7 Cup Burfi | 7 Cup Cake

7 Cup Burfi is a rich and aromatic, quick, and easy-to-make traditional Indian sweet recipe or fudge prepared using five basic ingredients: gram flour (besan), coconut, milk, sugar, and ghee.

Check out popular Indian sweets recipes and Diwali sweets recipes.

7 cup burfi sweet

• Seven-cup barfi is a traditional South Indian sweet prepared especially during Diwali (Deepawali). It is also known as Diwali sweet or mithai. Seven cups of ingredients are used to prepare this fudge. Seven-cup barfi is very similar to Mysore Pak but easier; it also tastes nuttier due to the addition of coconut.
• Due to the high amount of sugar, 7-cup burfi sweets are prepared only during special occasions and Indian festivals, not daily.
• The traditional recipe uses a 1:1:1:1:3 ratio of besan (chickpea flour ): ghee: milk: coconut: sugar.
• We make 7-cup barfi sweets during festivals like Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, or Navratri as prasad to goddess Lakshmi.

While you are here, don't miss out on classic plain white burfi sweet, kaju katli, and rava burfi.

Secret tip to make 7 cup cake

Say you are using one bowl, one cup, or one part of besan, then follow the same amount or units of measurement for ghee, milk, and coconut. Sugar will be three times—that is, three bowls, three cups, or three parts. This is the most traditional way.

3 cups of sugar is too much. It's overly sweet, so I have reduced it to 1 cup and an extra 2 tbsp. You can even skip the additional 2 tbsp.

You don't need a standard cup size. You can use a small bowl or cup measurement of your choice.

If you are a beginner to trying Indian sweets or burfi, then you can try this as you do not have to worry about sugar syrup reaching string consistency, etc. Add all ingredients one after the other and stir. Lot of arm work - continuous stirring is needed, so this is not for a lazy person.

Because it has besan, coconut, and milk in equal proportions, you can even call this besan burfi, coconut burfi, or milk burfi.

Ingredients

Besan, also available as chickpea flour or gram flour, is used. This gives burfi sweet a nutty flavor and firm texture.

Coconut: The freshly grated coconut has a chewy texture and mild sweetness.

Milk: Adds moisture and makes barfi sweet.

Ghee: Any Indian sweet is incomplete without desi ghee. It adds richness and also enhances the flavor.

Sugar: Sweetner used in the burfi.

Other ingredients: Nuts and cardamom powder for crunch and flavor.

Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients.

Step-by-step instructions

• Grease a tray or plate with ghee or line with parchment or butter paper and keep it ready.
• Roast almonds and pistachios on low flame until light in color, and keep them aside. I love the crunchiness that nuts give to sweets; they look festive and pretty. So I generally add it to my recipes. You can even skip it.
• In the same pan, add chickpea flour and dry roast on medium-low flame till it gives a nutty aroma. Keep sautéing it and ensure it does not burn or brown from the bottom.
• Add coconut, milk, and ghee to this, and mix very well so there are no lumps.
• Add sugar and cardamom powder, stirring the mixture on medium to medium-low flame. The mixture may become liquid-like in texture at this point.

• Keep stirring, and don't forget to scrape the sides and bottom, or the mixture may start turning brown and burn. Nonstop stirring and scraping are a must to make this burfi. The mixture will thicken and start to reduce.
• When the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan, be more attentive as you are close to the final stage. Continue to cook till ghee starts releasing from the sides.
• When the mixture becomes like a mass with a porous texture (bubbles), and ghee starts leaving the sides of the pan, turn off the flame. If you cook more than this burfi will become brittle and break or turn into powder. Keep stirring the mixture till you cannot stir it anymore 🙂
• Immediately pour this mixture onto the prepared plate or tray and spread using a spatula.
• Sprinkle the roasted almonds and pistachios and press gently.
• Using a greased knife, draw lines on burfi when it is still hot.
• When it is still warm, cut it into pieces.
• Let it cool down completely. Store in airtight container.

Pro Tips

• If coconut is unavailable, you can use cashew powder or almond powder.
• You should stir and scrape throughout the process for the best results. If you are not a person who likes to do sweets with a lot of arm work, I would say don't try it as you will not be happy with the result.
• I used freshly grated coconut to make this sweet. You can also use frozen, dry, or desiccated coconut. The texture and cooking time will vary accordingly.
• Adding nuts is optional.
• Cooking burfi is an art. Cooking longer than needed will make it hard, and cooking burfi for a shorter time will make your barfi soft. Both are not bad to taste, but the texture may be different from what you want.
• The color of the barfi will vary slightly depending on the amount of sugar you add, the quality of besan, and the stage at which you roast besan/chickpea flour.
• If you want a finer burfi, pulse the grated coconut to form a fine powder.
• If your burfi has turned hard, soft, or chewy, read the post here - Traditional Indian Milk Burfi I have explained what to do in all these cases.
• Burfi can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 8 to 10 days.

FAQs

Recipe card

More Indian burfi sweet recipes

Did you like this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Note: We originally posted this traditional 7 cup burfi sweet recipe in June 2021. It has now been modified in Sep 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.