Saffron-Infused Buttery, Sweet and Moist Milk Cake

Saffron originated from the Middle East is an exotic worldly spice used in a variety of sweet and savoury dishes around the globe. Owing to the bright and bold orange-red colour and the earthy flavour of pure Saffron, this spice is profoundly used in various kinds of desserts. One of the simply delicious desserts which can be made with saffron is Saffron Milk Cake. Saffron milk cake is one of the most popular Middle Eastern desserts. It is also a version of the famous Tres Leches cakes. This sweet and moist milk cake infused with the goodness of saffron is quite simple and can be made in three easy steps. Saffron milk cake has three prime components, the first component is the saffron flavoured sponge cake, the second component is the sweetened milk and the third component is the icing.

Serving size: The recipe yields 4 servings.

Milk cake with Saffron ingredients

For Saffron-flavoured sponge cake:

• Butter soften at room temperature (100g or 3.5 oz)
• All-Purpose Flour (1 cup)
• Baking powder (¾ teaspoon)
• Eggs at room temperature (3)
• Saffron powder (½ teaspoon)
• Vanilla essence (1 teaspoon)
• Sugar (¾ cup)

For sweet milk:

• Cream (¼ cup)
• Condensed milk (½ cup)
• Milk (1 ½ cup)
• Saffron (1 pinch)

For Icing:

• ¾ cup icing sugar or any sweetener like Raw Honey
• 1 ½ cups chilled cream (or unsweetened whipping cream)

For garnish:

• Chopped pistachio
• Dried rose petals
• Pinch of saffron

Preparation of Saffron cake

• To make saffron-flavoured sponge cake preheat the oven to 170°C or 338°F.
• Grease an 8/8 inches baking dish with unsalted butter and then dust it with flour. The flour will create a barrier between the greasy butter and the cake batter. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom of the dish once it is cooked.
• To make cake batter take a bowl and add all-purpose flour, saffron powder and baking powder into it. Keep aside the dry ingredients.
• Now take a separate bowl and add unsalted butter and sugar to it. With the help of a beater beat the mixture for 7 mins.
• Once the batter turns light creamy and fluffy, add eggs into it, one at a time and then beat it again.
• Now it is time to add vanilla essence into it. Mix everything well.
• Add the flour, saffron and baking powder mixture in the egg batter little by little and then gently fold it with a spatula.
• The cake batter is now ready to be cooked. Pour it into the butter greased baking dish and spread the batter evenly. To avoid any air bubbles, tap the dish gently.
• To prepare the icing, take chilled whipping cream. Use whipping cream that has more than 30 per cent of fat content otherwise, it will not become thick enough. Beat it with help of a beater so that whipping cream becomes thicker. Be careful to not overdo it. Add icing sugar to it and mix it gently.

Cooking Instructions

• Put the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake it for about 25 minutes or until it is done.
• In the meantime, prepare the sweetened milk. For this, put a half cup of condensed milk and cream in a saucepan and let it gently boil over medium heat for about 5 mins. Add one pinch of powdered saffron and stir it for a few seconds. Now turn off the stove and let it cool till it comes to room temperature.
• To check if your cake is cooked completely, insert a skewer or a knife into it. If the skewer turns out clean then it indicates that the cake is done.
• Take it out and wait for 2 to 3 minutes before taking it out of the dish.
• Place it on a cooling rack and allow it to cool. With help of a skewer or toothpick, poke the cake all over so that the sweetened milk will be absorbed properly.
• Pour 1 cup of sweetened milk on the sponge cake and let it soak for a few moments. Keep the rest of the milk aside.
• Gently spread the icing over your soaked cake. Place it in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 hours.
• Now it is time to neatly cut the cake into square pieces and place each piece into a serving dish. Garnish the pieces of cake with a pinch of saffron strands, chopped pistachio and dried rose petals. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk around the piece of cake and serve.

Useful tips

1. Do not overmix the batter to avoid the tough textured sponge. Overmixing causes curdling which destroys the texture of the cake.
2. Use eggs at room temperature while making batter so that they can incorporate well. If the mixture is too thick, add milk.