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Gulab Jamun Cake

A fluffy and buttery soft pound cake, drenched in Gulab jamun syrup. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with pistachios – making it the BEST dessert for Diwali. 

With the festive season in full swing it is only fitting to make delicious and indulgent desserts that are perfect for Diwali. Not to mention, they feed a crowd and look pretty too. This dessert is one of the best recipes I have made. The cake batter is so simple to bring together but what makes it a Gulab jamun cake is the syrup and the vanilla ice cream. Before we get into the recipe, it is important to get acquainted with Gulab Jamun. 

Growing up I was not a fan of Gulab Jamun as it was too sweet. I would squeeze out the excess syrup and eat them. However, this cake is more Gulab Jamun and less syrup. I loved eating them warm with vanilla ice cream scooped on top. Hence I would alway recommend the is the best way to serve it. But you could serve the cake on its own with the syrup as well. 

What is Gulab Jamun?

Gulab Jamun is a traditional Indian sweet treat/dessert. It is a deep fried dough that is made with khoya (evaporated milk solids), flour, ghee and milk soaked in a spiced sugar syrup. The syrup consists of cardamom, sugar, saffron and water. The dessert is usually served during festivals, parties, occasions etc. 

What is Gulab Jamun Cake?

I have taken the traditional flavors of Gulab Jamun and put it into a cake. The cake batter is a simple butter pound cake that is easy to make but bakes into a very delicate and tender cake. We make a syrup sugar spiced with saffron, cardamom, rose water and drench the cake it in while it is still warm. Serve the cake with hot with vanilla ice cream and it is a traditional recipe with a twist. 

What ingredients do you need to make Gulab Jamun Cake?

For the Gulab Jamun Cake –

We need butter, oil, eggs, flour, milk powder, castor sugar, vanilla, salt baking powder. The milk powder is a must as it adds a lot of flavor into the cake (I like to toast them a little but it is not mandatory). To make this cake EGGLESS you can use 50gm yogurt per egg.

For the Syrup –

We need water, sugar, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, saffron, lime juice, rose water. This is a traditional gulab jamun syrup recipe. 

To serve –

I have served this dessert with vanilla ice cream and crushed pistachios. You could do almonds or cashew nuts as well. 

What equipment do you need to make Gulab Jamun Cake?

The cake batter is mixed in a large mixing bowl, whisk and rubber spatula. You can use a stand mixer with paddle attachment. I baked the cake in a bundt pan but you can bake it in an 8/9 inch round tin or an 8×8 inch square tin. You can also use an electric hand beater. To make the syrup I have used a sauce pot and spoon. Serve the cake in a bowl or a shallow plate as the syrup needs to soak into the cake. 

How to make Gulab Jamun Cake?

We start by preheating the oven to 180℃, line your bundt tin or a 9 inch cake tin with oil, set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the butter and whisk until smooth. Add the oil and whisk again. Add the sugar and whisk until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35-38 mins until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes our clean. While it is baking, make the sugar syrup by boiling all the syrup ingredients together and letting it simmer for 5 minutes until thicker. 

Serving and storing this Gulab Jamun Cake?

Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool down in the tin for 10-15 mins. Remove from the tin and pour over the warm sugar syrup. Let this soak  for 30 minutes before slicing and serving. The cake is best served while still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and crushed pistachios on top. You could serve the cake on its own with out the ice cream and just the syrup as well but I am partial to Gulab Jamun with ice cream. 

You can store the cake soaked with the syrup in an air tight container in the fridge for upto 5 days in the fridge. If you want to make this ahead, bake the bake, wrap it in cling wrap, place int he freezer for up to one week. Once the ice cream is on the cake I would not recommend storing the cake as it will get soggy. The syrup itself can be stored in a glass har at room temperature for over 2 months. The flavor only gets better with time. 

Looking for more Diwali recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this Gulab Jamun Cake, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration. 

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.  

Gulab Jamun Cake

A fluffy and buttery soft pound cake, drenched in Gulab jamun syrup. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with pistachios - making it the BEST dessert for Diwali.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Cake, Celebration, Dessert, Mithai
Cuisine Indian
Servings 10 people

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula
  • Bundt tin
  • Serving platter
  • Sauce pot
  • Spoon

Ingredients
  

Cake -

  • 180 gm butter
  • 30 gm oil
  • 220 gm castor sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp almon extract
  • 4 eggs 50gm each without shell
  • 165 gm flour
  • 35 gm milk powder
  • 40 gm almond flour
  • 1 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Syrup -

  • 240 ml water
  • 150 gm sugar
  • 8-10 strands saffron
  • 8 cardamom pods
  • 1/2 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 lime juice
  • 1 tsp rosewater

Serve -

  • Vanilla ice cream
  • Pistachios

Instructions
 

  • We start by preheating the oven to 180℃, line your bundt tin or a 9 inch cake tin with oil, set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the butter and whisk until smooth. Add the oil and whisk again. Add the sugar and whisk until pale and creamy.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35-38 mins until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes our clean.
  • While it is baking, make the sugar syrup by boiling all the syrup ingredients together and letting it simmer for 5 minutes until thicker.
  • Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool down in the tin for 10-15 mins. Remove from the tin and pour over the warm sugar syrup. Let this soak for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
  • The cake is best served while still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and crushed pistachios on top.

Notes

  • The cake must be soaked while still warm for it to absorb the syrup well.

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