Recipe: We’re Nuts About Hetal Vasavada’s Eggless Yoghurt and Pistachio Cake

Shrikhand – a sweet Indian dessert made with strained yoghurt – is a staple at many Diwali celebrations. After mains, it’s served in generous bowls and might be topped with saffron, chopped nuts or aromatic cardamom. But what happens when the celebration ends and leftovers linger in the fridge?

“My house always had leftover shrikhand... after a big family dinner, especially after Diwali,” cookbook author Hetal Vasavada writes in Desi Bakes. “We’d just eat it with dinner throughout the week or try and pawn it off on guests or family members.”

Vasavada has since found the perfect solution: turning that leftover shrikhand into a moist, fragrant yoghurt cake. With a tangy shrikhand glaze and a sprinkle of pistachios, it’s a clever, irresistible way to give new life to a familiar favourite. Mini bundts make it easy to share, or you can go large for a show-stopping centrepiece.

Vasavada also has a hot tip to ensure it comes out in one piece. “Because the cake is eggless, it’s extremely delicate, so be gentle when unmoulding it from the pan!” she writes.

Shrikhand yoghurt cake by Hetal Vasavada

Makes 8 mini bundt cakes or one 8-cup (1.9L) bundt cake (see note below)

Yoghurt cake
Softened butter and cooking spray, for the pan
1½ cups plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp coarse (kosher) salt
1 cup shrikhand (store-bought or homemade)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
½ cup whole milk

Glaze (see alternative in note below)
1 tbsp shrikhand
1 tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp chopped pistachios

Method

For the yoghurt cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease 8 mini bundt pans or one 8-cup bundt pan liberally with butter and then cooking spray. Double-greasing the pan ensures that your bundt cake will slide out without getting stuck.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together the shrikhand, granulated sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs until combined and smooth. Add the flour mixture to the bowl in three increments and stir until there are no clumps of dry flour. The batter should be thick. Stir in the milk until smooth. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan or pans until ¾ full.

Bake the mini bundt cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or the large bundt cake for 45 to 55 minutes. Remove when a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the mini bundts cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, or the large bundt for 25 minutes. Carefully turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze

In a small bowl, whisk together the shrikhand, milk and powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cakes and sprinkle with pistachios. Store the cakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Notes

You can also bake this cake in an 20cm x 10cm loaf pan or a 23cm round pan. If you use a loaf pan, bake the cake for 35 to 45 minutes; for the round pan, bake for 25 to 35 minutes.

For extra flavour and colour, make the shrikhand glaze with 2 tablespoons shrikhand mixed with a small pinch of saffron and ¼ tsp of ground cardamom.

This is an edited extract from Desi Bakes: 85 Recipes Bringing the Best of Indian Flavors to Western-Style Desserts by Hetal Vasavada, published by Hardie Grant Books. Photography by Hetal Vasavada.

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