GULAB JAMUN FLAVOURED BUNDT CAKE

Bundt cake recipes are my favorite cake recipes. These cakes look elegant and require not much cake decoration. Since the cake pan does most of the work for you. Nice crisp edges and good enough height makes bundt cake an ideal cake recipe to try for those who mostly like to focus on flavors. I immensely enjoy the process of elaborate cake decoration. Though there are days when all I want to do is bake something simple yet outstanding. And bundt cakes are all about that!!

Bundt Cake is a cake that you make in a Bundt Pan. Initially inspired by a traditional European cake known as Gugelhupf, the distinctive doughnut styled shape cake gain popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. After American cookware manufacturer called Nordic Ware trademarked the name “Bundt”, they started producing Bundt pans from cast aluminum. These cake pans quickly became famous for its unique shape and ease of baking a beautiful looking cake. The bundt pans are renowned world over and glorify shelves of big retail stores selling high-quality kitchen equipment and products. For example, William Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, Homesense, and many more. Besides, Nordic Ware, there are many other bundt cake pan from other suppliers that one can spot.

Even though I would love to have their entire collection, which is just speechless, I desired to own one of the Bundt Pans from Nordic Ware. And as we all got stuck at home due to pandemic, baking seems to be even more remedial. And so I ordered Nordic Ware 65th Anniversary Bundt Pan to keep my creative juices flowing through these extraordinary times. When my Crate & Barrel package arrived, I couldn’t wait to try my very first Bundt Cake recipe. And when I finally did, craving for a Gulab Jamun Cake came in. Not a gulab jamun but a gulab jamun cake!!

Gulab Jamun is an evergreen Indian dessert that everyone loves and, in particular, my favorite. So without much thinking, I just gave in the desire to try it in a cake form. And I must say the flavors of gulab jamun blend so well in this remarkable cake recipe. The aroma of cardamom, saffron, and rose petals mesmerized the entire ambiance of my home. I was less guilty because I made it without refined white sugar. The sweetness in this bundt cake comes from orange juice and maple syrup. And even though it is sweet, it is naturally sweet. The coconut frosting and simple toppings of rose petals, saffron strands, and pistachios finish the cake on a fine note.

I fancy a simple slice of cake with my tea on days when I am looking for some cheerfulness. And right now, we all can do with extra cheerfulness as this pandemic is taking the world by a storm. I am hopeful to see the good old days back as soon as possible. But with much more appreciation and gratitude towards this miraculous life. And to be able to enjoy the simple pleasures of life like wholesome meals with family thereafter ending with a delicious dessert-like, my gulab jamun bundt cake is the biggest blessing that we all take for granted. Not anymore!!

GULAB JAMUN FLAVOURED BUNDT CAKE
soulfulpalate Bundt cake recipes are my favorite cake recipes. These cakes look elegant and require not much cake decoration. Since the cake pan… Desserts Indian sweets, bundt cake, gulab jamun, desserts Indo-American Print This
Serves: 10 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 60 minutes 60 minutes

Nutrition facts: 230 calories 18 grams fat

Ingredients

Self Raising Cake Flour, 130 g/1 cup

Banana Flour/Tapioca Flour, 95 g/half a cup

Almond Flour, 50 g/half a cup

Cardamom Powder, 1 tsp

Fennel Seed Powder, 1/2 tsp (optional)

Baking Powder, 2 tsp

Fresh Orange Juice (without pulp), 1 cup

Maple Syrup, 1/2 cup

Rose Essence, 1 tsp

Melted Butter, 1 cup

Milk, 1 and a half cup

Gulab Jamun, 2 pieces (optional)

Gulab Jamun Syrup, As per taste for sweet flavor (optional)

For Frosting:

Coconut Cream, 1 tin can

Honey, 2 tsp

Fresh or Dried Rose Petals, As per need

Chopped Pistachios/Choice of Nuts, As per taste

Saffron strands, As per need

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, first, assemble all the dry ingredients. Sift together self-raising cake flour, banana flour/tapioca flour, almond flour, cardamom powder, fennel seed powder, and baking powder. Keep it aside.

In a separate bowl, mix in all the wet ingredients. Firstly, add orange juice, maple syrup, and rose essence. Give a quick whisk and then add melted butter. Make sure the butter is cooled down. Whisk thoroughly.

Now add wet ingredients to dry ingredients slowly and whisk everything together gently. If using an electric hand mixer, then keep the speed on medium setting.

After you mix it all in, adjust the consistency by adding milk to the batter. You can add more or less milk as compared to what I have mentioned in the ingredients list. Please note if you will be substituting banana flour with tapioca flour, then consistency can be different.

The batter should be lump-free, and evenly smooth. When you drop the batter back into the bowl, you should see ribbons of the batter slowly blending again in the mixture.

Slightly grease the bundt pan (or choice of the cake pan) and then pour the batter into it.

Coarsely crumble the gulab jamun pieces into it (this step is optional).

Gently tap the cake pan to even out the surface. Or use a spatula to do so!

Bake in a preheated oven at 365 degrees Fahrenheit for 50-60 minutes. To check if it's cooked or not, insert a skewer or a toothpick in the central part of the cake. If it comes out clean, then it is done.

Once baked, take the cake out of the oven and while it's still hot, brush some gulab jamun syrup on top of it. Let it soak all the sweet syrup for a few minutes.

When the cake pan cools down a bit, flip the cake over a cooling rack to let it cool down completely.

Optional: Drizzle or brush some more gulab jamun syrup on the top and side parts of the bundt cake. Let it soak it all.

Prepare the frosting by whipping up the coconut cream with honey. (I kept the coconut tin can in the fridge overnight. Then I separated the hard creamy part on top and added very little liquid which is at the bottom part to make it just runny.)

Once the bundt cake is cooled down completely but slightly warm, pour the coconut frosting over. Sprinkle few fresh or dried rose petals, saffron strands, and chopped pistachios, or other choices of nuts.

Serve immediately!!

Notes

You can skip using three different flours in this recipe and use only cake flour if you want. However, the texture won't be as chewy. The combination of these three flours gives the same texture as a gulab jamun.
If using cake flour only, then use 3 cups of it. And if not using banana flour or tapioca flour, use 1 cup of almond flour.
You can substitute banana flour with tapioca flour or arrowroot flour. Anything starchy that would give a bit of a chewy texture will work here.
Please pay special attention to the consistency of the batter. If substituting flours, the quantity of milk will vary. That is why we add milk in the last to adjust the consistency of the batter overall.
You can skip using gulab jamun and it's syrup. However, I must mention that the cake will taste less sweet. In that case, you have a choice to add 1 more cup of orange juice or 1/2 cup of maple syrup to the batter itself. Though using. the gulab jamun syrup will give a very nice flavor overall.
If you plan to serve the cake after a long gap like the next day or later in the evening, then refrigerate the cake without the frosting. Add frosting just before serving the cake.
The cake will taste even better if it is slightly warm. So make sure to warm it a bit on the preheated oven for a few minutes.
If the cake is too warm or hot then the frosting will be runny and not glazy. So try keeping the cake slightly warm and frosting slightly cold.
The cake stores well for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. It can't be frozen.