It is a teatime guilty pleasure of the Zoroastrian community in Pakistan, now predominantly based in Karachi. ‘Guilty pleasure’ because it is quite rich in taste and heavy in texture, despite being wholesome. You won’t find it in any bakery in Pakistan, although many in Mumbai offer several varieties of the Mawa Cake, also called the Khoya Cake.

Insisting I try her Mawa Cake, Natalia tells me that it is not easily available commercially in Pakistan. “We do sometimes make them at home, so you may get to taste it in a Parsi home,” she says.

Just a small bite of the cake warms the soul. You want more than a bite. You want a piece. Next, you inquire about the price and dig into your bag for your wallet.

The traditional sweet and rich teatime cake of the Zoroastrian community is not as plain as it looks

Naturally, I thought that Natalia must have learned to make the Mawa Cake from her mother, who must have learned from her mother, with the recipe passed down in the family for generations. But Natalia tells me that she learnt making the cake online, on Zoom, from celebrated chef and culinary teacher Niloufer Mavalvala.

Mavalvala is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning chef, a cooking blogger, who has penned several cookbooks as well. “She has her own twist on traditional Parsi recipes,” says Natalia. “We used to be 10 to 15 students in the Zoom cooking class.”

Natalia tops her Mawa Cake with an assorted mix of dried fruits, such as pistachios, cashews and almonds. “But, in Mumbai, they have different versions of Mawa Cake,” she says, adding that they include the Kaju [cashew] Mawa Cake and the Chocolate Mawa Cake.

“But the original or traditional cake, which I had there, was from an Iranian bakery,” she continues. “It had no special topping. It was totally plain.” That was back in 2015, when she visited India. “It was also the first time I had tasted the cake as it is not so common in Pakistan.”

A few years after her return, Natalia attempted making the cake based on an old family recipe she acquired from an aunt in her residential compound. “It may look like a plain cake but, with so many ingredients and so many steps, it is not that plain,” she points out. “Later, after properly learning how to make it from Niloufer Mavalvala in 2019, I have started making them for exhibitions or when I get orders.”

Natalia, who is also a professional actor and teaches acting at a school in Karachi, has always enjoyed cooking and baking as a hobby. Upon her mother’s suggestion, she took her products to the now-closed Agha’s Supermarket, where they sold well. But her big break came when she posted her products online. “It got me my first big order of 40 brownies,” she beams at the memory. Someday, she also plans to open her own bakery.

RECIPE

There are several takes on the Mawa Cake. Some make it without eggs, some with very little cardamom. “Many people don’t like cardamom, but with the khoya [milk fudge] in there, the cardamom flavour is quite mild,” Natalia points out.

One batch depends on the size of the order she receives: it can be in the shape of one, one-and-a-half or two-pound cakes or it can be Mawa Cupcakes. “Basically, you start by browning unsalted butter in a pan over the stove. You can do it one day prior to the baking too and then leave it to cool or refrigerate,” Natalia explains.

A two-pound cake requires 300 to 350 grams of khoya, 200 grams of butter, two cups of maida or white flour, 150ml milk, icing sugar and four eggs, along with half a teaspoon of cardamom powder and one teaspoon of baking powder.

Mix the butter and sugar, add four eggs and whisk, before adding the khoya and whisking some more. Then, add the flour, baking powder and cardamom powder. Mix gently, using the cut and fold method. Lastly, add in the milk slowly and mix. Transfer to your baking tin lined with butter paper.

Take some pistachios, almonds and cashew nuts, and coat them well with dried flour, before sprinkling on the cake batter. Next, put it into a preheated oven to bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes. Put in a skewer to see if it comes out clean. If it does, your Mawa Cake is ready. Cool it and then sprinkle it with dried rose petals, if you like.

The writer is a member of staff. X: @HasanShazia

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