This Gulab Jamun Cake recipe has all the flavors of the gulab jamun in a cake without any frying! I first shared the recipe for this cake on Instagram last year and it was a huge hit with my followers. I did not get a chance to post the recipe on the blog at the time, but here it is now. It’s really my kind of tea cake with flavors of cardamom, saffron, and a sweet drizzle to make the cake moist and soft. But I did not stop there, to add another layer of creaminess and dreaminess to the gulab jamun cake, I am serving it with reduced saffron and cardamom milk.
I have another amazing but very different recipe for Gulab Jamun Cake on the blog. That cake is decorated with whipped cream frosting and actual gulab jamuns used in the decorations. This cake is a simpler, bundt cake version but still as delicious. Since I love gulab jamuns so much, I also have a Gulab Jamun Cupcake recipe on the blog 😊
Indulge in the heavenly taste of Gulab Jamun cake with this easy recipe. A perfect combination of the classic Indian dessert and a decadent cake, this fusion dessert is sure to impress your taste buds. Follow the step-by-step instructions to make this delicious Gulab Jamun Cake at home. Let’s get started.
What is Gulab Jamun?
Gulab jamun is possibly the most loved Indian dessert. They are deep-fried dumplings, made of milk powder and soaked in rose water, cardamom flavored sugar syrup. My mom makes the best gulab jamuns in the world! They are so soft and sweet and just melt in your mouth. I am not that great at making gulab jamuns so I will stick with what I do best- baking, therefore this cake!
Components of the Gulab Jamun Cake
There are three main components of this fusion cake:
The Cake sponge
The cake sponge is my egg-free recipe and the batter includes gulab jamun mix. Adding packaged gulab jamun mix that is readily available in the market gives this cake the authentic gulab jamun taste. I have tried and tested this recipe with only Gits brand gulab jamun mix but I am sure others would work well also. Note that the cake sponge is not very sweet as we are further drizzling it with sugar syrup and serving the cake slices with flavored and reduced milk.
The batter is baked in a 6-cup capacity bundt pan. I love using bundt pans for baking cakes as it makes the cakes beautiful and gives them design without much effort.
The Sugar syrup Drizzle
This sweet syrup flavored with saffron and cardamom moistens and sweetens the cake, just like the gulab jamun balls are dipped in sweet sugar syrup.
Saffron and Cardamom Milk
We are serving cake slices with reduced saffron and cardamom milk.This step is completely optional but highly recommended. The milk is cooked till reduced and flavored with saffron and cardamom. It is very similar to Rasmalai doodh (milk).
List of ingredients used to make Gulab Jamun Cake
Here are the ingredients used to make this unique cake:
For the Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packaged gulab jamun mix (I used gits)
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- A pinch of saffron
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil (or any neutral tasting oil)
For The Sugar Syrup
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- Pinch of cardamom
- Pinch of saffron
For the decorations
- Slivers of unsalted almonds and pistachios
- Edible silver or gold foil (optional)
For saffron and cardamom milk
- 3 cups (approx ¾ liters) whole milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- 5-6 strands of saffron
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder
Gulab Jamun Cake: Step-by-step recipe guide
There are 2 key steps to make this Gulab jamun cake recipe:
- Make the Gulab Jamun sponge cake
- Make the saffron-cardamom milk to drizzle
How to make the Gulab Jamun Sponge
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 6-cup bundt pan by greasing it well.
- Slightly warm the milk and add the saffron strands and let it rest till you prepare the other ingredients.
- Add flour into a mixing bowl and add the gulab jamun mix, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cardamom powder. Mix well with a large spoon to remove any lumps.
- Add milk and oil to the dry ingredients Mix till no dry patches remain, being careful not to over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Wait for 10 minutes to cool before taking it out of the pan and cooling completely on a wire rack before decorating.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the drizzle by combining the ingredients in a saucepan. Heat it to melt the sugar and bring the liquid to 1 boil.
- Using a wooden skewer poke holes all over the bundt cake. Be generous in making holes.
- Now pour the drizzle all over the cake. Give it some time in between to absorb the liquid before pouring it completely. Decorate with raw chopped pistachios and almond slivers.
How to make the saffron-cardamom milk to drizzle
- Heat milk in a wide bottom pan. Bring it to a boil and reduce the flame to medium.
- Add sugar and saffron and stir constantly, removing the malai that forms on the sides of the pan. Cook for 12-16 minutes till the milk is slightly reduced.
- Add cardamom powder. Cool completely before covering and placing it in the refrigerator to use later.
How to serve Gulab Jamun Cake
To serve the cake, cut slices of the cake and place them on individual serving plates. Pour a generous drizzle of the saffron-cardamom milk on the cake and enjoy!
Recipe tips for Gulab Jamun Cake
Here are a few tips to make the best version of this gulab jamun cake recipe:
- If using a bundt pan to bake this cake, grease it really well with softened butter, getting every nook and corner of the pan. This will ensure that the cake does not stick to the pan.
- The saffron and cardamom milk can be made a couple of days ahead, cooled, covered, and properly stored in the refrigerator.
- Do not skimp on the sugar syrup drizzle or the cake might be dry.
