar till sugar has dissolved into butter and mixture is fluffy
  • With mixer on low add eggs one at time then pour in vanilla and rosewater
  • Once eggs incorporated add ground anise and cardamom
  • Sift together dry ingredients and slowly add to form batter
  • With mixer on low and dry ingredients added drizzle in heavy cream
  • Pour batter into a butter Bundt Cake pan and bake at 350º for 35 – 40 mins
  • While cake is baking make syrup. Syrup can be made on stovetop or in microwave
    To a microwave safe dish add the ingredients and microwave for one to two minutes till the sugar has dissolved stir to infuse and keep warm 
    On the stovetop add ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil till the liquid has reduced by half
  • When the cake has finished baking and still warm, leave in cake tin
    using a toothpick poke holes along the top and spoon the syrup over allowing it to soak in the syrup while cooling
    Leave the cake for about 4 hours in cake tin to soak in the syrup before removing and slicing