Diwali Cake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 12-14
Ingredients
  • For the Base Cake
  • 4 cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, room temp
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • For the Gulab Jamun Layer
  • 8-10 gulab jamuns (depending on the size of your jamuns this will vary)
  • 3 tbsps sugar syrup (from the gulab jamun recipe)
  • For the Bitter Almond Cookie Layer
  • 125 grams bitter almond cookies, broken roughly
  • 85 ml amaretto
  • For the Chocolate Layer
  • 4 tbsps dutch processed cocoa powder
  • For the Swiss Buttercream
  • 1 cups sugar
  • 4 large egg whites
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
  • pinch of salt
  • 250 grams butter, room temperature, cut into cubes
  • 3 tbsps rosewater
  • For the Chocolate Mousee Ganache
  • 200 grams dark chocolate
  • 200 ml cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter and flour three 7-inch cake pans.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. With an electric mixer (I always use a hand held one), beat the butter and sugar together for 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Then add in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add half the flour mixture. Add 1 cup of buttermilk and mix until combined. Add remaining flour mixture and whisk. Add the remaining buttermilk and mix. Remove the mixer and finish by folding in the mixture.
  4. Divide the batter into 3 bowls.
  5. For the Gulab Jamun Layer, first add the sugar syrup and mix well. Then add a thin layer of batter to the cake pan. On top of this thin layer line up your gulab jamuns. I would cover the entire surface. Then add the rest of the batter kept aside for this layer.
  6. For the Bitter Cookies Layer. First soak the cookies for around 20 minutes in the amaretto. Then just fold the softened cookies into the batter.
  7. For the Chocolate Layer just fold in the cocoa.
  8. Bake until golden brown and done. Anything between 35-50 minutes. Let cakes cool for a few minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. To make the Chocolate Mousse Ganache, heat 100 ml of the cream in a pan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat once boiling and add all the chocolate. Stir to mix while the chocolate melts into the hot cream. Whisk the rest of the cream till stiff peaks form. Fold in the melted chocolate mix into the stiff cream. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  10. For the Swiss Buttercream, bring a few inches of water to a boil in a double boiler. Whisk the sugar, the egg whites, lemon juice, and salt in the bowl above. Continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar dissolved, about 4 - 5 minutes. Transfer to a big bowl and whisk and beat the egg whites at medium-high speed until they almost hold a stiff peak and are fully cooled, about 10-20 minutes. (I use a hand held electric whisk so this took me longer than with a kitchen machine). Beat in the butter, a little at a time, until the icing is smooth and spreadable. In the end add the rosewater. Mix well.
  11. To assemble the cake, place one layer of the cake on a cake stand. Spread a ½ inch layer of the swiss buttercream on top and carefully place the second layer of cake on top. Repeat the process with additional buttercream. Add the last layer of cake on top. Frost the top of the cake with more of the buttercream and add a very thin layer to the sides of the cake. Frost until smooth. Add the chocolate mousse ganache and smoothen out.
Notes
The Gulab Jamun layer may need additional time to bake because of how high this layer becomes because of the jamuns. Mine eventually took around 50 minutes. But keep a close eye.
The sugar syrup addition to the Gulab Jamun layer has cardamom and rosewater. If these are flavours you don't want too much of, this addition can be left out.
Recipe by Box of Spice at https://boxofspice.com/2015/11/a-new-look-boxofspice-turns-three-a-diwali-cake/