This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.
Rasmalai tres leche cake is the best fusion dessert made with a cardamom infused saffron milk, fresh whipped cream, and sprinkled with pistachio nuts. This Indian cake recipe is a fun twist on traditional Mexican tres leches cake, and will totally satisfy your sweet tooth! It also happens to be naturally vegan and can easily be made gluten free. You won't be able to resist this creamy, delicious three milk cake!
Rasmalai is a favorite Indian dessert of mine. It is made with spongy dumplings of cottage cheese and a thickened sweet milk. Cardamom, saffron, sugar, and nuts give this tasty treat a punch of flavor! When I was a kid, we'd often serve rasamali for Diwali celebrations, but I honestly loved having it all year round.
So, because I'm a big fan of desserts, and to satisfy my love for rasmalai, I just knew I had to try incorporating this flavorful milk mixture into other sweet recipes. And what better than an Indian milk cake? It is the perfect dessert mashup of Indian rasmalai and Mexican tres leches cake!
It can be hard to find a tasty vegan milk cake recipe, but this one checks all the boxes. Most traditional recipes call for three different types of milk - condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk - so we've done the same thing but kept it completely plant based!
While this eggless cake recipe doesn't have the creamy paneer balls, it is loaded with that delicious ras malai milk. It makes the best dessert when you have lots of festive baking on your to-do list, or any time of year. Feel free to pair it with other delicious fusion recipes for a full fusion dinner menu like this curry spaghetti squash, naan bread pizza, or this grilled cheese pita sandwich!
With its light sponge consistency and the vegan whipped cream frosting, you'd never even realize this is a dairy free and eggless milk cake. It really is the best rasmalai fusion dessert ever!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Perfectly moist and airy sponge cake
- Vegan friendly dessert
- Delicious tres leches flavor
- Can be made gluten-free
- Way better than store cake!
- Best cake for special occasions
- Perfect for Diwali party
- Best Indian cardamom cake recipe!
Latest Recipe Video!
🥘 Ingredients
There are three components to this rasmalai tres leches cake recipe: the cake, soaking milk, and topping. Each whips up easily and pairs together for the most amazing dessert! If you're vegan, you will likely already have many of these ingredients at home. No egg yolks, egg whites, or dairy needed! Here is what you need for this milk cake Indian recipe:
For The Cake
- Coconut Yogurt: Using coconut yogurt for this rasmalai tres leches recipe helps activate the baking soda for a fluffy texture. It can also be a good substitute for heavy cream in batters.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Baking soda and baking powder both help to give this sponge cake its light and airy consistency.
- All-Purpose Flour: Flour is the base of this ras malai tres leches cake recipe. You can try an all-purpose gluten free flour, oat flour, or whole wheat flour but the texture may vary.
- Cardamom Powder: Cardamom powder is used in many popular Indian dessert recipes like ice creams and kheer.
- Sugar: You can use regular white sugar, cane sugar, or coconut sugar for this eggless tres leches cake recipe.
- Oil: You can use whatever oil you have on hand for this condensed milk cake recipe. Olive oil will give a more distinct taste, while vegetable oil will have a more neutral taste. If using coconut oil, make sure it is fully melted first.
- Vanilla Extract: This is an essential ingredient for this vanilla sponge cake. The vanilla essence adds the perfect warmth and enhances the other flavors.
- Almond Milk: The almond milk adds moisture to the rasmalai milk cake. Use an unsweetened almond milk to avoid too much sweetness. If you want, you can use other types of milk- whole milk, coconut milk, or oat milk are all good choices.
For The Soaking Milk
- Almond Milk: Most milk cake recipes call for cow's milk, but in this vegan tres leches you will use plant based milks. Try to find an unsweetened almond milk with limited ingredients for the healthiest option. If you can't find the plant milks listed in this recipe, just know that any plant based milk can be used in this recipe.
- Coconut Milk: Using canned coconut milk is the best for this rasmalai tres leches cake! Coconut milk is rich and thicker than other milks making it a perfect option for this milk soak cake. Use a full fat milk for the richest taste.
- Condensed Coconut Milk: Condensed coconut milk is the best vegan substitute for evaporated milk. It is thick and creamy, adding the perfect moistness to the Indian 3 milk cake.
- Cardamom & Saffron Strands: Cardamom gives so much flavor to this soaking milk. Having it in both the cake batter and the milk helps to maximize the warm spice and aroma. Use freshly ground cardamom powder if you can - it's much more flavorful than pre-ground cardamom! When it comes to saffrong, a pinch of saffron goes a long way in this ras malai tres leches recipe. Saffron is high in antioxidants and has a sweet, floral taste.
For The Topping
- Coconut Cream: Chilled coconut cream is the perfect substitute for heavy whipping cream. It creates a light and fluffy fresh cream topping for the cake!
- Powdered Sugar: The powdered sugar helps to thicken the whipped cream and give a boost of sweetness. It is a common ingredient in frostings and homemade whipped creams.
- Pistachio Nuts: The chopped pistachio nuts add a nice contrast in texture to this ras malai cake recipe.
