Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake
A two-layer 8-inch eggless yogurt sponge soaked in gulab jamun syrup, filled with whipped cream and chopped jamuns, and finished with stabilized whipped cream frosting. Perfect for birthdays and festive tables.
Equipment
- Two 8-inch round cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Offset spatula
- Cake board or serving plate
- Serrated knife
Ingredients
For the eggless sponge
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 180 g
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- Pinch of fine salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 g
- ¾ cup milk 180 ml; lukewarm
- ½ cup thick plain yogurt 120 g; Greek-style or hung curd
- ½ cup neutral oil 120 ml; sunflower or grapeseed
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- Pinch of saffron strands, crushed and bloomed in 1 tbsp of the warm milk
- ½ tsp rose water
- Butter and parchment, for greasing pans
Sugar syrup soak
- ½ to ¾ cup syrup from gulab jamuns add warm water 1 tbsp at a time if very thick
Cream filling
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream or non-dairy whipping cream 240 ml
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar 25 g
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom or ¼ tsp rabdi essence optional
- 4 gulab jamuns chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 tbsp slivered pistachios
Cream frosting
- 2 oz cream cheese 56 g; optional; skip for stabilized non-dairy cream; cold
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream or non-dairy whipping cream 240 ml
- ¼ cup powdered sugar 30 g
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom or rabdi essence
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 6 whole gulab jamuns for topping
- Extra slivered pistachios, dried rose petals, or edible silver leaf, for garnish
Instructions
Bake the sponge layers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 8-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment, and lightly grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the warm milk, saffron milk, oil, yogurt, cardamom, and rose water until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry in two additions, folding gently until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans (about 410 g per 8-inch pan).
- Bake 30 to 38 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly.
- Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Peel off parchment and cool completely. Wrap layers in plastic and chill at least 1 hour before trimming and assembling.
Prep the filling and frosting
- For the filling, whip cold cream with powdered sugar and cardamom (or rabdi essence) until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
- For the frosting, beat cold cream cheese until smooth if using. Gradually add cold cream, powdered sugar, cardamom, and vanilla. Whip until stiff, glossy peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
- Chop 4 gulab jamuns into small pieces. Pat lightly with a paper towel if very wet. Keep whole jamuns for the top separate.
Assemble the cake
- Place the first chilled layer on a cake board or plate. Trim the dome flat with a serrated knife if needed.
- Brush generously with gulab jamun syrup. You want the surface moist but not pooling.
- Spread all the filling cream in an even layer. Scatter the chopped jamuns and pistachios over the cream.
- Add the second layer, trimmed side down. Brush the top with a light layer of syrup.
- Crumb coat with a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides to trap crumbs. Chill 30 minutes.
- Apply the remaining frosting for a smooth finish on top and sides. Chill another 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, arrange whole gulab jamuns on top and garnish with pistachios, rose petals, or silver leaf.
Notes
Pan sizes: Written for two 8-inch layers. For a taller three-layer 6-inch cake, divide the same batter among three 6-inch pans and bake 35 to 42 minutes.
Rabdi essence swap: Use ½ tsp rabdi essence in the batter and ¼ tsp in each cream component instead of cardamom and rose water.
Non-dairy cream: Many non-dairy whipping creams whip stable on their own. Skip cream cheese and reduce sugar if the cream is already sweetened.
Yogurt: Use thick yogurt. Watery curd thins the batter and can make the crumb dense.
Jamuns: Pat excess syrup off chopped jamuns before adding to the filling so the cream does not weep.
Make-ahead: Bake layers up to 2 days ahead; wrap tightly and refrigerate. Freeze wrapped layers up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before assembling. Assemble the full cake up to 1 day ahead; keep refrigerated.
Storage: Store assembled cake covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to cool room temperature 20 minutes before serving.
Serving cut: For parties, cut into a grid (horizontal and vertical lines) instead of wedges for more neat portions with jamun in every bite.
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