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    Home » Recipes

    14th September 2020 Desserts and Baking

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    Gulab Jamun Cake

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    This Gulab Jamun Cake is inspired by an Indian dessert with the same name. This cake is very moist and is flavoured with saffron, cardamom and rosewater. 

    Gulab Jamun Cake on a board with 1 slice in plate

     

    What is Gulab Jamun?

    Gulab Jamun is a very popular Indian dessert often served at weddings and parties.

    The dessert is essentially soft sugar syrup soaked dough balls.

    Gulab means rose and Jamun means Berries.

    The berry refers to a purple berry that is available in India also known as Java Plum.

    The dough balls are usually made with milk powder, khoya or bread.

    Khoya is a dairy product and refers to  evaporated dry milk solids.

    The sugar syrup is flavoured with saffron, cardamon and rose water.

    I don't add much rose water in the syrup because my family prefer it that way but you can adjust the quantities in this cake according to your taste.

    I love Gulab Jamun served hot with Vanilla Ice Cream. 

    For this cake, I brought ready made Gulab Jamun. 

    How to make your own Gulab Jamun

    Traditionally, gulab jamun is made using khoya (dry milk solids). Making Khoya is a long process and as such most people buy it or tend to use Milk Powder in place of khoya. 

    Gulab Jamun Ingredients

    Milk Powder, Plain Flour, Baking Powder, Butter, Egg, Milk, Sugar, Cardamom, Saffron, Rose Water (Optional), Orange Food Colouring (Optional).

    This is a simple recipe:

    DOUGH

    1 cup Milk Powder (Full Fat)

    2 tbsp Plain Flour

    1 tsp Baking Powder

    1 tsp Ghee or Butter melted

    1 Egg

    7 - 8 tbsp Warm Milk

    Combine Milk Powder, Flour and Baking Powder in a large bowl. Stir in egg and butter.

    Add milk 1 tbsp at at time stirring in between.

    Knead GENTLY to form a dough.

    Grease your hands with a little oil.

    Make small balls from the dough and deep fry on medium low until a deep golden (6 - 8 minutes).

    Make syrup and add dough balls to the syrup for 30 minutes.

    SYRUP

    2 cups Water

    1 cup Sugar

    8 Cardamom Pods cracked open

    1/2 tsp Saffron Threads

    1/2 tsp Rose Water

    You can add orange food colouring too but I don't.

    • Add all the ingredients for the syrup to a pan and simmer on low heat for 6 - 8 minutes.

    Top tips and trouble shooting for Gulab Jamuns 

    Make sure your hands are oiled when handling the Gulab Jamun dough

    Don't handle the dough too much. Just enough to bring the dough together.

    Fry dough balls over medium low heat.

    Stick to the correct quantities for baking powder.

    Don't over simmer the syrup!

    Tips to make the best Gulab Jamun Cake

    Soft Cake - Adding Buttermilk makes for a really soft cake. This can be replaced with yoghurt.

    How to make Buttermilk - To make your own (Like i did), simple add 1 tbsp Lemon Juice to 100 ml Milk in a cup and set aside for 10 minutes. 

    Saffron - Infusing Saffron into milk brings out the colour and flavour. 

    Eggs and Sugar - Always mix eggs and sugar for 5 - 8 minutes to get as much air as possible into the cake batter.  I used Golden Caster Sugar but normal Caster Sugar works too.

    Flour - Once the flour is added, keep mixing to a minimal.

    Eggs - Add eggs 1 by 1 and make sure 1 egg has completely mixed into the batter before adding the next one.

    Sugar syrup: The syrup will look thin when simmered but it thickens as it cools. Not over boiling it makes it easier for the cake to absorb the syrup. 

    Can the cake be made without a bundt tin?

    Yes! You can make the cake in a 20cm greased tin for 30 - 40 minutes. Check if cake is done by inserting skewer into the middle. 

