Preheat the oven to 180C/356F. Grease and line an 8 inch round baking tin.
Add butter and jaggery powder to a bowl. Make sure the butter is at room temperature. Cream together until pale and fluffy using a hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment on high speed for about 3-4 minutes.
Add grated khoya and vanilla extract. Continue to beat on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Ensure there are no lumps.
Add whole milk and curd and combine on low speed for about 2 minutes.
Add semolina or sooji to the bowl and mix well. This helps the sooji swell up slightly
Sieve all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda into the mixture and mix well
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking tin and top with sliced almonds. Bake for 45 minutes at 180C/356F or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
Cool for 10 minutes and remove from tin. Place on a wire rack and cool completely before serving
Video
Notes
Substitute for Khoya: If you’re unable to get your hands on khoya, you could just substitute it for ricotta cheese or even homemade paneer. The cake will taste different, but is sure going to be a hit, nevertheless!
Use bombay rava or another fine semolina for best results. The coarser sooji makes this cake really crumbly
You can substitute all-purpose flour with some amount of whole wheat flour, to give it a healthier touch, but the cake will be denser. I don't recommend using 100% whole wheat flour in this recipe
If you’re whisking these up for your next party, mawa cupcakes would taste great too.