Eggless Jamun Cake

This eggless Jamun cake is all about the texture, colour, and delicious flavours coming together in this simple one-bowl recipe.

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Growing up, there used to be a huge jamun tree in my building. Come summer, and the ground would be covered in purple and blue hues from the smashed fruit falling off the trees. My friends and I would take small baskets from home and pick up the pieces that were still intact and then have a little competition to count who found the most fruit.

Memories that get refreshed every summer even now as Jamun season rolls around – which is usually June-July in India.

As a baker and recipe curator, it once struck me that I had not seen too many recipes with Jamun ever. It seemed odd, given the love affair the baking world had with berries, why had we overlooked our very own Indian berry. Would Jamun really pair well with western desserts? Would it hold shape, structure, flavour and look aesthetic? I knew I wanted to find out and that’s how the idea of using Jamun in a cake was planted in my head.

The Process 

I knew that I wanted the Jamun flavour to really stand out and wanted to keep the crumb delicate instead of making it dense like a regular tea cake. Which is why I swapped some quantity of refined flour for fine semolina. Semolina not only adds a beautiful texture to the cake, but also lets the fruit flavour shine by creating an open crumb. I’ve also added lemon zest to the batter to enhance the citrus notes of the Jamun and both flavours pair really well together much like blueberry and lemon go hand-in-hand.

Jamun Compote/Jam 

The skin of the Jamun fruit is quite thick but contains a good amount of flavour. If I added that directly to the batter, the skin would have separated from the flesh of the fruit and dried out to give a weird mouthfeel. However removing it would mean giving up on the flavour as well as the gorgeous natural purple hue of the fruit. So I made a very quick and easy Jamun compote separately that is honestly a stunning recipe in itself.

It even got featured as a summer recipe to try by a leading publication here.    

The cake is just one of the many places you can use the compote in. It can also be used independently and i’m guilty of putting it over everything for those few days right after I make it – ice-creams, pies, puddings, on toast even!

For a quick video tutorial of the Jamun Compote you can visit here – Easy Jamun Jam/Compote   

So go right ahead and make this Jamun cake while the fruit is still in season. Enjoy as-is or serve with ice cream with more Jamun jam on top! 

Check out the process of this Eggless Jamun Cake recipe in this quick video at loveandflourbypooja

Want to go through some more fruity tea-time cakes? Check out these recipes

• Mango Semolina Cake
• Orange Almond Cake
• Lemon Loaf Cake
• Upside-Down Apple Cake