Diwali Delicacy : Eggless Mava Cake

[This post is a part of a joint project with my blog friend Raaga. Check that post here]

This is another ' Another Subcontinent' food forum inspired recipe. Food enthusiasts on the forum have been discussing the mava / mawa cake to shreds [or pieces] rather. Being in Bombay, close to many Parsi bakery shops, mava cake is really no big deal. It is considered a most Plain Jane cake, and I have seen kids who wont even consider this a cake, for there is nothing fancy-schmancy about it. Generally sold as cup cakes, packed in batches of six, these make a lovely tea time treat.

Merwans, a Parsi Bakery in Grant Road (Bombay) - is famous for it's Mava cake and the foodies on the forum were in the quest to reproduce the same magic in their kitchens. Ravum provided a recipe for an eggless version using condensed milk, khoya (solidified milk), milk, flour and butter. Khoya is also called mava, and that's how this cake gets it's name. Check a photo essay of the almost century old, Merwan's bakery here.

Since I was on a cooking low, I asked Raaga if she'll give me company and support in making this as a joint blog project. Even though she would be making it in Gurgaon and me in Bombay, it seemed like a great support to me and a fun thing to do. Being the great sport that she is, she managed to make it today and we decided to blog about it together.


[Recipe in Ravum's words]

Ravum's Eggless Mava Cake

Mava Cake

Wet Ingredients
1 tin Milkmaid (400 gms)
50-75 gm butter (1/2 to 3/4 slab of a 100 gm of Amul butter)
200 g mava (khoya)
1/2 cup milk (You can use water, but you the cake browns better with milk)
1/4 cup milk (this is to be used if while mixing the wet and dry ingredients, if your batter is too thick).

These must be heated together till butter melts and the mix is homogeneous. Cool it to room temperature.

Dry Ingredients
1.5 cups (US cup) maida (all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
2 cardamom (peel and powder the seeds)
Pinch of saffron - pound with a pestle with a bit of sugar
Cashew nuts

Sift the maida and baking powder three times (for volume). Add the cardamom, saffron, and cashew nuts.

Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together. Use the 1/4 cup of milk if the batter is too thick. The final consistency should be that of idli batter, or the besan batter used for making pakoda. Bake in a greased pan till light brown on top. [I baked at 175 C for 20 minutes in a 6 cup tube pan]

Raaga made cupcakes out of these and you'll get more details from her on her space.

Many thanks to Ravum of the AS food forum for sharing this recipe and Veena for her generous tips.

This is my submission to Vee's Diwali special Jihva event.

Here's wishing all of you a very Happy Diwali and a wonderful year ahead. May the festival of lights, bring lots of light and happiness into your lives.