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Basundi Cake

Super moist basundi cake is a Indian flavored Tres Leches Cake loaded with very popular Indian dessert basundi (homemade evaporated milk), condensed milk and whipping cream with nuts cardamom and saffron!!
Prep Time1 day
Cook Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Indian
Servings: 12

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Premium Cake Mix Golden Butter 15.25 oz
  • cup Room Temp Unsalted Butter this is to change if NOT using Pillsbury Moist Supreme Premium Cake Mix Golden Butter
  • 1 cup Water this is to change if NOT using Pillsbury Moist Supreme Premium Cake Mix Golden Butter
  • 3 Eggs sub 3 eggs with ¾ cup of plain yogurt

    this is to change if NOT using Pillsbury Moist Supreme Premium Cake Mix Golden Butter

  • ¼ tsp Cardamom Powder
  • 10 String Saffron

Milk/Basundi Mixture

  • 8 cup Whole Milk 12 oz unsweetened evaporated milk can be used instead of making basundi at home
  • 10 Strings Saffron
  • ½ tsp Cardamom Powder
  • 2 tbsp Coarse Nut Powder grind pistachio, cashew and almond into coarse mix
  • 14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1 cup Whipping Cream

Whipping Cream

  • 1 cup Whipping Cream
  • 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
  • ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tbsp Coarse Nut Powder grind pistachio, cashew and almond into coarse mix
  • ½ tsp Cardamom Powder

Instructions

Make Basundi Mixture (SKIP FIRST TWO STEP IF URING EVAPORATED MILK)

  • Coat a heavy bottom deep pot with just a little ghee. Pour 8 cups of whole milk in the pot.
  • Bring the milk to boil. Add saffron and keep boiling/simmering until the milk amount is decreased to half of the original amount. Turn the heat off.
  • Add nut powder and cardamom powder to the prepared unsweetened basundi (or unsweetened EVAPORATED MILK if using that). Mix and let it cool down completely.
  • Once cooled down add condensed milk and whipping cream to basundi. Mix well. Separate 1 cup of mixture and keep it refrigerated for garnishing at the end. Keep the rest of it refrigerated until needed.

Make the cake

  • Make the cake as per box instructions. If you are using Pillsbury Moist Supreme Premium Cake Mix Golden Butter, mix cake mix with water, butter, cardamom powder, saffron and eggs (or plain yogurt as an egg substitute). Bake it in the 13x9 rectangular deep baking pan so that there is room for basundi mixture on top of the baking pan after cake is baked. I used small circle pan and had hard time with adding enough basundi mix to the cake. I highly recommend 13x9 rectangular deep baking pan.
  • Let the cake cool down for 20 minutes. Poke it with chopsticks.
  • Pour the basundi mixture (save 1 cup for garnishing as mentioned above) on top of the cake. There should be enough basundi mixture for the cake to be completely soaked and still floating on top of the cake.
  • Cover and refrigerate the cake over night or upto 6-8 hours.

Frost the cake

  • Start whipping the whipping cream in a standing mixer or handy mixer until it starts to peak just a little.
  • Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Keep whipping until the frosting holds stiff peaks.
  • Stop the whipping. fold in cardamom powder and nut powder gently using rubber spatula.
  • Frost the cake with the whipping cream.

Serving/Garnishing

  • Serve a piece of cake with a spoonful drizzle of the basundi mix that you kept aside earlier and sprinkle it with some nut powder and cardamom powder as part of garnishing!