This Eggless Thandai Cake has plenty of aromatic flavor from the thandai mix. I topped it with creamy shrikhand frosting that is so easy to make. It’s a unique Indian fusion dessert to make for festivals like Holi, Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, or any special occasion. Easy enough for beginners and surely a crowd-pleaser.
Holi is around the corner so I thought of mixing up two of my favorites, a cake and plenty of Indian flavors. Last year I made this Thandai Mousse Cake and it was the star of my party. Kids and adults were pleased alike and the cake was polished in minutes.
My love for thandai is not hidden from you. If you haven’t tried my gulab jamun thandai mousse, Indian flavor cupcakes, or this thandai fudge yet, then please do it.
Jump to:
- What is thandai
- How to make Thandai powder at home.
- The ingredient list.
- Step-by-step instructions.
- How to store this cake without frosting.
- Storage and shelf-life of thandai cake.
- Frosting ideas.
- For filling and decorating the cake.
- Make Thandai Cake Jars.
- Expert tips.
- Frequently asked questions
- Recipes to try on Indian festivals.
- Eggless Thandai Cake Recipe
- Eggless Thandai Cake (Shrikhand Frosting).
What is thandai
Thandai is a traditional Indian drink that is popularly consumed during the festival of Holi. Thandai is believed to have cooling properties and is often consumed during the hot summer months to combat heatstroke and dehydration. It is a refreshing drink that is made with a blend of nuts, spices, and milk.
The ingredients used to make thandai vary depending on personal preference, but typically include almonds, pistachios, cashews, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, black pepper, cardamom, saffron, and rose petals. These ingredients are ground into a fine paste or powder and mixed with milk, sugar, and sometimes ice to make a sweet and aromatic beverage.
While thandai mix powder is readily available in all Indian grocery stores, it is surprisingly very easy to make at home.
How to make Thandai powder at home.
- ¼ cup almonds, blanched and skin removed.
- ¼ cup cashews or pistachio
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
- 2 generous pinches of saffron strands
- 3-4 cardamom pods or 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
Instructions:
In a high-speed blender add everything and blend until a fine powder.
Use as needed by adding it to cold milk with sugar and ice cubes.
The ingredient list.
This thandai cake is made with easy-to-find ingredients probably sitting in your pantry. I make it without eggs or butter and you will not even miss them. It’s basically all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, soda, oil, yogurt, salt, and milk. Other ingredients that make this cake unique are-
Thandai powder -I have used homemade one. The recipe is mentioned above. You can use store-bought mix. Just reduce the sugar as mentioned in the notes.
Rose water – Instead of vanilla I have used rose water which gives a lot of freshness to the cake. You may skip it or use kewra instead.
For the frosting I have used shrikhand which takes this cake to the next level. I have mixed a little bit of whipping cream with the shrikhand to make it light and fluffy. It tastes like cream cheese frosting, just better!!!
Step-by-step instructions.
For the cake.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan. Add a parchment round on the base of the pan. In a large bowl, beat the yogurt, oil, and rose extract with sugar together until light and fluffy, for about 1 minute. Add in warm thandai milk. Whisk until combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Now add the dry ingredients in increments to the liquid and fold until combined.
- Whisk until lump-free. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting.
- Prick the cake several times all over with a fork.
- Brush or spoon up the prepared thandai milk all over on top evenly.
- Scoop the frosting and spread it on the top of the cake, you can make swirls with a spoon too.
- Sprinkle nuts and rose petals if desired.
How to store this cake without frosting.
To store thandai cake, follow these simple steps:
- Let the cake cool completely to room temperature.
- Cut the cake into slices of your desired thickness.
- Place the cake slices in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap.
- Store the container or wrapped cake slices in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
- If you want to store the cake for a longer period of time, you can freeze it. Wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. The cake can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
- To thaw frozen cake, remove it from the freezer and let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.
By following these storage instructions, you can enjoy your thandai cake for several days or even weeks to come!
Storage and shelf-life of thandai cake.
The shrikhand frosting is perishable. You will have to refrigerate the cake at all times. The cake will last for 4-5 days in the fridge. I do not recommend freezing it with the frosting.
Frosting ideas.
- I highly recommend the shrikhand frosting. If you are not up for it then drizzle the cake with some thandai lemon sugar glaze and dried rose petals.
- Once the cake has cooled, you can dust it with powdered sugar or decorate it with a simple whipped cream or frosting, if desired.
- I needed only 1 cup of frosting for this recipe. To make it easy, I have used storebought shrikhand and cool whip whipping cream. Cool whip original is a whipped topping found in the freezer section in the USA.
- Homemade kesar elaichi shrikhand works well.
- If you stay in India, non-dairy whipping cream works great.
For filling and decorating the cake.
If you want to fill the cake, frost the sides and the top and pipe swirls on the cake you will need 4 cups of frosting. So, plan accordingly.
Make Thandai Cake Jars.
