Thali sweet, a coconut and semolina cake, is an East Indian specialty, particularly associated with Christmas and traditional weddings, and is baked in a round, shallow pan, hence the name “thali”. A Thali is a shallow pan used in kitchens all over India, if not to eat in, to prep food in and in this case to cook in. My mother used to call it a ‘Thala’ and had them in many sizes and I use them everyday in my kitchen for prep, you may have seen a few in a few of my videos.

Here’s a more detailed look at the history and characteristics of Thali sweet: 

  • Origin and Tradition: Thali sweet is a traditional East Indian dessert, often prepared during Christmas celebrations and for weddings.
  • Ingredients: It’s made with coconut, semolina (a type of wheat flour), eggs, butter, and ground almonds, similar to the Goan baath.
  • Name: The name “thali” comes from the round, shallow pan in which the cake is baked.
  • Cultural Significance: Thali sweet holds a special place in East Indian culture, representing celebrations and festive occasions.
  • Similarities to Goan Baath: The cake shares similarities with the Goan baath, another popular dessert, it differs in size, preparation and ingredients like Rose Water. The Thali sweet also needs to be left to stand for 2 – 8 hours so the Semolina can bloom and have a beautiful texture when baked.

Typically this cake is served pretty plain, I’ve accentuated the decoration with some of the key ingredients using Rose petals and sweetened desiccated Coconut. And to really jazz it up, I added some edible silver leaf, you can decorate it anyway you like.

Thali sweet

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Ingredients
  

  • 5 Egg whites
  • 400 grams Sugar
  • 100 grams Butter
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 350 gms Semolina
  • 3 cups of Grated Coconut frozen & defrosted
  • 1 tsp Rose Water
  • 1 tsp Baking powder

Instructions
 

  • Whip together the Egg whites till they get white and foamy and double in size and set aside
  • Cream the Sugar & Butter
  • Add the Egg Yolks, one at a time, beating to incorporate in between
  • Add a quarter of the Semolina, mix and add in another quarter
  • Start folding the egg whites in a tbsp or so at a time after you’ve added in almost half of the egg whites, add it the rest of the semolina and whisk it in
  • Add in the rest of the egg white and fold it in with a spatula
  • Allow the Semolina to bloom soaking in all the liquid – leave this for 2 – 8 hours for best results. If leaving this alone for longer than 2 hours, make sure to cover it
  • After the semolina mixture has soaked add the Coconut in
  • Note, if using fresh Coconut, start with 2 cups, add more and eyeball it.
  • Add the Rose Water & the Baking powder and mix again
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 30 – 45 mins
  • Once done, remove and allow the cake to cool
  • To cut it, place on a board, I like to use a ruler for consistency, just cut in one direction and then cut in another direction so you get diamond shapes.
  • To jazz it up and this is totally optional, Working on smaller areas, drizzle some Royal Icing, and sprinkle some sweetened desiccated coconut and also some edible Rose petals.
  • Add a blob of thicker Royal Icing to the centre of each diamond and add an almond half
  • Finally add some pieces of edible Silver leaf over the top