Mawa Cake
Decadent, delicious, and arguably the butteriest cake, mawa cake is perfect for festive baking. A classic teacake, it’s soft, moist, and delicately spiced with cardamom and saffron.
Rich but not overly sweet, this eggless Mawa cake has a beautiful crumb and a gentle caramel flavor thanks to khoya (Mawa). Every bite is buttery, lightly nutty, and wonderfully aromatic.
The khoya adds a deep richness while keeping the cake soft and moist. Add a hint of saffron, a touch of cardamom, and a sprinkle of nuts on top, and you have a cake that feels both comforting and celebratory.
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What Is Mawa Cake?
If you’ve been to a Parsi café, especially in Mumbai or Pune, you know their love for food and delightful baked items. But the one that deserves special mention is Mawa cake, a sumptuous plateful of calorie-laden indulgence.
The iconic tea-time snack that the community introduced to us is not merely an Irani specialty; it is also a time capsule of an era gone by. Enter any Parsi café and Mawa cake will be on the menu.
The cake itself is simple: flour, butter, sugar, khoya, and cardamom.
But the flavor? Deep, rich, and unforgettable.
My recipe stays close to the classic but adds my own small twist: a little saffron and coconut. I got the idea from my incredibly tasty coconut burfi recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✨ Nice, simple, and wholly doable, the eggless Mawa cake is fantastic for Holi, Diwali, or any celebration.
✨ It’s made with pantry staples and comes together quickly, making it a great bake for casual tea-time. It uses yogurt for moisture and binding instead of egg. If you love eggless baking, you'll also enjoy my eggless chocolate chip cake.
✨The cake is rich but balanced. The khoya gives it a deep milky flavor, while the cardamom and saffron add their own unique aroma and taste.
✨ It’s also a nostalgic bake. The flavors instantly remind many of childhood bakery treats and festive sweets. And best of all, it pairs beautifully with a cup of tea or coffee.
Mawa Cake Ingredients
Flour: I used a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Feel free to make it with either of the flours.
Khoya (Mawa) is the heart of the cake. You can buy it at the store or make it at home. It adds an intense, milky nuttiness.
Butter: I used regular salted butter. Make sure it's at room temperature for easy creaming.
Yogurt acts as the egg substitute in this eggless cake while adding moisture.
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar works well here.
Spices: The traditional Mawa cake recipe doesn’t have any other spice except cardamom powder, and it is more than enough to give the buttery cake a wonderful flavor. I added some saffron as well, since I love it in my bakes, like in my cardamom pistachio madeleines and saffron cardamom cheesecake.
Desiccated coconut: This is also optional, but I do love the nutty, sweet flavor in this mawa cake.
Nuts: Pistachio and almond slivers for that gorgeous, crunchy top.
Please see the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Mawa Cake
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the yogurt and mix well.
Step 3: In another bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, and baking soda.
Step 4: Stir in desiccated coconut, cardamom powder, and saffron.
Step 5: Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
Step 6: Add the crumbled khoya and mix gently until combined.
Step 7: Pour the batter into a greased cake pan.
Step 8: Sprinkle almond and pistachio slivers on top.
Step 9: Bake until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out on a cooling rack.
Step 10: Serve at room temperature.
Pro Tips
- Make sure the yogurt is at room temperature; otherwise, your cake batter will curdle.
- The butter should be softened.
- Crumble the khoya finely so it mixes evenly into the batter.
- Do not overmix the batter. It can make the cake dense.
Recipe FAQs
What's khoya (or khoa)?
Khoya is evaporated milk solids. It has this incredible, concentrated, almost caramelized dairy flavor that's unlike anything else. When you bake with it, be it a Mawa gujjiya or chocolate burfi, it keeps the dessert incredibly moist and adds a rich, nutty depth.
Khoya is readily available at Indian grocery stores. If you have time at hand, I recommend making it at home from scratch using a traditional recipe.
How to serve mawa cake?
This rich cake needs no icing or frosting. It's best served with a cup of tea spiced with homemade chai masala.
How long does Mawa cake stay fresh?
The cake stays fresh for 2–3 days at room temperature in an airtight container. I prefer to keep it refrigerated in the summer months.
More Festive Cake Recipes
Recipe
Mawa Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter, softened I used regular salted butter
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 cup Wholewheat Flour
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1.5 tsp Cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp Desiccated coconut Optional
- 1 tsp Saffron strands Optional
- 1/2 cup Crumbled Khoya /mawa
- Pistachio and Almond Slivers for Topping the cake
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C/ 350 F. Grease an 8" cake tin.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.1/2 cup Butter, softened, 1/2 cup Sugar
- Whisk in the yogurt.1 cup Yogurt, at room temperature
- Sift the flours, baking powder, and baking soda in another bowl.1 cup Wholewheat Flour, 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour, 1.5 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- Stir in desiccated coconut, cardamom powder, and saffron.1.5 tsp Cardamom powder, 2 tbsp Desiccated coconut, 1 tsp Saffron strands
- Fold in the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. Gently stir in the crumbled khoya. 1/2 cup Crumbled Khoya /mawa
- This is a thick batter. Scrape into the prepared pan and top with pistachio and almond slivers.Pistachio and Almond Slivers for Topping the cake
- Bake at 180 C/ 350 F for 45-55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out on a cooling rack.
- Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!
- You can store the leftover cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Notes
- Make sure the yogurt is at room temperature; otherwise, your cake batter will curdle.
- The butter should be softened.
- Crumble the khoya finely so it mixes evenly into the batter.
- Do not overmix the batter. It can make the cake dense.
hi...I'm jst abt to make ur cake...the last line said " the batter is thick "
hopefully the cake doesn't turn out hard?? or can we add a lil milk to make it dropping consistency??
Natasha Author
Hi Neeta, this was a thick batter. If it's feeling really doughy, then please add a couple of tablespoons of milk to it. This will loosen up the batter a bit. Its not a soft dropping consistency batter. Hope this helps. Happy baking and looking forward to your feedback.:)
Cup size you used 200ml or 240 ml
Natasha Author
Hi, the cup size I use is 240ml.
Monica
Thank you
Natasha Author
Sure! 🙂
Can we add milk powder instead of mawa?
Natasha Author
Hi Monika, I'm not sure as I haven't tried that. 🙂
What is raw sugar ? Does aamul butter work? Also how will it turn out with ghee instead ?
Natasha Author
Raw sugar is less processed than regular white sugar. Nutritionally though, there isn't much difference. Yes, Amul works just fine. That's what I used here. I'm sure it will be great with ghee as well though I haven't made it with ghee. Happy baking! 🙂
Hana
Hi
This looks amazing!
Can we use skim milk powder instead of mawa?
MOUSUMI BISWAS
Can I use oil instead of butter to make the cake
Natasha Author
Yes, I suppose so. I think that will work. 🙂
Do we use greek yogurt? Or regular curd will do?
Natasha Author
Greek yogurt would be good here, but I used homemade dahi /yogurt just the thick part. 🙂
Beautiful beautiful recipe...can't wait to try it
Natasha Author
Thank you so much Saral! xx