Instructions for Cake Mix: Gulab Jamun Cake

Gulab Jamun Cake Kit Instructions

This recipe makes one 12cup Bundt cake or 18-20 cupcakes

Tools needed

Whisk
Hand mixer / Stand mixer
Silicon spatula & brush
Bundt / regular baking pan OR paper / silicon cupcake liners (if making cupcakes)
Big mixing bowl (cake)
Small mixing bowl (glaze)
Thick bottom pan
Measuring scale and/or measuring cups & spoons
Strainer

Shopping list

Vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
A couple of limes/lemons
1 tbsp oil (to grease the pan)
1 cup (227 gm) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (170 gm) Greek yogurt
1/2 tbsp white vinegar (optional)

Recommended Bundt pans: budget option or the one I use.

Here’s all the ingredients you will need

Cake

Package has:

Cake flour mix
Cake sugar

You will need:

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp white vinegar or 1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
3/4 cup (170gm) greek yogurt, room temperature
1 cup (227gm) unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions

1. Take 1/2 cup whole milk in a glass and add 1/2 tbsp white vinegar or 1 tbsp lemon juice to it. Mix the two and let it sit at room temperature for 10 mins- you have made buttermilk!

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F and grease your baking pan very well with oil on its sides and the bottom using a silicon brush or line your cupcake pan with liners if baking cupcakes.

3. Add 1 cup unsalted butter and cake sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer/a regular bowl (if using a hand mixer/whisk) and mix for 5-7 minutes till the mixture becomes light & pale. Scrape the sides of your bowl once to make sure everything mixes evenly.

4. Add the 3/4 cup yogurt and 1 tsp vanilla extract, mix again till you get a smooth mixture.

5. Now, using your silicon spatula mix in the cake flour mix alternating with the 1/2 cup buttermilk and gently get the batter together. Do not over mix at this stage, stop when no flour pockets are visible.

6. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes if baking a Bundt cake/15-20 minutes if baking cupcakes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean (some crumbs attached to the skewer are ok)

Chashni (spiced sugar syrup)

Package has:

Sugar & spice mix
Rose water

You will need:

1 cup water
2 tsp fresh lemon / lime juice

Instructions

1. Heat 1 cup water with sugar & spice mix in a thick bottom pan over medium flame. Bring it to a boil.

2. Let the mixture simmer for 2 minutes before taking it off heat. Finally, mix in 2 tsp lemon/lime juice & the rose water.

3. Strain out the spices from the syrup and set aside. PRO TIP- I like to use the strained spices in my coffee/chai next day, yum!

4. Reserve 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the syrup and set aside. You will use the remaining to soak the cake.

Glaze

Package has:

Glaze sugar
Saltless chopped pistachios
Dried rose petals (optional garnish)
A piping bag

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the glaze sugar and reserved 1/4 cup syrup to make a thick glaze.

Assembly

1. Poke holes in the cake/cupcakes with a fork and pour the rest of the syrup over the entire cake/all cupcakes (roughly 1.5 tbsp per cupcake) while it is still warm in the pan.

2. Let the cake absorb the syrup while cooling down completely (about 30 minutes) then invert it onto your cake stand/a pretty platter.

3. Pour the glaze over the cake using a spoon or a piping bag while moving your hand smoothly but swiftly. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and dried rose petals, if using.

4. You could also warm the cake for 5-10 seconds in microwave for a different experience!

FAQ

Can I bake the dessert in a different size/material pan?

Absolutely! Actual baking time may differ based on your pan size, shape and material.
There are some basic rules:
1. A round baking pan may easily be replaced by a similar sized square pan.
2. ⁠In general, cakes baked in smaller pans take longer to bake than cakes baked in larger pans. It’s all about how much surface area is directly exposed to heat.
3. Cakes bake faster in metal pans as compared to ceramic pans since metals conduct heat better. Ceramic pans aren’t my baking material of choice but will certainly work for your dessert here.

Do I need to use unsalted butter? Can I just use the salted butter (Amul butter has salt) that I have at home?

For best experience, I’d recommend using unsalted butter. Your dry mix contains salt already and using salted butter may throw the delicate balance of the recipe off.

How long should I continue to mix the batter after I’ve added the Cake Flour Mix?

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you get a uniform mixture. No dry pockets of dry flour should be visible. Remember to be gentle with the mixture at this point- stop using any stand mixers/hand mixers/whisks at this point and shift to gentle folding method using a silicon spatula (explained in the process video as well)

How do I know when my cake is done baking?

About 5 minutes before the suggested baking time in the instructions, poke the center of the cake gently with a skewer or a fork. If you see any wet/semi-wet batter on the skewer, return the cake to the oven in small time increments of 2-5 minutes.
Your cake is done when your skewer comes out mostly clean. Few dry crumbs attached to it are ok.