    How to make Gulab Jamun Cake

    Preheat oven to 160 C/Gas Mark 3.

    If making buttermilk - add the milk to a cup and squeeze in the lemon juice.

    Add the saffron threads to the milk. If not making buttermilk, add saffron to the milk and set aside.

    Milk in cup with saffron

    Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl and mix on medium high for 5 - 8 minutes.

    Butter and sugar in a bowl

    Add eggs one by one mixing in between.

    Add flour and baking powder and mix quickly. 

    Cake batter in bowl

    Now add the buttermilk mixture and bring together quickly.

    Buttermilk added to cake batter

    Add batter to greased bundt/20cm tin (lined) and bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

    Combine all the ingredients for the syrup in a pot and simmer on medium low for 5 - 8 minutes.

    Whole spices simmering in pot

    Combine icing sugar with lemon juice and a little syrup in a bowl. 

    When the cake comes out of the oven, leave it to rest for 10 minutes, then remove from tin carefully.

    Poke holes all over cake and pour in syrup.

    Cake with holes in and syrup poured over

    Once cooled, drizzle over the icing. Decorate with rose petals.

    How to freeze Gulab Jamun cake

    Step 1: Bake and completely cool the cake, adding syrup as mentioned above. If you have used greaseproof paper, leave it on the cake.

    Step 2: Once cool, wrap it in cling film twice.

    Step 3: For best taste and texture, don’t freeze cakes for longer than 3 months. Add a label to the cling film so you know what cake it is!

    Step 4: Cover in foil.

    Step 5: Add to a freezer-safe container or cover in 1 more layer of foil. Alternatively add it to a large ziplock bag. Freeze for 3 months for best taste!

    How to Thaw Gulab Jamun Cake

    This couldn't be simpler. Transfer your unwrapped cake to ta wire rack and leave at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours.

    Once the cake has thawed, make and add icing, peel away any greaseproof paper and store it in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 4 days. 

    Gulab Jamun Cake on a board with rose petals for decoration

    More glorious cake recipes:

    Caramelised White Chocolate and Passion Fruit Cake

    Stem Ginger Banana Upside Down Cake

    Lemon Pistachio Cake

    Milk Cake

    Sticky Orange traybake

    Gulab Jamun Cheesecake

    **if you make something from  tiffin and tea, i would love to see your creations! don’t forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment below! we love to hear from you. safira x

    Gulab Jamun Cake on a board with 1 slice in plate
    4.3 from 10 votes
    Print

    Gulab Jamun Cake

    This Gulab Jamun Cake is inspired by an Indian dessert with the same name. This cake is very moist and is flavoured with saffron, cardamom and rosewater. 

    Course Baking, Baking/Dessert
    Cuisine Indian
    Keyword Afternoon Tea, Gulab Jamun, Gulab Jamun Cake, Indian Cake, Indian Desserts
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes
    Total Time 50 minutes
    Servings 10
    Calories 581 kcal
    Author Safira

    Ingredients

    Buttermilk for Cake

    • 8 strands Saffron broken
    • 100 g Milk
    • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice

    Cake

    • 250 g Butter room temperature
    • 250 g Caster Sugar Granulated will work too. I used Golden Caster Sugar
    • 5 Eggs
    • 250 g Self Raising Flour
    • 1 tsp Baking Powder
    • 1 tsp Cardamom Powder

    Syrup

    • 250 ml Water
    • 200 g Caster Sugar
    • 1/2 tsp Saffron Threads
    • 6 - 8 Cardamom Pods split open, seeds removed (Adjust if this feels like too much)
    • 1/2 tsp Rose Water Adjust quantiyy according to taste
    • 2 tsp Lemon Juice
    • 1 Cinnamon Stick Optional

    Icing

    • 175 g Icing Sugar
    • Pinch ground Cardamom
    • 1 Lemon Juice
    • 1 - 2 tbsp Syrup

    Instructions

    Buttermilk

    1. Combine the milk, saffron strands and lemon juice in a cup and set aside.

    Cake

    1. Preheat oven to 160 C/180 C fan/Gas Mark 4.

    2. Grease bundt tin (I used the Bake Easy Spray) or grease and line a 20cm round tin.

    3. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and butter in stand mixer and mix on medium high for 7 - 8 minutes.

