When I worked in an Indian restaurant (as a chef rather than a pastry chef), everyone there thought I was mad. I mean, that’s a given, but their specific complaint was that I would request that the pastry chefs save the ras malai milk for me so I could drink pints of it during service. For those who don’t know what ras malai is, let me enlighten you. It’s an Indian pudding made of light milk dumplings, soaked in sweet, gently spiced milk. The milk contains notes of cardamom, crushed pistachios and sometimes flaked almonds; saffron if you’re lucky, too.
A while back, my friend Mattie bought me a cupcake that was soaked in the stuff and it was sensational, so I thought we should make a whole cake based on it. This cake is baked in a disposable foil container, so it soaks up all that milk. Take it to a barbecue or a picnic, give everyone a spoon and just get stuck in. I guarantee your friends will ask you to make it again and again.
