Eggless Mawa Cake with Whole Wheat Flour

Eggless Mawa Cake or say, Parsi Mawa Cake is a fusion cake with the richness of Mawa embedded in a sponge cake.

This easy-to-make Eggless Mawa cake, made with wheat flour & brown sugar, tastes very much like Indian sweet and is perfect for those in love with Indian flavors.

Along with other healthy ingredients listed above, this cake is made with Homemade Mawa, which is a breeze to make in less than 5 minutes.

I wanted to bake this Mawa cake for a long time but didn’t get a chance as my children prefer vanilla or chocolate cakes only.

And when Diwali was nearby it was the perfect occasion to bake this cake. I baked it for my guests and for my sister-in-law as well. As she had liked my Rasmalai cake earlier so I was quite sure that she would love this one too, and this is what happened. She simply loved this cake.

What Is Mawa Cake?

Just like a chocolate cake has cocoa powder, the butterscotch cake has butterscotch, similarly, Mawa cake has Mawa or Khoya. It’s a plain sponge cake to which Mawa is added thus giving it the richness of Mawa.

Thus, the flavors & richness of Indian sweets are embedded well in the western cake.

What is Mawa?

A majority of Indian sweets are prepared with Mawa and here, a cake is prepared with it! Isn’t it cool! This cake is a treat for all, especially the lovers of Indian sweets.

Now, if you are wondering as to what Mawa is, then Mawa, also known as Khoya or Khoa, simply means milk reduced to a solid form from which all the water has been removed. Now obviously, water is removed by heating milk so that all the water gets evaporated. Milk is heated on sim gas for few hours till all the water evaporates and a thick mass is left which is called Mawa. In a way, Mawa is evaporated milk but in a dough form.

Mawa forms the basis of most Indian sweets. And now, using the same Mawa, we are making a cake!

Origin

Mawa cake is a specialty of Mumbai and is commonly known as Parsi cake or Irani cake. How it came into being is a mystery and lot many stories are there claiming its origin. If you are interested in knowing about these stories, you may read here.

But whosoever did it first, thanks to that person, as he(or she :)) has really gifted us with a very unique and rich cake. After all, otherwise, who would have thought of adding Mawa to a cake!

How To Make

Mawa cake is quite easy to make. My Mawa cake recipe is based on my Rasmalai cake recipe, sans Rasmalai and icing. Like all my cakes, here also, I use whole wheat flour only. Along with this, I use Homemade Mawa which is a breeze to make. You can use either store-bought or homemade Mawa, as per your convenience and liking.
Also, unlike my other cakes, I have used butter in this recipe. This is because Mawa and oil, neither sound good nor tastes good. You can use ghee in place of butter. It is important that you use butter at room temperature. Take it out of the refrigerator an hour before starting.
Also, use unsalted butter.
If you don’t have unsalted butter, then, use ghee.
Refined sugar has been replaced with brown sugar. You may use any of the two sugars.
Using almond essence in Mawa cake augments its taste though not at all necessary. In case you do not have it just skip it but please, for God’s sake, do not add vanilla essence. In addition to almond essence, we add cardamom powder and nuts too. Now, nuts too are optional. But definitely, a rich cake like this seems incomplete without nuts.

Ideal For Festive Occasions

Serve Mawa cake with tea or as an after-meal dessert.
It is ideal for gifting purposes too.
Though it is a good choice to be baked at any time of the year, but I feel it is perfect for festive occasions like Diwali, Holi, Guru Purab, and others.

Step By Step Recipe With Photos

Arrange Mawa, either make Mawa in your kitchen or buy it from the market.
Grease an 8” by 8” square tin, dust it with flour, and keep it aside.
Sift together wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt at least 3 times. Sift it from a height.

Mix cardamom powder and chopped nuts in the flour. Keep this aside.

Take butter, curd, brown sugar, almond essence in a bowl and whisk for 3 to 4 minutes till it gets creamy.

Add grated Mawa to this mix and mix lightly. You may leave it partially dissolved or make sure that it’s mixed properly. Either way is correct and depends upon your preference.

Add sifted flour to this mix in 2 or 3 batches, mixing with cut n fold method only.
Adjust consistency using milk. Keep the batter slightly thick only.

Lastly, mix lemon juice in it.
keep the consistency of the batter slightly thick.

Pour the batter into the greased baking tray.
Sprinkle chopped nuts and lightly press so that nuts stick to the batter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 180 degrees.
Check if the cake is fully baked by inserting a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean then it is done otherwise bake for some more time.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 8 to 10 minutes.
Loosen the edges with a knife and invert the cake on a wire rack.
Let it cool down completely.
Cut slices as per your liking.
Serve with love, tea optional.

FAQs

Q) Can I use oil instead of butter?

Yes. I prefer butter as it pairs well with Mawa.

Q) Can I add vanilla essence instead of almond essence?

I would highly suggest not to use vanilla essence as it’s an Indian flavored cake and vanilla essence would not gel with it. If you do not have almond essence then you may skip it and spices like cardamom would be sufficient. You may use a dash of nutmeg too.

Q) How to bake it in a conventional oven or Otg?

Of course, you can bake it in Otg. If you are using an OTG, then, first of all, preheat it for at least 12 to 15 minutes on BAKE mode or with both the rods ON. Thereafter, keep the baking tin on the middle rack and keep only the bottom rod ON. Do not use the top rod. Each Otg is different so keep a check on the cake after 20 minutes only. It may take a longer or shorter time than prescribed here.

Q) Can I bake this cake without an oven?

You can bake this cake in a pressure cooker too. Here’s the detailed method of baking a cake in pressure cooker/wok.

Q) New To Making Cakes?

If you have recently started baking cakes or are having some difficulties in getting perfect results then my suggestion is that you go through 16 Tips For Baking A Good Cake and Common Baking Mistakes so that you are able to bake cake perfectly this time.

Let Us Connect!

I hope you have liked this recipe of Mawa Cake and will definitely give it a try. I would love to have your views regarding this.

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