What if I don’t have all of the listed tools?

You would definitely need a whisk or hand mixer or stand mixer, baking pan, thick bottom pan, measuring scale or measuring cups & spoons. Most other tools can be replaced with suitable replacements from your kitchen.

I don’t want to buy a Bundt pan. What other pan can I bake this in?

You could bake Gulab Jamun cupcakes as suggested. Here are a couple of recommendations for Bundt pans that don’t break the bank: budget option or the one I use.

Since this recipe is for a big cake and especially designed to be baked as a Bundt cake – it’s not directly translatable to a bigger sized round or square pan (8” or 9” for instance). Baking in any such pan may result in less than ideal cake texture.

If you don’t want to invest in a Bundt pan or make cupcakes as suggested, I’d recommend splitting the entire recipe in half and making two 6” cakes instead. You’d still follow the same instructions, just bake the 6” cake for 25-35 minutes.

You could bake two 6” cakes at once or even reserve half of the dry ingredients in an airtight container and bake the second 6” cake on a later date. Two cakes from one kit!! 🙂

Can I use store-bought buttermilk?

I can’t see why not, but I have never tried it myself. If you do use the store-bought one, make sure to get it to room temperature just like the other refrigerated ingredients.

How long will my butter, yogurt and milk need to come to room temperature?

You need to give these ingredients atleast an hour on the kitchen counter. You can hasten the process for butter by opening the paper wrapper and slicing the butter in cubes- just to increase the surface area exposed to air.

Can I alter the amount of sugar in the recipe?

The recipe works on chemistry and each ingredient (in its correct amount) plays a part in making the cake that we can appreciate. If you alter the amount of any ingredient- results can differ and quality won’t be guaranteed. 🙂

How do I know if my butter and sugar are creamed well?

The time for mixing mentioned in the recipe is an approximation based on many factors- temperature of ingredients, type of mixing method used, speed of mixing, etc. You are basically looking for a light yellow mixture with almost no granulated sugar visible. It should become a homogeneous mixture. Scraping the bowl sides a couple of times helps a lot as well.

What do you mean by adding the cake flour mix alternating with buttermilk?

We are trying to ensure that our dry flour mixes in with the batter well without a lot of mixing. To aid this process, it’s a good practice to add half your flour followed by half liquid (buttermilk, in our case) followed by the remaining half of flour and finally, remaining half of the buttermilk.

My batter is in the pan. Anything I should do before I put it in the oven?

Smoothen out the top of your batter by using the silicon spatula or the back of a spoon. You could also bang your pan on the counter a few times to make sure the batter disperses evenly in the pan.

Why is there a range for baking time?

Each oven is different and baking times differ for a variety of reasons. It’s generally a good idea to set the oven timer for the lower limit of the suggested time and then do the skewer test once the timer runs out.

You aren’t looking for a brown cake, just bake till you don’t see wet batter on your skewer. Dry crumbs are perfectly fine!

How long should I leave the spices to infuse in my chashni / sugar syrup?

I like to start working on the syrup as soon as the cake is in the oven. Then I let the spices infuse in the syrup until you are ready to pour the syrup in the cake. So strain the syrup and proceed straight to soaking your cake after reserving 1/4th cup as suggested in the recipe.

Isn’t the syrup too much for the cake?

Trust me, just pour the entire syrup in the cake (after reserving the 1/4 cup). The cake will soak all of it.
This is what will give you that Gulab Jamun feel that you are looking for! <3

What is a good time to finally invert my cake on my serving platter?

Here is a rough timeline for you:
Cake is out of the oven -> Let it rest on the counter for 10-15minutes -> Poke the cake all over with a fork and pour the syrup -> Let it absorb and further cool down 20-30 minutes more (prepare the glaze meanwhile) -> Invert the cake on your serving platter and decorate with your glaze and toppings right away. Enjoy!

Do I need to use all the sugar for my glaze?

Yea & no. To prepare the glaze properly, you need to mix all of the provided powdered sugar with the reserved 1/4cup syrup. Once your glaze is ready and has the perfect consistency, you can choose to use as much/as little as you like!

I’ve never used a piping bag. What do I need to know?

It’s super easy! Just pour your glaze in your piping bag and start! You cannot go wrong here.
If you are still skeptical, you can always use a spoon for your glaze.

How to store the leftovers?

You may not have any! 😉
If you still want to save some for later- the cake can stay at room temperature for 1-2 days. After 2 days, store the remaining in the refrigerator for 3 more days.
I love enjoying my leftover slices after warming up in the microwave for 5-10seconds!