The recipe is a vanilla cake with mawa and cardamom. It’s topped with nuts. This is a Parsi favorite and a popular tea-time treat. These are usually available only at Iranian cafes and bakeries in Mumbai and Pune. This is so delicious; I’d go to great lengths to find it every time I went there!
I have created a super simple and easy eggless mawa recipe to make this fantastic dessert at home.
- It’s an easy recipe with ingredients readily available.
- The mawa cake is incredibly delicious and has a subtle flavor profile.
- It can be eaten as it is without any additional icing or accompaniment.
- It is eggless, which makes it an excellent choice for vegetarians.
ingredients to make mawa cake
This delicious eggless cake is easy to make, and only 12 ingredients are required.
- Powdered jaggery – Sometimes, I substitute jaggery for sugar in desserts because it is healthier and has a caramelized, nutty taste. You could also stick with granulated sugar or castor sugar.
- Khoya isMawa, or Khoya. It is an ingredient found in many Indian sweets. You can make your mawa if you have the time and patience. Or you can buy ready-made mawa.
- Whole milk and curd –Whole milk, curd, and butter give the cake its fluffy texture. This makes the cake moist.
- Semolina This is responsible for the light texture.
- Flavoring – I have used cardamom because I like a little spice. For extra flavor, you could add some rose petals, nutmeg, or saffron.
- Garnish: Top the cake with chopped almonds or pistachios for an extra crunch.
Step-by-step recipe for eggless mawa cakes
1. In a bowl, combine butter and jaggery powder. Butter should be at room temperature
2. Mix the ingredients until light and fluffy. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip it up. This should take about 3-4 minutes.
3. Grate khoya, ground cardamom, and vanilla extract. For about two minutes, continue beating at high speed. Make sure there are no lumps
4. Combine whole milk with curd. Mix on low speed for approximately 2 minutes.
5. Mix in the suji or semolina. This will help the sooji to swell slightly.
6. Mix all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda in the bowl.
7. This batter should be poured into the prepared cake pan.
8. Bake at 180C/356F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Richa’s top tips
- Substitute to Khoya. If you are unable or unwilling to buy khoya, you can substitute it with ricotta cheese or even homemade paneer. Although the cake may taste different, it will surely be a huge hit!
- For best results, use Bombay ravia or another fine semolina. This cake is very crumbly due to the coarser sooji.
- To make the cake healthier, you can replace all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. However, it will be dense. This recipe does not call for 100% whole wheat flour.
- These mawa cakes are great if you’re making them for your next party.
Warning! The smell of mawa cakes baking is irresistible. It will take all your willpower to wait for the cake to cool before you can stuff your face.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F Line an 8-inch round baking pan with grease.
- In a bowl, combine butter and jaggery powder. The butter should be at room temperature. Mix the butter and sugar using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer on high speed for approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Mix in grated khoya and vanilla extract. Mix on high speed for about 2 minutes. Make sure there are no lumps.
- Combine whole milk with curd. Mix on low speed for approximately 2 minutes.
- Mix semolina and sooji in a bowl. This will help the sooji to swell slightly.
- Mix all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda in the bowl.
- Place the batter in a baking pan and cover with almond slices. Bake at 180C/356F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes clean.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then draws from the container.
