Slices of saffron milk cake on gold-striped plates with gold spoons beside the cut cake, dried rosebuds around, from above

Cakes & Cupcakes

Saffron Milk Cake

A fragrant twist on an ordinary sponge cake, tinted with a golden hue from the saffron-infused milk.

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A glazed saffron milk cake with orange tulips and teacups A cut saffron milk cake showing its golden crumb

It was whilst making some cardamom and orange puddings that the idea of making something saffron-inspired came to me.

My mind was racing in so many different directions initially, but in the end I decided to settle on a cake incorporating saffron. I have seen some tres leches cakes (I have a masala chai tres leches recipe on the blog) which have added a saffron twist to them, but a friend suggested that I try a saffron milk cake, which she often makes.

Saffron is such a staple in an Indian household and lends itself to both sweet and savoury cooking. Other than for its gorgeous colour, it also adds a beautiful fragrance to cooking.

There is nothing fancy about the cake itself, it is a simple sponge cake. The real magic comes from the saffron-infused milk, which gives the cake a gorgeous golden hue and perfumes the sponge as you bite into the cake. The saffron flavour is somewhat subtle, but still present.

To bring through the saffron more vibrantly, there is a saffron milk glaze over the cake to add a burst of colour to the top. I absolutely love the simplicity of this cake, and its fine, moist crumb.

The only piece of caution which I would share is to make sure that your bundt tin is well prepared, to avoid the unfortunate case of the cake sticking to the pan. Also, I suggest making the saffron milk a day in advance to get the best depth of flavour from the spice.

Thank you to Neha, for sharing this recipe with me. I have based this cake on GoodFood's orange milk cake. I have tweaked the recipe slightly to achieve the desired cake crumb which I enjoy.

An unglazed saffron milk cake beside teacups, from slightly above A cut saffron milk cake with slices, a teacup behind

The recipe

Saffron Milk Cake

adventureswithsugar.com/saffron-milk-cake/

Method

Method: saffron milk

  1. Toast the saffron: Toast the saffron threads on low heat, until they begin to smell fragrant. Then crush them a bit, with the back of a spoon to release the flavours.
  2. Heat the milk: Add in the milk and turmeric and heat, until the milk just begins to boil. Do not let it boil.
  3. Infuse overnight: Remove from heat and keep in the refrigerator to infuse overnight.

Method: saffron milk sponge

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tin: Preheat your oven to 180˚ Celsius. Begin by preparing your bundt pan. Melt the two tablespoons of butter and generously brush the entire interior of the bundt pan. Use two tablespoons of flour to coat the inside of the bundt pan. The flour should stick to the butter. Make sure to tap out all the excess flour from the pan, so that only a thin film is left. Place the bundt pan into the refrigerator until ready to use.
  2. Strain and measure the milk: Strain out the saffron threads from the saffron milk, and measure out 275ml, to be used in the cake. Reserve the remaining milk for the glaze.
  3. Sift the dry ingredients: Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder, turmeric and almonds into a bowl and set aside.
  4. Cream the butter and sugar: Cream the butter, orange zest and sugar until light and fluffy, this should take about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the vanilla and eggs: Then, add in the vanilla followed by the eggs. Make sure to add one egg at a time, let it properly incorporate before adding the next one.
  6. Add the dry ingredients and milk: Then add in half the sifted dry ingredients and mix until combined. Then add in half the saffron milk and mix. Repeat with the remaining half of the wet and dry ingredients.
  7. Bake: Place the batter into the bundt tin and bake for 45 – 55 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  8. Cool and turn out: Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack, to cool completely.

Method: saffron glaze

  1. Sift the icing sugar: Sift the icing sugar.
  2. Add the saffron milk: Add in the saffron milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.
  3. Adjust the thickness: For a thicker glaze, you will use closer to 60ml and for a thin glaze closer to 50ml.
  4. Glaze the cake: Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com

Comments (4)

  1. @justbrotherbaker

    This was the perfect recipe! The cake came out beautifully yellow and the saffron flavor was perfect - this has easily become one of my new favorite cakes!

    1. Suvar Baker

      Hi there! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and making the time to leave a comment :) I’m so glad you enjoyed it 😊

  2. Vidya Bhojwani

    This is such a beautiful cake. Lovely light orange, nice strong saffron flavour. Light and fluffy. Thanks for this recipe!

    1. Suvar Baker

      Hi Vidya I am so glad you enjoyed the cake, I love the strong saffron flavour.

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