Gulab jamun is a popular Indian dessert. Soft, fried dough balls soaked in sugar syrup.
I made this gulab jamun inspired cake with moist cardamom cake, gulab jamun filling and covered with delicious whipped cream frosting. I used store bought mix to make gulab jamuns and made sugar syrup as per packet instructions. You can also get, ready to eat gulab jamuns in a tin from stores.
Recipe
Yield : 6 to 8 slices
Bake time : 30 to 35 minutes
Oven temp : 350℉/180℃
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup melted butter or oil (canola oil/sun flower oil/vegetable oil)
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs (veg substitution: ½ cup yogurt)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour (maida)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream or double cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar or icing sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of cardamom powder
- Gel food color (optional)
- 10 to 12 gulab jamuns
- ¾ cup sugar syrup.
Cake :
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/180℃. Coat 8 inch round cake pan with oil and line it with parchment or dust it with flour.
- In a large bowl, add oil or melted butter and sugar. Beat for 2 minutes using a hand whisk.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute.
- Add milk or buttermilk and mix, until well combined.
- Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom powder. Gently mix everything together until well combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter in a prepared cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.
- Take it out from the oven and let it cool in the cake pan itself for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from cake pan and cool it completely over a wire rack or wrap the cake with a plastic cling wrap and chill it in refrigerator for 1 hour. While the cake cools down, make the frosting.
Whipped cream frosting :
- Chill the bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5 minutes before whipping.
- Into the chilled bowl, add heavy whipping cream and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed using an electric mixer or stand mixer.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and pinch of cardamom powder. Beat for 4 to 5 minutes on high speed until stiff peaks are formed, scraping down the sides in between using a spatula. Add food color and mix gently.
- If the whipped cream turns runny or spongy, place it in freezer for 5 to 10 minutes and start whipping until it's smooth again.
Assembly:
If using a store bought gulab jamun mix, make the gulab jamuns and sugar syrup according to the packet instructions, a day ahead of the cake assembly and chill it refrigerator. The packet mix might make more than 50 gulab jamun balls. You can also get, ready to eat gulab jamuns in a tin from stores or make them from scratch using flour, milk powder and milk.
Cut the cooled cake into 2 layers using a leveler or knife. Place a cake layer over a cake board or plate. Pour the sugar syrup of gulab jamun over the cake layer using a spoon. The layer should be wet to touch.
Add 2 scoops of whipped cream frosting and spread with offset spatula.
Cut the gulab jamun balls into slices. Place them over the frosting.
Put another cake layer on top and pour sugar syrup over it using a spoon.
Cover the cake with another layer of whipped cream frosting and smooth it out with a smoother or an offset spatula. If the frosting turns runny or spongy, place it in freezer for 5 to 10 minutes and start whipping until it's smooth again.
Decorate the cake with the remaining frosting and place gulab jamuns over the cake as you like it. I used 1M star tip for piping and pearl sprinkles for decoration.
Place the finished cake in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Check my other recipes:
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @theicingworld
