Mango Rasmalai Cake (Eggless)

This heavenly eggless rasmalai cake brings together the best of both worlds by combining the flavors of indian sweet (mango flavored rasmalai) with those of a spongy eggless cake. Milky, loaded with nuts and fragrant with spices like saffron and green cardamom, it is an amazing indian fusion dessert. Excellent to serve for special occasions & festive celebrations.

I use mango rasmalai flavor in my recipe, however you can easily swap with classic rasmalai flavors (see my notes at the end) to put together this delicious treat for those who enjoy the combination of indian and western dessert flavors.

I love cakes infused with indian flavors, particularly those that are luxuriously soaked in aromatic milk concoctions. My masala chai tres leches cake and mango tres leches cake are absolute crowd-pleasers at diwali party.

Taking inspiration from those past bakes, this year, I decided to work on this rasmalai cake recipe. I have seen lot of versions of rasmalai cake all over social media. Whether done similar to a mexican tres leches cake or as a layered cake, all of them look and sound super delicious.

Mango rasmalai is one of our favorite sweets so I decided to base my recipe on its flavors.Rasmalai is a popular indian dessert (bengali sweet) made from soft, spongy cottage cheese (chenna) dumplings that are soaked in a sweet, green cardamom and saffron-infused milk and garnished with pistachios.

The ras or sweet milk is the most delighful part of rasmalai for me, so much so that I created rasmalai boba drink last year for the festive season.

About My Recipe

Coming back, this cake has a prominent mango flavor, both in the eggless sponge and the mango milk (ras). Given that mangoes are currently out of season, I opted for store-bought mango puree. Nevertheless, this recipe would truly shine with fresh and sweet mango pulp when mango season is in full swing.

Making rasmalai cake can be a bit time consuming especially if you are preparing all components from scratch. So take your time and enjoy the process. You will absolutely love the result of a delightful fusion of classic Indian flavors and the cake is sure to impress your guests!

This rasmalai cake -

• is soft, moist and delicious.
• has a firm texture and doesn't get soggy after soaking in milk.
• is eggless, making it perfect for a feeding a crowd
• has mango flavors to wow your guests
• is perfect make ahead dessert (You can make it 2-3 days in advance)
• recipe allows you to work at your own pace. You can make ras on one day, then bake the sponge next day. Whenever you want to serve it, a night before you soak the sponge and then cover it in mango whipped cream.

Components of Mango Rasmalai Cake

Eggless Sponge

The eggless sponge cake has never been simpler than this easy recipe. By substituting eggs with whole milk yogurt and using bit of mango puree for a burst of fruity flavor, the crumb bakes out delightful and moist. To keep it moist, I use neutral oil. This sponge cake is absolutely delicious on its own, if you are in a mood for quick and convenient tea time treat anytime.

Mango Ras (Mango Flavored Milk)

There are 2 methods you can choose from when it comes to the soaking milk concoction :-

1. First is simply purcahsing a box of mango rasmalai from indian grocery store and using the mango milk it in your recipe. You may also use the rasmalai to decorate the cake for an ehanced mithai look. The only problem with this method is that the store bought rasmalai milk is not enough quantity if you want to serve it with the cake slices.
2. The other one is, making your own mango ras (I do this). You can make the mango ras a day or two ahead and store it refrigerated. The flavors meld beautifully as it rests.

Mango Whipped Cream Frosting

I make my mango whipped cream frosting to cover the cake. With hints of cardamom & saffron, it has a fruity taste and flavor. If you want you can double the batch and make a layered cake with whipped cream in between.

Ingredients List

For The Eggless Sponge

Wet Ingredients

• Oil- Any neutral oil is good to use. It builds a great texture and keeps the sponge moist compared to melted butter.
• Whole Yogurt- It adds a lovely creaminess and helps in a moist crumb. I use store bought plain whole milk greek yogurt.
• Sugar - Sugar is a wet ingredient since it melts while baking. I use granulated sugar.
• Rasmalai Milk - We will use mango rasmalai flavored milk. I make mine at home and use it for soaking and serving along with cake. Make sure that the milk being added to cake batter is at room temperature.
• Mango Puree- I use canned alphonso mango puree that I purchase from indian store.