🔪 Instructions
This rasmalai milk cake recipe might seem complicated, but it is quite easy when you break it down step by step. You will be a cake baking master in no time! Here is how to make rasmalai cake:
Preheat Oven, Mix Dry Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 C. Line an 8 inch square baking tin with parchment paper, set aside. Mix together the coconut yogurt and baking soda, stir and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder and cardamom until well incorporated.
Mix Wet Ingredients, Combine Wet And Dry: In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the sugar and oil. Pour the oil mixture into the flour, along with the yogurt mixture, vanilla extract and almond milk. Gently fold until incorporated, making sure not to over mix.
Prep Batter: Pour the cake batter into the prepared 8 inch pan.
Bake in the oven for 20 -30 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean from the center of the cake.
Prepare Milk Mixture: While the cake is cooking, prepare the milk mixture by heating all of the milk ingredients over a low heat, stirring continuously for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the warm milk to cool.
Cool, Poke Holes, Pour Milk: When the cake has finished cooking, allow it to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature. Transfer the cake to a slightly bigger dish, using a skewer poke holes all over the cakes. Pour ½ of the prepared milk over the cake. Let the cake absorb the milk for 15 minutes before adding more if needed.
Refrigerate: Cover your tiered tres leches and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Prepare Topping: To prepare the topping, place the chilled coconut cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, 2 tbsp at a time, and whisk until well incorporated and fluffy. You can also use a hand mixer. Spread the coconut cream mixture all over your cake.
Top Cake, Chill, Serve: Top your rasmalai tres leches cake with additional whipped coconut cream if needed and crushed pistachio nuts. Return to the fridge for an hour before cutting and serving. Place a serving of this Indian tres leches milk cake on a plate and pour some of the remaining milk around the base.
💭 Expert Tips
- Do not overmix. Overmixing the cake batter will create a tough and chewy cake. You want many air bubbles in this batter for that distinct texture of sponge cake.
- Prep ahead: The milk mixture can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Use room temperature ingredients for the cake: They will mix together more easily and emulsify better than cold ingredients.
- Chill the can of coconut cream. Be sure to chill the coconut cream in the fridge, preferably overnight, for the best results with your whipped cream topping.
- Avoid a soggy consistency: This Indian tres leches cake recipe will make a lot of liquid, so start out by pouring about one cup of milk mixture on top of the cake. Wait 15 minutes, and if your cake still looks dry you can add a little more milk. Save the rest of the rasmalai liquid to use when serving.
- Don't forget to prick the entire cake. This is essential so that this eggless rasmalai tres leches soaks up all of that delicious sweet milk!
📖 Variations
- Add Toppings: Top this cake with your choice of pistachio nuts, saffron strands, dried rose petals, or even gold leaf.
- Gluten-Free Cake: Make this rasmalai cake gluten free by swapping the regular flour for an oat flour or gluten free all purpose flour!
- Lavender Cardamom Tres Leches Cake: Lavender and cardamom flavors pair perfectly together. Give this milk cake more depth and earthiness with a lavender sugar syrup, extract, or dried lavender pieces.
- Rasmalai Mousse: Combine the leftover rasmalai liquid with your whipped cream for a delicious mousse that can be enjoyed separately or on top of the cake. Whip the cream until stiff peaks are formed and gently fold the liquid in!
❓Recipe FAQs
What is the meaning of tres leches?
Tres leches is Spanish for "three milks," which is very fitting for this easy rasmalai cake recipe as it calls for three different types of milk. While the common milks in a traditional Mexican tres leches are condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk, you can use any other kinds of milk (regular or plant based) - just like in this ras malai tres leche recipe!
What are the different types of tres leches cakes?
There are many variations of tres leches cakes, from vegan to gluten free. You can make it as a tiered tres leches or as cupcakes. You might commonly see chocolate tres leches (which adds cocoa powder or melted chocolate to the cake batter), a strawberry or lemon version (as a topping or in the milk mixture), or caramel tres leches cake flavors, too!
What is rasmalai cake made of?
Ras malai tres leches combines the classic flavors of Mexican layered cake with the Indian flavors of ras malai dessert. The cake has three main components: the sponge cake, the rasmalai milk mixture, and the whipped cream frosting.
To assemble, the sponge cake is cut into layers and then filled with the rasmalai mixture. The layers are then stacked and frosted with the whipped cream frosting. The final cake is often decorated with chopped pistachios, saffron strands, and any other toppings you like!
It is the perfect fusion cake combining the goodness of saffron and cardamom with sweet vanilla cake. This dairy free and eggless version makes for a vegan-friendly ingredient list as well!
How do you describe rasmalai?
Rasmalai itself is a traditional Indian dessert made with a soft chenna cheese (cottage cheese) similar to the texture of ricotta cheese. Ras translates to "juice" and malai translates to "cream." In this recipe the creamy cheese balls are covered with a flavorful, sweet milk. Taking this dessert and transforming it into a ras malai milk cake is the perfect combination!
How do you store rasmalai tres leches cake?
Cover this Indian tres leche cake and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, use an airtight container. You can store the leftover rasmalai liquid in a separate container like a mason jar. Do not freeze this cake, it will not defrost and reheat well.
