Gulab Jamun Rose Milk Cake
A café-style soaked cake: a cardamom sponge made with milk powder like gulab jamun dough, drenched in saffron-rose milk and topped with whipped cream and pistachios.
Method
Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Butter a 12 cm round tin (a large ramekin for one serving) and line the base with baking paper.
ovenWhisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl for , until pale and slightly puffed. Stir in the melted butter and milk.
Add in this stepEggs 1Sugar 40 gButter, melted 25 gMilk (for the batter) 50 ml
Sift over the milk powder, flour, baking powder and cardamom and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour shows. Pour into the tin and bake in the preheated oven for , until golden on top and a skewer in the centre comes out clean.
Add in this stepFull-fat milk powder 50 gPlain flour 50 gBaking powder ¾ tspGround cardamom ¼ tsp
While it bakes, put the soaking milk, sugar and saffron in a 14 cm small pan over low heat and stir for until the sugar dissolves. Don't boil it: turn off the heat as soon as it steams, then add the rose water.
Add in this stepMilk (for soaking) 130 mlSugar (for soaking) 25 gSaffron (optional) 1 pinchRose water 1 tsp
low heatWhile the cake is still warm, prick it all over with a skewer and slowly pour over the rose milk in several additions so it soaks in. Cool completely, cover and refrigerate for ; this is what makes it juicy right through, like a gulab jamun.
Whip the cold cream with the icing sugar for to soft peaks, spread over the cake and scatter with the pistachios. Serve chilled.
Add in this stepDouble cream 80 mlIcing sugar 2 tspPistachios, chopped 10 g
Cook's tip
It may look like too much milk, but the cake drinks it all; any that pools at the bottom is lovely spooned over each slice. Rose waters vary in strength, so start with less and taste.
Cooking it at camp
Bake and soak it at home, cover it in its tin and pack it in a well-iced cooler. Whip the cream by shaking it in a jar and spread it on at camp. Keep below 5 °C and eat on the first day.