Cake Rusk is a popular Indian style biscotti or rusk made using vanilla sponge cake. This is a delicious bakery-style crisp, firm, golden cake rusk recipe. This simple homemade cookie with subtle flavor goes perfectly with a glass of milk, coffee, or tea.
About Cake Rusk
Cake Rusk is a popular baked treat. It is very similar to a biscotti.
A classic vanilla sponge cake is baked twice to make cake rusk. Hence, the name – cake rusk.
They are a simplistic, tasty, vanilla, cardamom flavored biscuit also known as – toast, rusk, ruskul, which you can find in almost every bakery in India.
These cake rusk always remind me of childhood in a small town, where the local bakeries use to sell them. And this economic bake without fail accompanied my morning glass of milk during all those schooling years.
Two-Step Process
This cake rusk recipe is a two step easy to follow process. Or I should say rusk is a twice baked biscuit.
Step 1) Bake a vanilla sponge cake. The foundation of the cake rusk is a basic sponge cake.
Step 2) Cut and bake again the sponge cake slices until firm, crunchy, and deep golden.
The Sponge Cake
A traditional style vanilla sponge cake with eggs makes the best cake rusk. The aroma of baked eggs, and vanilla, yields bakery-style rusk.
To make egg-free cake rusk, follow my eggless sponge cake recipe to lay the foundation for making the rusk.
I am using a traditional style sponge cake recipe made with eggs, butter, flour, vanilla, and white sugar for making cake rusk.
Watch Cake Rusk Recipe Video
My Tried & True Tips
Sponge Cake: Make sure the cake is nicely baked, spongy, light, and airy. Allow it to cool down completely before cutting into slices or it might crumble.
Shape: There is no hard and fast rule about the size of the cake rusk. Usually, they are rectangular. The height of the sponge cake defines the width of the cake rusk.
Hence, you can use a small size tin or double the ingredients to make broad, rectangular cake rusk (as shown in images).
Twice Baking: While baking the rusk, flip or turn each piece at regular intervals for even baking and crispness. The time of twice baking may vary depending upon the size of the oven, and the moistness of the cake.
Please note the texture of the cake rusk will become more firm once it cools down rather than when it is straight out of the oven. So bake them accordingly.
Storage: Before storing making sure to cool down the cake rusk on a wire rack. Do not store them while they are warm to touch as they will become soft, and mushy.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature like any other freshly baked biscuit for 7 – 10 days.
Disclaimer: The cake rusk shown in the images was made in 2016 using my eggless vanilla sponge cake recipe in a 7-inch square tin. Hence, the color and shape are different than the one shown in the video (contains egg).
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Indian Cake Rusk Recipe
- Cake Tin
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 125 gram (½ Cup) all-purpose flour (maida)
- 125 gram unsalted butter, softened
- 125 gram granulated white sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
- ½ teaspoon edible yellow food color or turmeric
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C. Line a 7 inch square baking tin with parchment paper and grease sides well with butter.
- Combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom powder in a bowl. Set it aside.
- Whisk the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color – about 10 minutes by the manual whisk, 3-4 mins with a hand mixer at medium-high speed.
- Add egg one at a time, beating each time for about 10 – 20 seconds using a hand mixer at medium speed. In between add vanilla essence as well.
- Add the flour mixture, and fold until all the ingredients are combined nicely. Add the food color and gently fold it into the batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the greased pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the tin for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Turn the cake onto a cooling rack and let it cool for 15 – 20 minutes. Then, using a sharp knife, cut it down the middle, then into ¼ inch thick strips.
- Divide each strip into 2 – 3 rectangular pieces (rusk) depending upon the size of the strip.
- Arrange the rusks on a baking sheet, and put the sheet back into the oven.
- Bake at 150 degrees Celcius for 15 minutes. Turn them over and bake the other side for another 15 minutes. If they need more time in the oven, turn down the heat a little bit and let them bake for slightly longer until they are golden brown and crisp on all sides.
- Transfer warm cake rusk onto a wire-rack and let them cool. Store in an airtight container. Serve cake rusk with a cup of tea or coffee.
Recipe Notes:
- Cake Rusk is not very hard in texture. So keep checking them while baking as they burn very fast.
- If the cake rusk is still not as crispy as you would want, turn the oven on and let it heat to 180 C. Then turn it off. Arrange the rusks on a baking sheet and put them back into the oven. Close the oven door and let them stay in there for about 15 minutes more with the oven off.
- Please note the texture of the cake rusk will become more firm once it cools down rather than when it is straight out of the oven. So bake them accordingly.
- Always store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Do not store cake rusk while they are warm to touch as they will become soft, and mushy.
Nutrition
Jayasri says
Beautiful clicks Hina, my favourite rusks
Jwalamalini says
Is eggless possible?
Anjali says
Which type of olive oil did you use in the recipe – Virgin, extra-virgin, extra light or something else?
Shaila verma says
How to substitute eggs?
Hina Gujral says
Never tried eggless cake rusk recipe. Maybe you can go ahead with eggless vanilla sponge cake recipe available on the blog and once the cake is baked to proceed further follow the cake rusk recipe.
Zinnat says
Very beautiful pic. And also my favourite. It’s to good.
Hina Gujral says
Thank you so much. You made my day!
Charu says
Very tasty looking rusk toast.
Hina Gujral says
Thank you. I am so happy you like it!
Shobha sawant says
Yummy ????????
Hina Gujral says
Try the recipe. It’s very easy and delicious.
danish Amir says
amazing post thanks for sharing
raju says
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Hina Gujral says
Great 🙂