In a heavy bottomed saucepan, pour in the milk. Over medium/high heat, bring the milk up to a boil. Stir occassionally to make sure the milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once the mawa comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium and stir occassionally. The mawa will reduce down a quarter of its original amount. This should take about an hour to an hour and half.
Once the milk reduces down a quarter, turn the heat to low and let it continue to cook. The milk will start to become thick and lumpy. As the milk becomes thicker, make sure you stir more often. The risk of the milk burning increases as the milk cooks down.
Once there is no more liquid left in the pan and the mawa stops sticking to the sides of the pan, remove from the heat. It will take about 2 hours in total. Let the mawa cool completely and cover until ready to make the cake. It will last 2 days in the fridge. The mawa will harden and become crumbly.
For the cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan. I used a 10-inch spring form pan because that's all I had.
In a large bowl, add the mawa, sugar, and butter. Mix with a hand mixer on high until light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until completely incorporated.
Add in the milk and vanilla and mix on low until combined.
In a separate bowl, sift the cake flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients all at once into the wet mixture and mix on low.
Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, add the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top the batter with the cashews or almonds.
Place in the oven and bake for an hour or until it's done. Place a tooth pick into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, it's done.
Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack to finish cooling.