7 cup cake is a traditional South Indian sweet which is like a fudge. It comprises of 7 cups of pantry ingredients like sugar, ghee, milk, gram flour and coconut. It has always been a staple Diwali sweet at home.

It’s good to be back after a well needed break. I had my parents over for the summer and enjoyed every minute of my time with them. I have documented a lot of Amma’s recipes. This 7 cups sweet recipe is one of her signature sweets, and it’s been passed down to her from her mom, my paati. I’m excited and proud to present this century old recipe to you, my readers!

Barfis are quintessential Indian desserts without a lot of faff and can be made from pantry staples. They are basically fudge-like and vary in texture depending on the quantity of sugar and the consistency to which they are cooked. This recipe of seven cup barfi has a bite to it, and a longer shelf life than other softer barfis.

What 7 cup cake means to me

Amma has been making this sweet every Diwali for as long as I can remember. Our early morning Diwali rituals always included a Ganga snanam(bath), followed by partaking a piece of this delicious seven cup cake(as amma would call it), and her famous ribbon pakodas. She would be ready with a spoonful of Diwali legiyam which I hated! I didn’t understand how important it was to detox after hogging on all the sweets and savories.

Why is it called 7 Cup Sweet?

7 cup sweet gets its name from the 7 cups of ingredients used in total – (1 cup of Besan, 3 cups of Sugar, 1 cup of Milk, 1 cup of Ghee, and 1 cup of Coconut). There’s no need to worry about getting the right sugar consistency to make this easy seven cup cake. Just mix all the ingredients together and cook till it attains the right consistency. I’ll take you over the method in detail.

This 7 cup sweet is

A traditional South Indian sweet
A family recipe passed down through generations
Can be prepared using pantry staples
Can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks

Check out other Indian sweets from my blog

Ashoka Halwa

10-minute Badam burfi

Coconut ladoo

Semiya payasam

Akkaravadisal

Ingredients for 7 cup sweet

Besan

Besan or Gram flour is the ingredient that gives this sweet its body. Make sure you use a good quality fresh besan. The taste of your 7 cup sweet depends on the quality of the besan you use.

Sugar

Use granulated white sugar or turbinado sugar for this recipe. Replacing it with jaggery will not work for this recipe.

Milk

I recommend using whole milk to get a rich barfi that is decadent and indulgent. To make it vegan, you can use the same quantity of any plant-based milk

Ghee

Ghee lends the aromatic flavor for this sweet and use the quantity mentioned in the recipe to get the perfect 7 cup sweets. To make it vegan, you can replace it with coconut oil.

Coconut

You can use either fresh shredded coconut or the frozen variety. I’ve used frozen shredded coconut that I buy from my local Indian stores.

Equipment needed

A thick bottomed pan
Wooden or stainless steel spatula
Cake pan or a plate to set the sweet
A cup with a flat surface to press the sweet into the pan

Step by Step Method to make 7 Cup Sweet

Initial step

Take a thick bottomed pan and heat it. It’s very important that you use a thick bottomed pan to avoid burnt bottom. I’ve used a triple clad stainless steel pan. You can also use a dutch oven or a pressure cooker.

Add 1 cup of Besan, 3 cups of granulated white sugar, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of ghee and 1 cup of shredded coconut. It’s not necessary for the milk to be at room temperature to make this 7 cup sweet.

Mix everything well. Don’t worry about the lumps. It’ll turn into a smooth mixture once it’s heated through.

Consistency

Keep heating it, stirring once in a while. It will start boiling and turn watery at first.

When you keep heating it, it will start thickening. You will know this if you stir the mixture and it’s a little thick now. It took about 9-10 minutes for my mixture to reach this stage.

Add 2 teaspoons of ghee at this stage.

Mix well and keep stirring. Keep checking to see if the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Don’t expect it to be a non sticky mixture like we have for Badam burfi. It will be a little sticky.

Wet your fingers, take a pinch of the mixture and try to form a ball out of it. If it forms a non-sticky ball, turn off the heat. It took about 23 minutes for my mixture to reach this stage from the time I turned on the stove. Please remember that I’m only giving an approximate time. It will differ based on the thickness of your pan and type of the stove you use.

Setting the 7 cup sweet

Grease a cake pan or a stainless steel plate with ghee. I like to line mine with parchment paper. Just greasing is more than enough. That’s what mom does when she makes it at home.

Use a cup with a flat bottom and grease it with ghee. Then press the mixture in the pan to get sweets of approximately 1-inch thickness. Finally, use a spoon to press into the corners.

Now take a knife and make horizontal and vertical cuts to make the pieces. Make sure you do this before the 7 cup sweet is fully set. If it sets completely, it will be very hard to cut into the mixture to make pieces.

Do not try to remove it from the pan before it’s fully set.

Once it’s set, carefully remove the parchment paper(if using it), or simply flip the pan and knock it a couple of times.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to store 7 cup sweet?

7 cup sweet can be stored at room temperature for about 2 weeks. If you plan to store it for longer than that, I would recommend freezing them or storing them in the refrigerator.

Can I make 7 cup sweet Vegan?

Of course. My aunt is Vegan and she makes these delicious treats by substituting cow’s milk with almond milk and ghee with coconut oil.

Why is my Burfi sticky?

When you turn off the heat, the mixture will be sticky. If you let it set for sometime, you’ll see it hardening. The best way to test if you mixture is ready, is by taking a pinch and trying to form a ball with wet fingers.