Vegan strawberry cake from the cookbook Comfort & Joy

In Comfort & Joy, Ravinder Bhogal shows how exuberant, decadent and affordable vegetarian and vegan cooking can be. Comfort & Joy contains dishes for every occasion; from a quick weekday bite to dips and stews for a proper dinner party at the weekend. And then make this delicious strawberry cake too.

Ravinder: ‘India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one British colony and are still united in their love of falooda – a rose-coloured milkshake with foamy basil seeds and noodles. A falooda can have many different flavours (from mango to pistachio), but my own favourite is the version that I believe is the original and, moreover, the best: rooh afza with a thick, concentrated floral syrup that turns the milk Barbie pink.’

Rooh afza

‘Rooh afza strangely means “soul refresher” literally and is available to buy online. My own version is inspired by my friend Ravneet Gill’s excellent rasalai cake. I use three types of milk with rooh afza for it. You can also use chia seeds instead of basil seeds, as after soaking they develop a similar tapioca-like texture.’

How to make strawberry cake

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C and lightly butter a 33 × 23 cm baking tin. 
• Whisk all the ingredients for the falooda milk together in a bowl and refrigerate until needed. 
• Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt into a bowl. Put the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and run the machine on its highest setting for about 7 minutes; a thick, pale mixture should form (you can also use an ordinary bowl and a hand mixer).
• Fold in the flour mixture and rosewater, then do the same with the melted butter. Spoon the batter into the baking tin and bake the cake for 30–35 minutes until golden brown; a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. 

• Remove the cake from the oven, prick it all over and keep it warm. Pour the falooda milk over it and leave it to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Mix the strawberries, basil seeds and rosewater with the sugar and set aside. Before serving, whip the heavy cream in a bowl until it has the soft texture of a crumpled bedsheet. Spread it over the cake and distribute the strawberries on top. Garnish with the rose petals and crushed pistachios.

Title: Comfort & Joy
Author: Ravinder Bhogal
Price: €32,50
Publisher: Cosmos Uitgevers

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