Rasmalai Cake {Eggless Recipe}

I’m all about blending flavors and cuisines to create something new and exciting. So, I present to you my latest dessert obsession: the Rasmalai Cake!

Think of it as the Indian cousin of the famous Mexican Tres Leches cake. Instead of soaking the sponge layers in three types of milk, we dive into a pool of creamy Rasmalai doodh (milk) infused with saffron and cardamom. Trust me, the flavors are out-of-this-world delicious!

I’ll walk you through every step of crafting this divine dessert, from baking the perfect sponge layers to whipping up a dreamy Rasmalai filling and decadent frosting. With our handy tips and tricks, your cake will emerge moist, flavorful, and a feast for the eyes.

So, what are you waiting for? Gather your ingredients, fire up that oven, and join me on a culinary journey that bridges the best of both worlds. Get ready to indulge in every heavenly bite of this extraordinary Rasmalai Cake, where tradition meets modern decadence in the sweetest way possible. Let’s dive in! 🍰

What is Rasmalai?

Rasmalai is a combination of two words, “Ras” meaning juice, and “Malai” meaning cream. There are two parts to Rasmalai – the rasmalai balls and the thickened milk. The balls are essentially rasgulla balls. Rasgullas are a perfect dessert all by themselves. Rasmalai takes it a step further and dips the spongy rasgulla balls in flavored and slightly thickened milk. The sponge soaks up all the juicy goodness and is then chilled and garnished with nuts. 

Rasmalai Cake Ingredients

Ingredients for the Cake

• 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 cup White Sugar
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
• 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
• ¾ cup milk
• 1/3 cup of any unflavored oil
• ½ cup yogurt (whisked)
• Cardamom powder from 3-4 cardamoms
• 4-5 strands of saffron
• ¼ tsp salt

Ingredients for the Rasmalai

• 1 can Rasgullas (about 14-16 pieces), squeezed well to remove the syrup
• 3 cups whole milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 7-8 strands of saffron
• ½ tsp cardamom powder

Ingredients for filling and decoration

• 10 small Rasmalai, squeezed and milk reserved
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 4 tbs mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
• Crushed pistachios

How to make Rasmalai Cake: A step by step method

Making the cake base

The cake base for the recipe is the same as for the other Indian-inspired cakes and cupcakes I make – the Gulab Jamun cake and the Tres Leches Cake. It is an eggless sponge infused with flavors of cardamom and saffron. I usually make the cake sponge a day in advance of decorating and store it in an airtight container. If you are putting more than one layer of cake in the same container, make sure you put parchment in between the layers. This will prevent sticking between the layers during storage. The cake layers can stay at room temperature for a day or refrigerated for 3-4 days. 

Here is how you make the cake base:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two, 8-inch round cake pans by greasing and putting parchment paper rounds at the bottom.
2. Slightly warm the milk, add the saffron strands, and let it rest till you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom powder, and salt.
4. Add milk, oil, and yogurt to the dry ingredients. Mix till no dry patches remain, being careful not to over-mix.
5. Divide the batter equally in the 2 prepared cake pans. Bake for 22-25 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.

Making the rasmalai

You have 3 choices when it comes to the rasmalai:

1. Make the rasgulla and rasmalai doodh (ras) from scratch and then assemble them.
2. Buy store-bought canned Rasgullas but make the rasmalai doodh (ras) at home and then assemble them.
3. Buy pre-made Rasmalai from an Indian store. 

I go with option # 2. 

I find it a lot of work to make the rasgullas at home. There are some good canned Rasgullas that you can find at any Indian store. 

I do like to make the Rasmalai doodh (ras) at home. Making the doodh hardly takes 15-20 minutes and I can control the sugar and infuse it with an adequate amount of saffron and cardamom for a wonderful flavor. 

Follow these steps:

• 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 10-12 minutes till the milk is slightly reduced.
• Now add the squeezed rasgulla pieces and cardamom powder and turn off the heat. Make sure all the rasgulla pieces are submerged in the milk. Cool completely before covering and placing it in the refrigerator to use later.

The rasmalai needs to be completely cooled and chilled before using it in the cake.  So I tend to make it a day earlier when I am baking the cake bases. Keep it covered in the refrigerator till you use it. 

Making the whipped cream filling and frosting

I have chosen a whipped cream frosting for this cake. It is lighter and tastes wonderful. The whipped cream is stabilized with mascarpone cheese (you can substitute cream cheese) so that it holds its shape much better. 

One thing to keep in mind when making whipped cream is to have all the components chilled. I usually put the bowl and beater in the refrigerator for half an hour before I start whipping the cream. The whipped cream is lightly sweetened in this recipe. You can adjust the sugar to your liking.

I wanted my cake to look white so I did not add any saffron to the whipped cream. If you would like a yellow or yellow-tinged cake, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of the Rasmalai doodh (milk) when whipping the cream.

Follow these steps:

• Using a stand or hand-held mixer, whip the mascarpone cheese until it is creamy.
• Add the confectioner’s sugar and whip some more. Now add streams of whipping cream down the sides of the bowl. This will avoid any splatters. Scrape the bowl down as needed. Whip until stiff peaks form.

Assembling and decorating the Rasmalai cake

To assemble the cake, make sure you have 2 leveled cake base layers. If the cake layers have a slight dome, level each of them with a serrated knife. Then soak the cake layers in some of the rasmalai doodh.  

Here are the instructions:

• Cut the tops of both cake layers to make them even. Drizzle the reserved rasmalai doodh on the first cake layer- about 4 tablespoons. Place the first layer on a cake board and spread about ½ cup of the whipped cream. Top with cut pieces of the squeezed rasmalai, about 5 pieces. Add ½ more cup of the whipped cream frosting on the rasmalai pieces.
• Top with the second cake layer and drizzle the reserved rasmalai doodh on the second cake layer- about 4 tablespoons. Frost and decorate the cake as desired, covering the whole cake with whipped cream, and decorating it with extra rasmalais, pistachios, and sliced almonds.

Since this is a two-layer cake, it is filled in the middle with squeezed and broken rasmalai pieces and whipped cream. It is then covered with the second layer and the whole cake is smothered in the whipped cream frosting. You can choose to decorate the cake however you wish. You can use the pictures here as inspiration. Chopped or ground pistachios, rose petals and sliced almonds are some of your options. Just make the cake and have fun with the decorations. I promise you, regardless of what you may think of the look, it is going to taste great!

Recipe tips to make Indian fusion dessert Rasmalai Cake

These recipe tips will help you make the best version of the Rasmalai Cake:

• To save time and effort, you can buy pre-made Rasmalai from the freezer section of an Indian grocery store. Thaw it per package directions and use it in the recipe.
• You can make the cake sponge layers 1-2 days in advance of decorating the cake. They should be properly stored in an airtight container. If you are putting more than one layer of cake in the same container, make sure you put parchment in between the layers. This will prevent sticking between the layers during storage. The cake layers can stay at room temperature for a day or refrigerated for 3-4 days. 
• For the whipped cream, all the components should be chilled before you start to whip. I usually put the bowl and beater in the refrigerator for half an hour before I start whipping the cream. 

FAQs – Rasmalai Cake

Other Indian fusion desserts to try

Recipe Card- Rasmalai Cake