A no-bake tres leches cake infused with cardamom that captures Rus Malai flavors in just 5 core ingredients and 30 minutes of active time. Ladyfingers are soaked in a three-milk mixture, then chilled—no baking required.
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Prepare three milk mixture by whisking evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream in a bowl. Add a very small amount of cardamom powder (if using), and taste. Adjust the flavor per your liking from there
In a clean dish (I used a 7x11" dish), stack ladyfingers tightly to create one layer. Fill any gaps by trimming ladyfingers.
Using a 1/4 cup measure, start drenching the ladyfingers. Make sure you get every one of them. You will use half of the milk mixture here. Don't worry if it looks like a lot, the ladyfingers will soak up the milk
Wait 10-20 minutes for the ladyfingers to soak up most of the milk mixture
Repeat with the second layer of ladyfingers
Place the dish in the fridge for ~2 hours
In the meanwhile, whip up heavy cream to stiff peaks
Spread half of the heavy cream on top of the ladyfingers, using an offset spatula to even it out
In the other half, add any food color of your liking (or don't). Transfer to a piping bag, and pipe to decorate. You can use any style of piping you like!
Decorate with crushed freeze dried strawberries and chopped pistachios
Serve and enjoy!
Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days. Do not freeze as the creamy texture breaks down; serve chilled directly from the fridge.
Yes, the recipe notes you can use milk if you prefer a lighter cake, though it will be less rich than the full-cream version.
Start with 1/8 teaspoon, taste the mixture, then add up to 1/4 teaspoon total. Cardamom is potent, so it's best to build gradually.
The recipe requires chilling time after assembly; typically 2-4 hours or overnight for best texture and flavor absorption.
Yes, this dessert actually improves when made 1-2 days ahead as the ladyfingers fully absorb the milk mixture and flavors meld.
Sponge cake or pound cake sliced thin are the closest substitutes, though ladyfingers' structure handles the milk soak best.
