This tea-time snack is very popular in Pakistan and India. It's a staple crunchy, crispy dry biscuit that people consume in breakfasts and evening time. They look fancy but are very easy to put together. Eat it as-is or sink it in the tea to enjoy it more. Once you bake cake rusk at home, you will never buy them from the store.
Try my Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies, Orange Shortbread Cookies, Matcha Cookies and Nankhatai cookies as well.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Popular Teatime Snack: these biscotti like dry and crunchy biscuits are full of flavor and is a staple biscuit in Pakistan and India.
- Easy to bake: you need to follow the easy method to get perfect results for this easy to bake recipe.
- Few ingredients: this recipes requires a few ingredients for these biscuits.
- Crunchy & crispy cookies: love crunchy and dry biscuits? Then this recipe is for you.
- Texture: These rusks are crisp with a dark golden brown color and made with only just few basic ingredients.
- Better than market: These cake-rusks are way better than you will find in the local markets.
- Enjoy with Tea: These cake rusks are crisp, bursting with flavor, have an irresistible aroma and perfectly compliment a cup of tea.
Table of Contents
Famous Pakistani & Indian Recipe
I love bakes all around the globe but this one is close to heart because this recipe is from my motherland - Pakistan. You'll find it commonly in local bakeries in Pakistan, and India as well. Cake rusks are served as the favorite tea time snack and everyone enjoys it with a hot cup of tea. Nan khatais and these cake rusks are always there on the top of the list when you think of tea-time in Pakistan.
Texture-wise, these cake rusks are close to Italian biscottis.
Cake Rusks VS. Italian Biscotti
- The cake rusk have a similar texture like Italian biscottis. They are both baked twice in preheated oven at different temperatures.
- Cake rusks are made simple plain cake whereas biscottis are made with hard biscuit dough is used.
- The plain cake used to make cake rusks in this recipe is very similar to the regular vanilla sponge cake or the yellow cake (as commonly known in Pakistan).
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: gives structure to these cookies.
- Sugar: adds sweetness.
- Eggs: used to bind the batter together and also as a leavening agent.
- Vanilla Essence: enhances and elevates the overall flavor.
- Cardamom Powder: enhances the flavor.
- Butter: the fat for this recipe.
- Baking powder: the leavening agent for cake rusks.
Instructions
These are basic process shots for this recipe. For detailed instructions refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until the eggs are fluffy. Then add in the butter, vanilla extract and yellow food color and mix until combined.
2. Mix the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix.
3. Fold in with a spatula just until incorporated.
4. Pour the mixture in the pan and place it in the middle rack and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until a wooden skewer when inserted in the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.
5. Let the cake cool at room temperature before cutting it into pieces.
6. Cut the cake in half.
7. Cut one-inch pieces of the cake as shown in the picture.
8. Place the pieces in the baking tray and place them back in the preheated oven.
9. Change the sides of the cake pieces after 25 minutes or until it is golden brown on the top. Bake the cake pieces again until the other side is golden brown as well. Take out the cake pieces and let them cool completely before placing them in an air-tight container.
Baked Twice At Different Oven Temperatures
The oven temperature is critical and important for this recipe. The recipe calls to bakes the cake rusks twice at different oven temperatures.
In the first part the cake is baked at 350 F in a preheated oven in the middle rack of the oven. In the second step, cake pieces are baked at 300 F for 25 minutes on each side.
Variations
- Cardamom: Incorporate 1 teaspoon ground cardamom in these cake rusks.
- Cinnamon: Add ½ - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in the batter to bring more aroma to the batter.
- Orange Zest: Add 2 teaspoon orange zest in the batter if you want to give it a zesty orangish flavor.
Expert Tips
Use a square pan: Always a square pan to bake cake rusks or you won't get the right shape of the cake rusks.
Follow the step-by-step pictures: In order to bake perfect cake rusks, follow the step-by-step instructions closely.
Cool down the cake: After the first bake it is important to let the cake cool down before cutting the pieces and baking them again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you may use the yellow food color in the recipe. It will give a good color to the rusks. Simply add a ¼ teaspoon of yellow food color to the batter before adding the dry ingredients.
Yes, you can double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 pan instead of the 9-inch pan in case you want to double the recipe.
Yes, baking the cake rusks twice is critical because the cake pieces will dry and turn into the crunchy and crispy treats after this second bake.
How to Store
- These cookies will stay fresh in an air-tight container for about a week.
- Keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Wrap the cake rusks in plastic wraps and store them in the freezer for up to three months.
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Recipe
Cake Rusk (Indian/Pakistani Biscottis)
Equipment
- 1 Electric Mixer
- 1 9-inch Square Pan
- 1 Baking Sheet
- Rubber Spatula
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Digital Scale
Ingredients
- 5 eggs (large)
- ¾ cup castor sugar (150 g)
- ⅔ cup butter (150 g) room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder (9 g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon yellow food color (2.5 g) optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350 F. Take a 9-inch square baking pan and spray it with a baking spray. Place a parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl until the eggs are fluffy, and the texture is airy with an electric mixer.
- It will take 3 – 4 minutes.
- Mix sugar to the eggs and beat for another minute. Add in the butter, vanilla extract and yellow food color and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Fold in with a spatula just until incorporated.
- Pour the mixture in the pan and place it in the middle rack and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until a wooden skewer when inserted in the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.
- Let the cake cool at room temperature before cutting it into pieces.
- Place the cake on a wire rack until it is cooled completely.
- Preheat the oven again at 300 F.
- Cut the cake in half. Then cut one-inch pieces of the cake.
- Then cut one-inch pieces of the cake.
- Place the pieces in the baking tray and place them back in the preheated oven.
- Change the sides of the cake pieces after 25 minutes or until it is golden brown on the top. Bake the cake pieces again until the other side is golden brown as well.
- Take out the cake pieces and let them cool completely before placing them in an air-tight container.
Tazeem Anwar
I Tried this recipe with my kids. Very easy to follow and amazing results. Highly recommended.
GG
Fantastic recipe! Thank you for sharing. I was craving this Pakistani snack and your recipe nails it! My husband and I are devouring the rusks with chai.
The only change I made to the method was that I creamed the butter and sugar first before adding the eggs one by one. I was too scared to do it the other way round for fear of curdling.
Madeeha Anwar
I am glad cake rusks turned out good. Thanks for trying the recipe and for your comment Ghazala.