Dry Ingredients

All purpse flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

For The Mango Ras

• Whole Milk - Since we are going to reduce the milk slightly, it is best to use whole milk. You could use a mix of canned evaporated milk and whole milk to quicken things further.
• Condensed Milk - Or you could use sugar to sweeten it.
• Nuts powder - I simply grind few almonds and pistachios using a coffee grinder.
• Mango Puree- To give mango flavor to the milk.
• Flavorings - Green cardamom powder, saffron, a touch of kewra water if you have. These days rasmalai essence is also available in stores, you could add a few drops of it if you wish.

Mango Whipped Cream Frosting

• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Mango Puree
• Powdered Sugar
• Green Cardamom Powder, Saffron

How To Make Mango Ras malai Cake

Make the Mango Rasmalai Milk

(You may prepare the ras a day in advance)

Skip these steps if you are using milk from a store bought box of mango rasmalai.

1. Start by rinsing a heavy-bottomed pot with water, and without drying it, pour in the milk.
2. Begin heating the milk until it comes to a boil. Once it reaches a boiling point, lower the heat and allow the milk to simmer for about 8-10 minutes to reduce slightly.
3. Stir the milk intermittently while it's reducing, and be sure to keep an eye on it.
4. While the milk is reducing, coarsely grind the nuts and steep the saffron threads in a bit of warm milk.
5. Once the milk has reduced, switch off the stove. Add condensed milk, ground nuts, saffron, and ground cardamom. Cook for 4-5 minutes for flavors to meld together.
6. When the milk is slightly cold, mix in the mango pulp. Your mango rasmalai milk is now ready. To enhance its flavor, refrigerate it for 4-6 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Bake Eggless Sponge Cake

6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan or line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
7. In a mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sifting helps to ensure a light and fluffy texture for your cake.
8. In another large bowl, combine the oil, yogurt, mango puree,granulated sugar, green cardamom powder and saffron. Mix these wet ingredients until they are well incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
9. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk gently until just combined.
10. Pour ¾ cup of room temperature mango rasmalai milk that we prepared, mix until you have a smooth batter. Be careful not to overmix; just combine until there are no visible flour streaks
11. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan gently on the countertop to remove air bubbles. Place it in the preheated oven.
12. Bake the cake for about 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. The exact time may vary based on your oven, so start checking for doneness at around 23 minutes.
13. Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
14. Once the cake has fully cooled down, place it in your serving platter and poke holes in the cake. Pour about ¾ cup of reserved rasmalai milk all over it and leave to soak for at least 3 hours (overnight is the best!)

Whip Up The Mango Cream & Frost

14. Combine the heavy cream and sugar in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip using a hand mixer or stand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until you observe the mixture beginning to thicken.
15. Introduce the mango puree, soaked saffron and green cardamom powder. Continue beating on high speed for an additional minute and a half or until the cream has light stiff peaks and a spreadable consistency.
16. Spread this mixture evenly onto the chilled soaked rasmalai cake and refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before serving. It gets better as it sits.
17. I simply sprinkle some silvered pistachios, saffron strands and rose dust (simply crush some dried rose petas) on the cake for traditional touch. You could decoarte however you wish. You could add cut up small pieces of rasmalai or use fresh mangoes(if available) for decorating the cake.

Recipe Tips

• I use canned alphonso mango puree in my recipe. However if mangoes are in season, you could make mango pulp at home by blending mangoes and sugar and use. Strain for smooth puree.
• Let the cake cool down completely before you soak it. Else, the warm cake can cause the rasmalai milk mixture to become runny.
• Layering - If you wish, you can make a layered cake by slicing the cake into two halves and spreading a generous amount of mango whipped cream mixture in between. This will create a creamy and flavorful interior. You will have to make extra mango frosting in this case.

Storage & Serving

To serve, cut a neat slice using sharp knife and place it on a dessert plate. Pour about ¼ cup(or more) or mango rasmalai milk (ras) for a decadent experience.

Store mango rasmalai cake in the refrigerator, and consume it within a few days for the best taste and texture.

Plain Rasamalai Cake

Just make the below changes to the recipe for classic rasmalai flavors.

• Don't add mango puree while preparing rasmalai milk.
• In the cake batter, use 1 cup rasmalai milk and skip the mango pulp.
• Skip the mango pulp in whipped cream.