By Rajlakshmi
November 25, 2025
India's tastes vary as exquisitely as its scenery, from the snow-capped Himalayas to the sun-kissed southern coast. And what better way to celebrate International Cake Day than to discover beautiful regional desserts that express their unique cultural stories? These classic dishes, which are based on regional ingredients, customs, and traditions, demonstrate how delightfully eclectic India is.
One of the greatest traditional Odia sweets is chhena poda, which is created with only fresh cottage cheese. “Pora” means “burnt” and “chhena” refers to paneer or cottage cheese. This one-of-a-kind desi treat is the most nutritious form of daily protein intake due to its minimalist baking technique.
The 'Queen’ of Goan desserts, bebinca, is a multi-layered, complex pudding made from coconut milk, sugar and eggs which is a wonderful delicacy that perfectly captures the flavours of Goa. This shows the rich Portuguese influence on Goan cooking.
Dessert-wise, the mawa cake is like a cosy hug. The mawa cake, which is made with reduced milk (mawa), butter, cardamom, and a touch of rose water, has a soft, crumbly texture that melts in your mouth. It's the ideal partner for a quiet afternoon, especially when paired with a cup of chai.
You are transported to the heart of Tamil Nadu by the cosy, homely scent of ghee and cardamom that permeates the kitchen while making rava cake. Made with semolina (rava), yoghurt, and ghee, this soft, moist cake has a subtle spiciness and is incredibly tasty.
Rich, fragrant, and incredibly decadent, this is the kind of cake you might find in a Mughal palace. Aflatoon, a cake from Lucknow, is made using maida, almonds, cardamom, and ghee. It's a culinary and visual marvel when garnished with silver leaf or nut slivers. The origins of Aflatoon can be found in the Mughal kitchens, where sumptuous desserts were prepared to wow both guests and kings
Pithas are traditional rice cakes with countless variants, especially during the harvest season. These rice-flour cakes, filled with lentils, coconut, or jaggery, reflect the diversity of these states’ traditions. Some pithas have various textures and flavours because they are fried, while others are steamed. They are a great complement to any celebration pread because. They are usually made during holidays like Bihu or Makar Sankranti.
A take on the English Christmas cake, the Allahabadi cake also uses dry fruits soaked in rum, but alongside murabbas, petha, and ghee, it gives the strong desi edge to the cake. Winter spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, mace and ginger further elevate the flavour of the cake. The presence of ghee not only makes the cake more aromatic, but also very soft.