Rose Milk Cake

Rakhi is one of my most favourite Indian festivals. It is the time to finally celebrate the most annoying people in our lives aka our siblings. Hahah hoping my sister is not reading this. And what better way to celebrate than to make a rose milk cake. It is the perfect combination of interesting baking techniques that meets the gorgeous flavours of our country. And use of this one ingredient that I am sure will remind you of your childhood.

So for our rose milk cake we are using flavours like kewra water, pista, and our star ingredient and nostalgic friend rooh afza. All of these lovely flavourings combined in a soft eggless sponge cake doused in more creamy sweet syrup will reallly elevate your festive day! Trust me you do not want to skip out on this dessert.

Elements of Rose Milk Cake –

There are three elements to this rose milk cake- the cake base, the rooh afza soak and the topping.

Cake base

Just like every other dessert the base of it has to be the strongest in terms of structure and flavour in order to carry on the rest of the components. And for this particular recipe, we really had to struggle and experiment in order to come to a conclusion recipe. So when I say trust me and follow this recipe as is, please do because we made this a minimum of 5 times before setting ourselves straight regarding the colour and flavour of this recipe.

Kewra water is a flavouring agent extracted from pandanus flower, which has a mimining taste and flavour to rose but is slightly more fruity compared to rose. Kewra water is very commonly used in India and mithai and all traditional sweets which is why this rakhi dessert needed it very much. I have added as little as ¼ tsp in the cake base of our rose milk cake because a little goes a long way. However if you do not have access to kewra water you substitute it with food grade rose water or even vanilla extract.

Rooh afza on the other hand needs no introduction. Still for anyone who is not aware- rooh afza also called as the refresher of the soul is a flavouring agent for sherbets and drinks. It was devised in our very own city and has carried on as a very popular summer refresher. Mainly containing ingredients like rose, sugar, pudina, sandal, orange and pineapple. We are adding this in the cake base as well as our rose soaking syrup. Rooh afza will not only add that sweet refreshing flavour but also a gentle tone of colour to our rose milk cake and its soak.

The soak

To give our rose milk cake an extra oomph of rose flavour- I decided to soak it just like a traditional tres leches cake. Soaking the cake ends up making it extra fluffy, creamy and so so soft. It also enhances the existing flavours and makes it even more delicious. How am I going to share with my sibling on rakhi, will be a whole another level of life adjustment! Hahahah!

There are 4 ingredients here in the soak-

1. Regular cow milk
2. Fresh amul cream
3. Sweetened condensed milk
4. Rooh afza

All you have to do is to mix everything together and that’s about it. It is a super easy way to hydrate your cake and make it reach its maximum flavour potential.
Now that the soak is so easy to prepare, the soaking process is even easier. You can try and poke some holes using a small skewer or a knife to get maximum liquid to seep in. It is also advised to soak the cake when it is slightly warm and has not cooled fully.
I know all of this liquid can seem like a lot and feel a little toooo much! But trust the process and our 5 trials- it is just the right amount and you will thank me later.

The topping

I have gone the classic way of topping the cake with a simple whipped cream frosting. However you can go crazy and do whatever fancy frosting you like. You can even add some kewra water in the whipping cream while whipping it. For the final garnishes I have also used some top pistachios and rose petals cause all Indian desserts would seriously be incomplete without these two ingredients. And since it is an extra special day I added few pieces of gold leaf as well that just makes your dessert feel extra festive!

Is Rose Milk Cake eggless?

Since this cake is eggless because I want each one of you to try and recreate this recipe. I made this sponge using yogurt and baking soda- which acts as a perfect substitute for eggs! It is light, fluffy, and is the base of this dessert, it takes the softness to another level! This is my favourite and the most reliable result yielding egg replacement for eggless cakes. The baking soda when it reacts to the yoghurt makes the cake super light and fluffy. Some key points to keep in mind :

• Make sure you evenly sprinkle the baking soda on top.
• Make sure you mix it all well so that everything is combined properly.
• Waiting is the absolute best here, with in 5 minutes or so you will see the bubbles appear and the yoghurt get super foamy that is when you know it’s ready!

Other Festive Recipes on the blog

• Ras Malai Tres Leches
• Pistachio Cupcakes with Rose Buttercream
• Cranberry Pistachio Fudge

Rose Milk Cake Recipe

Rose Milk Cake

 

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Ingredients

For cake

• 1 + ½ cups (180g) all purpose flour (maida)
• 1 teaspoon (4g) baking powder
• 1 cup (285g) yogurt
• ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
• ¾ cup (150g) castor sugar
• ½ cup (120mL) vegetable 0il
• ¼ tsp kewra extract
• 1 tbsp (15 gm) rooh Afza
• Red food colour

For Soak

• ½ cup (153 gm) condensed milk
• ½ (115 gm) fresh cream
• 1 + ½ (360gm ) cup milk
• 4 tbsp rooh afza
• Whipping cream
• Chopped pista
• Dried rose petals
• Gold leaf

Instructions

1. Pre -heat the oven to 180 degree C and line a 9 x 13 inch rectangular pan with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl add the yogurt and sprinkle baking soda over it and set it aside to foam up.
3. Add the castor sugar, oil and rooh afza into the same bowl and mix until well combined.
4. Gently sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until everything is well combined there are no large flour pockets in the batter. Add in the food colour and mix. Do not over mix at this stage.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
6. Bake at 180C for 30-35 minutes or only until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. While the cake is baking, make the milk mixture by combing milk, fresh cream, condensed milk and rooh afza. After the cake is baked, trim the top and pour the milk liquid on the cake and tilt the pan so that the milk covers the entire cake.
8. Let it set in the fridge for one hour.
9. After one hour, demould the cake from the pan.
10. Top with whipped cream, pistachios and rose petals some more liquid and serve!

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I hope this recipe will get you in the festive mood and you will try and recreate it with or for your siblings! A very happy rakhi to you all and happy baking. And yes, if you happen to make this recipe, do tag me on Instagram / Facebook using #bakewithshivesh.