Ravinder Bhogal’s strawberry falooda milk cake recipe

“British colonial rule may have divided up India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but we are all united in our love of falooda – a rose-tinted milkshake textured with bubbly basil seeds and noodles,” says Ravinder Bhogal.

Faloodas come in many flavours, but her favourite is “the original and the best – rooh afza, make a thick concentrated floral syrup that turns milk Barbie pink”. The syrup can be easily found in Indian and Pakistani supermarkets.

“Here, inspired by my friend Ravneet Gill’s excellent Rasmalai Cake, I have used rooh afza-flavoured milk to make a sort of tres leches cake. If you can’t find basil seeds, use chia seeds, which have a similar tapioca-like texture when hydrated.”

Ingredients:

225g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

½tsp salt

5 eggs

175g caster sugar

1tsp rosewater

115g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

For the falooda milk:

50ml rooh afza

200g condensed milk

250ml whole milk

300ml double cream

For the topping:

300g strawberries, sliced

2tbsp basil seeds

1tbsp rosewater

1tsp caster sugar

Dried rose petals, for sprinkling

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4 and lightly grease a three-litre (33 × 23cm) baking dish with butter.

2. In a jug or bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the falooda milk and leave in the fridge to chill till required.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Put the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed for about seven minutes until thick and pale (or whisk in a bowl with a hand-held electric whisk). Fold in the flour mixture and rosewater, then fold in the melted butter. Spoon into the baking dish, smooth the top and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

4. When you remove the cake from the oven, prick it all over with a skewer and keep warm. Pour over the falooda milk and leave to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Comfort & Joy: Irresistible Pleasures From A Vegetarian Kitchen by Ravinder Bhogal is published by Bloomsbury, priced £26. Available now. Photography by Kristin Perers.