If you are hosting a party or catering for a crowd then turn this cake into fancy cake jars or trifles. Simply layer a jar, 4 oz glasses, or plastic serving cups with thandai cake and shrikhand frosting. It makes an elegant single-serve dessert for any occasion.
Expert tips.
- Do not over-whisk the ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Always frost after the cake is completely cooled down.
- Do not skip pricking and drenching the top of the cake thandai milk. It makes it super moist.
- Make and assemble the cake at least a day in advance for the flavors to deepen.
Frequently asked questions
Can you turn them into cupcakes?
Yes of course, bake it at 350 deg F, 1980 deg C for 18-20 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the centermost cupcake comes out clean.
How to make a vegan thandai cake?
Use homemade thandai powder as a store-bought one that has sugar in it. Follow my recipe and substitute dairy with non-dairy alternatives like vegan yogurt, organic sugar, and milk.
Can you skip the frosting?
Yes, you can but it won’t be exciting to serve. I have used a very easy frosting recipe. If you are not up for it then drizzle the cake with some thandai lemon sugar glaze and dried rose petals. You can simply dust it with powdered sugar.
What pan sizes to use?
This recipe makes a good 8” or 9” cake, or a three-layer 6” cake. You can cut the recipe in half or double it to make a 9 by 13 cake.
What is the cake weight?
The final cake weighs a little over 1 kg with light frosting. If you decide to fill and frost it may go up to 1.5 kgs.
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Recipes to try on Indian festivals.
Eggless Thandai Cake Recipe
Eggless Thandai Cake (Shrikhand Frosting).
Ingredients
To heat up.
- 1 cup milk (235 ml)
- 3 tablespoon thandai powder (21 grams) homemade or store-bought.
For the cake.
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (218 grams)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (17 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (163 grams)
- ½ cup yogurt (120 grams) homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup oil (110 ml)
- 1 teaspoon rose water optional
For soaking the cake.
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon homemade thandai powder see notes
- 1 teaspoon sugar see notes
For the frosting
- ¾ cup kesar elaichi shrikhand homemade or store-bought.
- ¼ cup original cool whip or equivalent whipped cream
For garnish (optional)
- 2 tablespoons cup slivered/ chopped nuts almonds, pistachios, or cashews
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
- Pinch of cardamom powder.
Instructions
- Heat up thandai powder whisking in the milk until it comes to a simmer. This will activate the thandai flavor.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan. Add a parchment round on the base of the pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the yogurt, oil, and rose extract with sugar together until light and fluffy, for about 1 minute. Add in warm thandai milk. Whisk until combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Now add the dry ingredients in increments to the liquid and fold until combined. Whisk until lump-free.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cake has cooled completely.
- Prepare the warm thandai milk for soaking.
- Add thandai powder and sugar to the milk and warm it up until a simmer.
- Let it cool down to lukewarm before adding it to the cake.
- Prick it several times all over with a fork.
- Brush or spoon up the prepared thandai milk all over on top evenly.
For the frosting.
- Thaw the cool whip overnight or for 3-4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Gently fold the shrikhand with it to create a fluffy frosting.
- Scoop the frosting and spread it on the top of the cake, you can make swirls with a spoon too.
- Sprinkle nuts and rose petals if desired.
- Refrigerate the cake at least for 2 hours, or best overnight before eating.
Notes
Possible substitutes.
For the cake.- I have used homemade thandai powder. So easy to make and the recipe is given in the post above.
- If you are using store-bought thandai masala, it already has added sugar. So instead of ¾th cup add only ½ cup sugar.
- If using store-bought thandai mix then skip the sugar.
- Since I frosted the cake with shrikhand, the cake sponge is not overly sweet. Overall the cake has the right amount of sweetness. But do adjust to your taste.
- Once the cake has cooled, you can dust it with powdered sugar or decorate it with a simple whipped cream or frosting, if desired.
- I highly recommend the shrikhand frosting. If you are not up for it then drizzle the cake with some thandai lemon sugar glaze and dried rose petals.
- I needed only 1 cup of frosting for this recipe. To make it easy, I have used storebought shrikhand and cool whip whipping cream. Cool whip original is a whipped topping found in the freezer section in the USA.
- Homemade kesar elaichi shrikhand works well.
- If you stay in India, non-dairy whipping cream works great.
For filling and decorating the cake.
- I have kept the cake fuss-free and just added frosting on the top.
- If you want to fill the cake, frost the sides and the top and pipe swirls on the cake you will need 4 cups of frosting. So, plan accordingly.
Expert tips.
- Do not over-whisk the ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Always frost after the cake is completely cooled down.
- Do not skip pricking and drenching the top of the cake thandai milk. It makes it super moist.
- Make and assemble the cake at least a day in advance for the flavors to deepen.
Can I substitute the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour for this recipe ?
You can, just adjust the water quantity accordingly as it will need more liquid. The cake can be a bit denser as whole wheat flour will be used.