Mathura cake is an Indian Donut made with ragi flour, wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and coated in sugar powder. Unlike what the name suggests, Mathura Cake has no correlation to the place Mathura, located in Uttar Pradesh. It is a sweet from Odisha, made specifically for festivals and sold at melas.
My introduction to these Indian donuts happened during my first trip to Bhubaneswar. I found Mathura Cake being sold by street vendors on a random lane while visiting a friend’s relative. The moment I popped a sugary bread-like donut inside my mouth, it melted like heaven, curling my taste buds. I am not exaggerating! Anyone who likes sweet bread will find Mathura Cake incredible.
Where to find Mathura Cake?
The origin of Mathura Cake is mysterious because it isn’t as popular as Odisha’s Rasagolla or Khaja. This could also be the reason it isn’t as widely available as you’d want to try it. Here are three ways to try Mathura Cake:
Order online in Bhubaneswar
If you’re in the capital city of Odisha, you can order Mathura Cake from Hare Krushna Mathura Cake. It is located in Nilandree Vihar at Chandrasekharpur, so if you’re nearby, you can buy it from their store. Some local bakeries might also sell Mathura Cake, but you are more likely to find it during a festival like Rath Yatra or Durga Puja.
Buy from street vendors in Puri
The second time I found Mathura Cake, out of my six trips to Odisha, was during the Rath Yatra in Puri.
The Grand Road area where Jagannath Temple and Gundicha Mandir are located fills up with festive vibes during the Rath Yatra. There are multiple street vendors selling Khaja made with sugar or jaggery, seasonal fruits, dupatta, toys, and much more.
Amidst all of this, my eyes fell onto a street vendor making donut-like structures ready to be dropped into a big wok full of oil. My heart skipped a beat because I finally found my favorite Odia sweet ready to be sugarcoated and sold over newspaper cuttings.
The cost of the Mathura Cakes I tried was 20 INR for four pieces, making it 5 INR per piece. Since it was my first time having piping hot Indian donuts, I realized that this was something to eat when it’s just off the fire and not kept to be consumed later.
Cook at home
Since this donut is rare to find and sold exclusively in Odisha, you can make it at home and experience its heavenly taste. If you can make Litti or Bati at home, Mathura Cake will not be a big deal. It is yet another ball-shaped Indian bread made with wheat.
Mathura Cake recipe
Here is a quick and easy way to deep-fry Mathura Cakes at home:
Ingredients
- Ragi flour – 140 gm
- Wheat flour – 200 gm
- Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
- Baking powder – 1/3 tsp
- Sugar powder – 140 gm
- Curd – 140 gm
- Salt to taste
- Oil (enough for deep-frying)
Directions
- Take a mixing bowl to blend ragi flour, wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
- Add two teaspoons of oil to the powder mix
- Gradually add adequate curd required to create a soft dough
- Keep the dough aside to let it set for 45 to 60 minutes
- Make 40 small round balls from the mix
- Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the balls until they are golden brown
- Soak excess oil with a skimmer before taking them out of the oil
- Drop them in a bowl full of powdered sugar so that they are well-coated
Serve hot!
Final thoughts
You are likely to find street vendors across Puri and Bhubaneswar selling Mathura Cake during Rath Yatra. It is the biggest annual festival of the state, and the most prominent places to find this sweet are in melas. Puri hosts one of the most incredible melas during Rath Yatra, which is located by the Puri Beach. If you visit during this time, you can’t miss coming to the mela during the evening.
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