FAQs: Gulab Jamun Cake
No, this recipe is not vegan. It is egg-free (eggless) but cannot be made vegan in my opinion. The recipe has a pre-made gulab jamun mix containing milk solids, making it unsuitable for vegans.
Yes, you can bake this gulab jamun cake in any pan you like. You will just have to be careful of the baking time in the oven. I used a 6-cup Bundt pan to bake this cake. For this size pan, it takes me 35 minutes to bake this cake. For a larger pan (larger bundt or a 9-inch round pan) it may take less time, around 30 minutes in the oven. For a standard loaf pan, it may take longer, around 40 minutes. The best practice is to check the cake after 30 minutes of baking. Take it out of the oven and insert a toothpick. The toothpick should come out mostly dry. If it has batter in it, return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes.
The fully prepared Gulab Jamun Cake (cake + sugar syrup drizzle) can be kept (covered) at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that in the refrigerator for up to a week. It is best eaten at room temperature or slightly warm, served with cold saffron and cardamom milk.
Recipe Card: Gulab Jamun Cake
Gulab Jamun Cake: Easy Bundt-style recipe
Learn how to make Gulab Jamun Cake with my step-by-step guide. This recipe breaks down the process, making it easy for both beginners and experienced bakers to create this delicious and impressive dessert.
10
servings20
minutes30
minutes30-32 minutes
50
minutesIngredients
- For the Cake
1 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup Gulab Jamun mix
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1 cup Milk
a pinch of saffron
1/4 cup Vegetable oil (or any neutral tasting oil)
- For the Sugar drizzle
1/2 cup White sugar
3/4 cup water
pinch of saffron
pinch of cardamom
- For the decorations
Slivers of unsalted almonds and/or pistachios
Edible silver or gold foil (optional)
- For the saffron-cardamom milk
3 cups Whole Milk
1/4 cup White sugar
5-6 strands of saffron
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
Method
- To make the cake– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 6-cup bundt pan by greasing it well.
Slightly warm the milk and add the saffron strands and let it rest till you prepare the other ingredients. - Add flour into a mixing bowl and add the gulab jamun mix, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cardamom powder. Mix well with a large spoon to remove any lumps. Alternatively, you can also sieve the dry mix.
Add milk and oil to the dry ingredients Mix till no dry patches remain, being careful not to over-mix. - Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Wait for 10 minutes to cool before taking it out of the pan and cooling completely on a wire rack before decorating.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the drizzle by combining the ingredients in a saucepan. Heat it to melt the sugar and bring the liquid to 1 boil.
- Using a wooden skewer poke holes all over the bundt cake. Be generous in making holes.
Now pour all of the drizzle all over the cake. Give it some time in between to absorb the liquid before pouring it completely. Decorate with raw chopped pistachios and almond slivers. - To make Saffron and Cardamom milk-
Heat milk in a wide bottom pan. Bring it to a boil and reduce the flame to medium. Add sugar and saffron and stir constantly, removing the malai that forms on the sides of the pan. Cook for 12-16 minutes till the milk is slightly reduced. Add cardamom powder. Cool completely before covering and placing it in the refrigerator to use later. - How to serve the cake –
To serve the cake, cut slices of the cake and place them on individual serving plates. Pour a generous drizzle of the saffron-cardamom milk on the cake and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Tips
- The fully prepared Gulab Jamun Cake (cake + sugar syrup drizzle) can be kept (covered) at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that in the refrigerator for up to a week. It is best eaten at room temperature or slightly warm, served with cold saffron and cardamom milk.
- If using a bundt pan to bake this cake, grease it really well with softened butter, getting every nook and corner of the pan. This will ensure that the cake does not stick to the pan.
- The saffron and cardamom milk can be made a couple of days ahead, cooled, covered, and properly stored in the refrigerator.
- Do not skimp on the sugar syrup drizzle or the cake might be dry.
Hi.Thanks for the recipe.May i know the cup measurement used for this Gulab Jamun Bundt style cake?I may have missed reading the text…Thanks.
Hi Jayshree- I use standard US cup for all my baking. I believe it is 240 grams.
Can the recipe be doubled?
Thanks
Hi Ruchi! Yes of course, the recipe can be doubled. Here is my recommendation on the cake pan size and baking times. Use at least a 12 cup bundt pan and bake for 50 mins. Do the tooth pick test and bake for 5-7 more minutes if it comes out wet. I hope this helps.
What a creative way to eat an Indian dessert & cake! Yumm!
Thank you so much Kavita!
Kavits do you make ur own gulab jamun mix or use pkgs and how many pkgs do you use for this recipe ? Thanks
Hi
Very nice recipe. Can we use a normal cake pan if not a bundt one. Coz mine doesn’t pop out clean while unmoulding.
Hi- Yes, of course you can. I have explained it a more in the text of the recipe article.
This is the best.. I made 1.5 times the recipe and it was so so so good.. exactly tastes like a gulab jamun..
Thank you so much Deepanjali. Means a lot for you to share your review with me.
Fab easy tasty recipe – thank you
Fab easy tasty recipe – thank you
Thank you for trying Joshna!