DIPAK'S VEGAN RAS MALAI CAKE
Dipak Hirani
Principal Pensions Data Services
What this dish means to me
Ras malai was a childhood favourite of mine — a rich, creamy dessert from the Indian subcontinent made with soft dairy-based balls soaked in sweetened milk, cardamom, saffron, and pistachios. A few years ago, as I moved towards a largely vegan diet, I struggled to find a vegan version that matched the taste and texture I grew up with. Since traditional ras malai is heavily dairy-based, I started experimenting with my own recipe. I combined elements from vegan sponge cake recipes with classic ras malai flavours — like rose, cardamom, and saffron-infused oat milk — to replicate that soft, soaked-in fluffy texture. After a lot of testing, tweaking, and tasting, I landed on a recipe that I felt was a close replica of the original. It's now the most requested dessert I make amongst my family and friends.
SERVES
12
MINUTES
90
DIFFICULTY
7/10
INGREDIENTS
CAKE:
240g plain flour
220g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
0.5 teaspoon salt
260ml oat milk (any milk can be used)
2 teaspoon vanilla
90ml sunflower oil
1 tablespoon vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 pinch of saffron
2 green cardamom pods
250ml Elmlea plant double cream (any whipping cream can be used)
Handful of pistachios
Dried rose petals (optional)
MILK SYRUP:
500ml oat milk (any milk can be used)
75g sugar
1 pinch saffron
2 green cardamom pods
METHOD
Step 1
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda and salt. Open the two cardamom pods and crush or grind the cardamom and add to the bowl.
Step 2
In a bowl add the oat milk, sunflower oil, vanilla, pinch of saffron and vinegar/lemon juice (this will help curdle the oat milk to make a vegan buttermilk).
Step 3
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together gently until the large lumps are gone, small lumps are fine.
Step 4
Line a 9-inch square tin with greaseproof paper. Pour the cake batter into the tin.
Step 5
Place into a preheated oven at 180c and bake for 20 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Step 6
Let the cake cool down fully and cut into small squares.
Step 7
Whip the double cream and pipe or spoon onto the cake squares.
Step 8
Top with crushed pistachios and dried rose petals (optional).
Step 9
Mix together the oat milk, sugar, saffron and crushed/ground cardamom.
Step 10
Place the cake into a bowl, add the milk and enjoy!
Feel free to flavour the milk however you want! The version in the image below contains crushed pistachios (and green food colouring) in the milk syrup.