    4. Add eggs one by one, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one.

    5. Stir in flour, baking powder and cardamom and mix through for 1 minute.

    6. Now add the buttermilk and mix until just combined.

    7. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

    8. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before inverting out of the tin.

    Syrup

    1. Now make the Syrup. Combine all the ingredients for a syrup in a pot. Simmer over medium heat for 7 - 8 minutes. Then set aside.

    Icing Sugar

    1. Combine the ingredients for the icing sugar in a bowl and whisk with a fork to combine. You may need to add a little extra syrup if it's a bit dry.

    Assembly

    1. Poke cake with skewer all over.

    2. Pour over the syrup whilst still warm.

    3. Allow cake to cool completely before adding icing.

    4. Decorate with rose petals, pistachios, almonds. (Optional).

    Recipe Notes

    Tips to make the best Gulab Jamun Cake

    • Soft Cake - Adding Buttermilk makes for a really soft cake. This can be replaced with yoghurt.
    • How to make Buttermilk - To make your own (Like i did), simple add 1 tbsp Lemon Juice to 100 ml Milk in a cup and set aside for 10 minutes. 
    • Saffron - Infusing Saffron into milk brings out the colour and flavour. 
    • Eggs and Sugar - Always mix eggs and sugar for 5 - 8 minutes to get as much air as possible into the cake batter. 
    • Flour - Once the flour is added, keep mixing to a minimal.
    • Eggs - Add eggs 1 by 1 and make sure 1 egg has completely mixed into the batter before adding the next one.
    • Sugar syrup: The syrup will look thin when simmered but it thickens as it cools. Not over boiling it makes it easier for the cake to absorb the syrup. 

    How to freeze Gulab Jamun cake

    Step 1: Bake and completely cool the cake, adding syrup as mentioned above. If you have used greaseproof paper, leave it on the cake.

    Step 2: Once cool, wrap it in cling film twice.

    Step 3: For best taste and texture, don’t freeze cakes for longer than 3 months. Add a label to the cling film so you know what cake it is!

    Step 4: Cover in foil.

    Step 5: Add to a freezer-safe container or cover in 1 more layer of foil. Alternatively add it to a large ziplock bag. Freeze for 3 months for best taste!

    How to Thaw Gulab Jamun Cake

    This couldn't be simpler. Transfer your unwrapped cake to ta wire rack and leave at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours. Once the cake has thawed, make and add icing, peel away any greaseproof paper and store it in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 4 days. 

    Nutrition Facts
    Gulab Jamun Cake
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 581 Calories from Fat 207
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 23g35%
    Saturated Fat 14g88%
    Cholesterol 137mg46%
    Sodium 271mg12%
    Potassium 121mg3%
    Carbohydrates 90g30%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 68g76%
    Protein 7g14%
    Vitamin A 760IU15%
    Vitamin C 8mg10%
    Calcium 73mg7%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Recipe adapted from Tasty.co (Cardamom and Tea)

    To clarify - By adapted, i mean it was inspired by this cake but the cake recipe itself is a recipe i use often (250g of main ingredients) with a buttermilk mixture, i sometimes use yoghurt, sour cream or milk instead.
    I also added saffron and cardamom because they are key ingredients in GJ.
    The syrup is a standard Gulab Jamun syrup recipe.

     

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    Cake with rose petals scattered around

    hey...I’m safira! I share accessible Global Recipes as well as Baking recipes for home cooks. One of my passions is to teach home cooks to become more confident in the kitchen and this comes with time and experience.

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