Thandai cake is a fun fusion dessert that combines flavors of the popular Indian drink made on the festive occasion of Holi, Thandai in the form of cake making it totally irresistible! Egg-free, easy to make, and absolutely delicious!
In this post sharing how to make this Holi special cake with step by step pics and video too!!
You guys loved the Rasmalai cake and it's one of our favorites too! So here is another delicious Indian flavor cake recipe just in time for the Holi festival, Thandai Cake!! Now you can drink and eat your Thandai too!!
I simplified this cake recipe even further by eliminating the frosting and just glazed it. To compensate for the missing frosting used a bundt pan which adds a great look to this cake (shape and look inspired by this recipe).
This thandai cake is
- eggless and butter-free
- soft and moist
- easy to make
- tastes just like a traditional thandai drink
- you can make it ahead of time
- perfect for Holi festival or any celebration
Thandai is a traditional Indian drink made with nuts, seeds and flavored with fragrant spices. This refreshing drink is popularly made on the festive occasion of Mahashivratri and Holi.
Thandai cake recipe is a fusion version of this popular drink and truly best of both worlds - cake and Thandai together, and a huge hit!!
It is an eggless bundt cake soaked with the thandai milk (or syrup) topped with thandai flavored glaze and garnished with nuts and rose petals.
This Thandai cake is made of three components
Thandai - This is our Thandai milk or syrup that is used to flavor the cake and also the glaze. You can make it on the stovetop or Instant Pot.
I have a detailed thandai recipe with homemade thandai powder and step-by-step pics and video. So definitely give it a try!!
Alternately you can use your favorite Thandai Masala to make thandai.
The bundt cake - This is a light, airy, soft, eggless, and butter-free sponge cake. To keep it egg-free I've used yogurt and flavored it with thandai milk.
Glaze- To keep up with the light and airy theme, I prefer to glaze this cake and not frost. I think it just goes perfectly with the whole Holi theme.
So now let's see how to make this eggless thandai cake.
Recipe Ingredients
Bundt Thandai cake - all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, yogurt, flavorless oil (canola or vegetable oil), and thandai milk.
Thandai glaze - thandai milk, and powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
For garnishing - nuts (sliced almonds and pistachios) and dried rose petals. Optional - edible gold leaf
Step by Step Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (spray oil) inside the bundt pan (using 7-inch). Keep aside.
1 - In a mixing bowl (or measuring cup) add all the wet ingredients like yogurt, thandai milk, oil, and sugar. Whisk until sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
2 - In another large mixing bowl, sift the dry ingredients, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix to combine.
3 - Add the wet ingredients (in three batches) to the dry ingredients.
4 - Mix the dry mixture into the wet until everything is well combined and smooth (do not over-mix).
5 - Pour or spoon the batter into the greased bundt pan. Level the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter 3–5 times to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 mins or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean.
6 - Remove from oven and let it stand in the pan for 5-10 mins. Using skewers or fork, poke holes in the bottom of the cake.
7 - Pour half a cup of the Thandai milk over the cake. Spread with a brush or spoon to make sure it spreads evenly all over the cake.
8 - Cover the cake with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight so the cake can soak up all the milk.
9 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and thandai syrup to make the thandai glaze.
10 - Remove the chilled soaked cake and invert it on the cake stand or the serving plate.
11 - Pour or spoon the glaze over the bundt cake evenly.
Step 12 - Garnish with dried rose petals, pistachios, and sliced almonds. Optional - You can also add some edible gold leaf for a more festive look.
Soft, moist and delicious Thandai cake is ready! Slice and Serve!
Variations
Thandai Cake with frosting - I like to use a bundt pan to shape this cake as I think it looks really pretty. But you can bake this cake as a regular cake in a 7 or 8 inch round baking pan and frost it. Use the frosting recipe mentioned in Rasmalai Cake. Just replace with thandai in place of rasmalai milk.
Thandai cupcakes - You can also bake this cake batter into 12 cupcakes and bake for 15-18 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool, poke, add thandai milk (optional), chill, and then frost with thandai frosting (as mentioned above).
Thandai muffins - You can also bake this cake batter into 12 muffins and bake for 15-18 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool, poke, add thandai milk (optional), chill, and then drizzle the glaze and decorate.
Recipe Tips
For measuring your flour, do not scoop it out of the container directly using the measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
To glaze the cake - make sure the cake is at room temperature or chilled before you glaze it otherwise the sugar will melt and get absorbed in the cake. Glaze sets quickly, so add nuts immediately after glazing.
Glaze consistency - It should be pouring consistency. Test the consistency by taking a spoonful and drizzle back into the glaze bowl; it should leave a trail.
Glaze too runny - If it is too runny, add more powdered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time) or cornstarch (if you don’t want to make it sweeter) until it's a thick pouring consistency.
Thandai milk - I prefer making mine from scratch and highly recommend doing so but you can also use your favorite store-bought readymade thandai powder/masala to make your thandai.
Serving - You can serve this cake chilled (since thandai is usually served chilled) or warm it up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to get it all warm and gooey.
Frequently asked questions
Thandai cake can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for longer use. Allow cooling completely before storing.
Yes, allow cooling completely, cover in a cling wrap to seal airtight, and then into in a freezer-safe ziplock, before storing in the freezer. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature.
More Holi Recipes
Hope you enjoy this Eggless Thandai Cake!! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️ ! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen!!
Thandai Cake (Eggless)
Equipment
Ingredients
For Thandai Cake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup thandai thandai milk, at room temp
- ½ cup yogurt at room temperature
- ½ cup oil canola or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup sugar
To soak the cake
- ½ cup thandai thandai milk
For Thandai Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoon thandai thandai milk
For Garnishing
- 2 tablespoon sliced almonds or as needed
- 1 tablespoon sliced pistachios or as needed
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals or as needed
- Edible gold optional
Instructions
To bake thandai cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (spray oil) inside the bundt pan. Keep aside.
- In a mixing bowl (or measuring cup) add all the wet ingredients like yogurt, thandai milk, oil, and sugar. Whisk until sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the dry ingredients, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until everything is well combined and smooth (do not over-mix).
- Pour or spoon the batter into the greased bundt pan. Level the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter 3–5 times to remove air bubbles.
- Bake at 350°F for 35-40 mins or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let it stand in the pan for 5-10 mins.
To soak the cake
- Using skewers or fork, poke holes in the bottom of the cake (while the cake is still in the pan).
- Pour half a cup of the Thandai milk over the cake (while the cake is still warm). Spread with a brush or spoon to make sure it spreads evenly all over the cake.
- Cover the cake with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight so the cake can soak up all the thandai.
To glaze
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and thandai syrup to make a glaze.
- Remove the chilled soaked cake and invert it on the cake stand or the serving plate.
- Pour or spoon the glaze over the bundt cake on the top evenly. Help spread with a spoon if needed. It will trickle down slowly.
- Garnish with sliced almonds, pistachios, and dried rose petals. Optional - You can also add some edible gold leaf for a more festive look.
- Soft, moist, and delicious Thandai cake is ready! Slice and Serve!
Hi Sweta, the cake looks delicious. Can this be made in a standard 10" Bundt pan?
Thank you, Sujatha, it's truly delicious!! I haven't tried it in a 10-inch pan. I would recommend 7-8inch pans as otherwise, the cake might not have any height. If you try it, please share how it turned out in the 10-inch pan. thank you!