A decadent Indian dessert-inspired cake, this Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake is moist, light and fluffy — a perfect fusion treat to make any occasion special.
This Gulab Jamun Cake is very close to my heart.
I baked it recently for my daughter’s third birthday, and it turned out to be one of my favourite creations. The combination of soft cake layers, syrup, whipped cream and pieces of gulab jamun makes it memorable.
I had the chance to recreate a beautiful gulab jamun decoration I saw on a client order, and I wanted to share the recipe and tips so you can make it at home too.
In this post, you can find details on
- What is Gulab Jamun Cake
- Tips to make Gulab Jamun Cake at home
- How to serve the cake
Indian-inspired fusion cakes are very popular right now. On my last visit to India I noticed many bakeries displaying fusion cakes such as Rasmalai Cake and Kaju Katli Cake. Fusion desserts can be polarising — some love them, others prefer traditional cakes. Which side are you on?
To make this cake you will need prepared gulab jamuns.
What is Gulab Jamun?
Gulab jamun is a classic milk-solid sweet from the Indian subcontinent. Milk solids (khoya) are kneaded with a little flour, formed into small balls and deep-fried over low heat. The fried balls are then soaked in a sugar syrup flavoured with cardamom and rose water or saffron.
Then what is Gulab Jamun Cake?
This cake is a rabdi-flavoured, eggless cake layered with sugar syrup, whipped cream frosting and pieces of soft gulab jamun. The cake base is adapted from a simple eggless vanilla/fruit cake; here the flavour is rabdi essence. After baking, the layers are soaked lightly with syrup, layered with whipped cream and chopped gulab jamuns, then finished with a silky whipped cream frosting. A slice offers a balance of moist cake, syrup and sweet gulab jamun — truly comforting.
I recommend using homemade gulab jamuns if possible for the best texture and flavour, though store-bought mixes also work. I will share a detailed post on making gulab jamun at home soon.
Gulab Jamun Cake ingredients:
1. Cake Base:
Use any basic eggless cake recipe. I used my fresh fruit/eggless vanilla cake base and replaced the fruit or vanilla with rabdi essence. Feel free to use your favourite eggless cake recipe.
2. Gulab Jamuns
You can make gulab jamun from scratch using mawa/khoya, use a ready mix, or buy fresh ones. For this cake you need about 10 gulab jamuns (some for filling and some for decoration).
3. Whipped Cream
I use non-dairy whipping cream where dairy options aren’t available. Stabilized whipped cream works best for frosting so it holds shape. I also use slivered pistachios and rose petals for garnish. I added pistachios in the filling along with chopped gulab jamuns, which complements the flavours nicely.
Tips for making Gulab Jamun Cake:
- Gulab jamuns add weight to the cake, so work with chilled layers when assembling and frosting to keep everything stable.
- Soak the cake with syrup (the syrup from the gulab jamun packet or homemade sugar syrup) to keep it moist for several days.
- Use an ice-cream scoop or ladle to apply even layers of cream — it helps beginners achieve uniform filling.
- Chop gulab jamuns and pistachios into bite-size pieces for the filling.
- Place whole gulab jamuns on top of the cake just before delivery or serving — they can slide over time because of their weight.
How to serve Gulab Jamun Cake?
To maximize servings, cut the cake into rectangular portions by making horizontal and vertical cuts (rows and columns) rather than traditional triangular slices. This method yields more evenly sized pieces and is commonly used in catering.
If you sell cakes or bake at home for customers, planning portion sizes this way helps yield consistent servings. For pricing guidance, refer to a cake pricing guide to set fair prices and portions.
Related Recipes:
- Gulab Jamun Cheesecake (eggless)
- Burfi Cupcakes (eggless)
Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake Base
- 1.5 cups All purpose Flour/Maida
- 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- pinch Salt
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Yogurt
- 1/2 cup Oil
- 1/2 tsp Rabdi Essencerefer notes
Sugar Syrup
- Syrup that came along with Gulab Jamuns
Cream Filling
- 175 gms Whipping Cream
- 44 gms Icing Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Rabdi Essence
Gulab Jamun Filling
- 4 nos gulab jamuns
- 2 tbsp slivered pistachios
Cream Frosting
- 53 gms Cream Cheeserefer notes
- 225 gms Whipping Cream
- 56 gms Icing Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Rabdi Essence
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence
Instructions
Step 1 – For the Cake Base
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Sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
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In a bowl whisk milk and add oil gradually to emulsify. Add yogurt and rabdi essence, then mix.
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Add sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture in two batches and combine to form a smooth batter.
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Divide the batter evenly between three greased and lined 6-inch pans (about 275 g per pan).
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Bake at 180°C for 35–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Step 2 – Cream Filling
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Combine measured whipping cream, icing sugar and rabdi essence in a bowl.
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Whip until stiff peaks form and set aside.
Chop the gulab jamuns into bite size pieces
Step 3 – Cream Frosting
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Whip the cream cheese until smooth.
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Gradually add whipping cream while whipping, scrape the bowl, then add icing sugar and essences. Whip to stiff peaks.
Step 4 – To Assemble
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Place a cake layer on a board and trim the top to level if needed.
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Soak the layer lightly with gulab jamun syrup.
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Spread half the cream filling evenly over the layer.
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Top with half the chopped gulab jamuns and slivered pistachios.
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Place the next layer and repeat the soaking, filling and topping steps.
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Crumb coat with remaining cream filling and chill for 30 minutes.
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Frost the chilled cake with stabilized whipped cream to achieve a smooth finish. Chill another 30 minutes.
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Decorate with whole gulab jamuns (I used 10 in total), pistachios, saffron or rose petals just before serving.
Video
Notes
- If rabdi essence is unavailable, flavour the cake with cardamom powder.
- For the cream you can use other essences such as almond or rose.
- Follow a stabilized whipped cream recipe for the smoothest frosting and the best hold.
- Allow the cake to chill briefly between crumb coating, frosting and decorating steps for easier handling.
- Use saffron strands, rose petals, edible silver foil and extra pistachios for garnish if desired.
Conclusion:
Step away from the usual gulab jamun cheesecakes and try this Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake for a delightful fusion dessert.
This cake is:
Light with soft crumbs
Moist
Filled with delicious cream and gulab jamun pieces
Beautiful to present
If you try this recipe, tag or share photos on your social channels so I can see your creations.
Pin this to your baking board 
Until next time,
Hugs
Sushma