“In honour of the true Holi festive spirit + endless possibilities of the ‘east meets west’ fusion mithai trend – here’s presenting the Thandai Tres Leches Cake recipe!
This recipe takes the national Holi drink of Thandai and uses its rich and refreshing flavours in a decadent dessert that takes inspiration from the Latin American soaked cake known as “tres leches” (meaning three milks).
My desi dessert version is a basic vanilla eggless sponge cake soaked with the goodness of the wonderfully flavoured thandai milk. The thandai milk mixture of this recipe is a combination of coconut milk, regular milk, and condensed milk with added thandai syrup and masala milk powder.
Sponge cake prep, milk mixture prep and assembling the cake – By breaking it down into 3 parts, you will be able to easily follow this simple recipe. Please note that you can make this also with a ready-made sponge cake as per your preference.
Thandai Tres Leches Cake could easily be the highlight of any Holi spread with its vibrant look and deliciously rich taste. Don’t forget to tag me in your renditions of this fusion dessert and have a happy Holi everybody!
| Servings | 6 – 8 pax |
| Course | Dessert |
| Preparation Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
Ingredients for the Thandai Tres Leches Cake(1 cup = 200 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml) |
|
| 200 gms | All purpose flour (Maida) |
| 160 gms | Caster sugar |
| 1¼ tsp | Baking powder |
| ½ tsp | Baking soda |
| ½ tsp | Elaichi powder |
| A pinch | Of salt |
| 200 gms | Yogurt (at room temperature) |
| 70 gms | Refined oil |
| 1 tsp | Vanilla essence |
Ingredients for the Milk Mixture( 1 cup=200 ml, 1 tbsp=15 ml) |
|
| 120 gms | Coconut milk |
| 120 gms | Regular milk |
| 80 gms | Condensed milk (Nestle) |
| 2 tbsp | Thandai syrup (Guruji Brand) |
| 1 tsp | Masala milk powder |
Ingredients to Garnish(1 cup = 200 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml) |
|
| Whipped cream | |
| Saffron strands | |
| Pistachio slivers | |
| ½ tsp | Milk masala powder |
Instructions for the Basic Sponge Cake |
|
| 1. | Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a square 8” cake tin with parchment paper or foil. |
| 2. | In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, caster sugar, baking powder, soda, salt & elaichi powder. |
| 3. | Add in oil and vanilla essence and mix again. |
| 4. | Sift in the flour and fold gently until it is combined. |
| 5. | Transfer the batter to the cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 20 – 22 minutes until a skewer, inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean. Remove cake and cool completely. |
Instructions for the Milk Mixture |
|
| 1. | Mix all ingredients and keep aside. |
Assembling the Cake |
|
| 1. | Now, once the cake is cooled, poke the cake with a fork all over the top. |
| 2. | Pour half of the thandai-milk mixture. Let the sponge absorb it. |
| 3. | Decorate the cake with whipped cream, masala milk powder, saffron strands and pistachio slivers. Cool the cake in the refrigerator for 2 hours. |
| 4. | When you serve the cake drizzle the remaining milk mixture on top and serve chilled. |
Notes:
1. The above recipe is of a basic vanilla eggless sponge cake (you can omit elaichi powder in case you want to use for any other western purpose).
2. You can make this also with a ready-made sponge cake too.
