EGGFREE PARSI MAWA CAKE

Mawa cake is a popular tea cake from Irani/Parsi cafes. It is substantially our regular sponge cake with addition of mawa and garnished with some nuts such as almonds, cashews and pistachios.

If given a chance to choose either of tea cakes or frosting & fondant cladded cakes, I would pick tea cakes. Tea cakes are simplest ones with minimal or no frosting and the best part is their mild sweetness.

Butter or Oil

Butter enriches the flavour and texture of the cake. Butter makes cake a bit dense and gives absolutely beautiful crumb. Oil cakes are much lighter and using oil in cakes is pretty easy. If you ask me, I prefer buttery tea cakes over oil based ones.

All purpose flour or whole wheat flour

100% whole wheat gives out a very dense cake. So, I would recommend 50% apf and 50% wwf. 100% apf will give lighter cake.

Cardamom powder

Cardamom powder gives that indian touch to cake. This spice reminds of Indian traditional sweets. Do not add vanilla extract as that will make cake taste as regular cake.

Baking soda and baking powder

These act as leavening agents by reacting with curd and form air pockets in the cake. These air pockets expand when heated making the cake soft and spongy.

Thick Curds

Curd acts as eggs in the eggless cakes. Acidity in curd react with leavening agents and make cakes fluffier and lighter. Adding curd keeps the cake moist.

Crumbled mawa

Mawa is evaporated milk solids. This adds in the rich taste to cake. Since this is prominent ingredient, add good quantity of Mawa. Can use store bought mawa or you can make it at home. Here I have used store bought mawa.

Sliced/chopped nuts

Add sliced almonds, pistachios and chopped cashews. You can get little fancier by adding dried rose petals and saffron strands.

Recipe:

Serves 10 servings

Prep time: 20 min

Bake time: 35 min

Total time: 55 min

Ingredients:

Mawa cake

All purpose flour - 1.5 cup or 180g

Powdered Sugar - 1 cup or 190g

Baking powder - 1.5 tsp

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Ground cardamom - 1/2 tsp

Butter - 1/2 cup or 100g

Crumbled Mawa - 100g or 1 cup

Thick Curd - 1/2 cup or 125g

Milk - 1/2 cup or 80ml

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Sliced nuts - 1/4 cup

Mawa glaze

Mawa - 1/4 cup or 30g

Milk - 2 tbsp

Granulated sugar - 1 tbsp

Sliced/chopped nuts - 1 tbsp

Steps:

• Sieve flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cardamom in a bowl.

• Using room temperature butter, cream butter and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl using electric hand mixer or stand mixer at med-high speed for 3-4 min or until it is fluffy and light.

• Add in the crumbled mawa and beat at med speed for couple of minutes until it is fluffy.

• Add in the curd and beat at med-high speed until it is incorporated.

• Mix in the flour mixture in batches alternatively with milk. Beat at lowest speed starting with flour and ending with flour. Beat after each addition of flour or milk until just incorporated.

• If using Bundt Pan, generously butter the pan and dust with flour. Sprinkle the sliced nuts on the pan and pour in the batter.

• If using regular 7" round/square pan, apply butter or oil to the pan and dust with flour. Pour in the batter and then sprinkle the sliced nuts.

• Bake it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 30-35 min or until the skewer inserted comes out clean.

• Let the pan cool down for 10 min and then de-mould the cake.

Mawa glaze

• Using double boiler, melt mawa, with milk and sugar for about 1-2 min.

• Once the cake is de-moulded, decorate the cake with Mawa glaze and garnish with a tablespoon of sliced nuts and is ready to be served.