Rasmalai Cheese Cake

Makes 8 slices

Ingredients

For making Rasmalai Curd

Milk (full Fat) – 1½ lt

Saffron – a generous pinch 

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp 

Curd – 2tbsp

Kewra – 2tsp

Rose water – 2 tsp

Lemon yellow colour – a pinch (optional) 

For the Base

Digestive biscuits (crushed) – 250gms

Melted butter (unsalted) – 100gms

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

For the filling

Cream (unsweetened) – ½ cup

Hung curd – 1½ cup

Condensed milk – 1cup

Cornstarch –  1½ tbsp

For the sauce 

Strawberries chopped – 2cups

Sugar – ¼ cup

Vanilla extract – 1tsp 

For garnish 

Pista chopped – handful

Whipped cream - 1cup

Seviyan (very thin) - handful

Ghee - ¼ cup

Candied Cherries - handful

Rasmalai - 6nos

Chenna Payesh - 10nos

Chocolate Chips - handful 

Paan Syrup - 2tbsp

Mint leaves - handful

Baking Requirement

8inch dia, 2.5inch height spring form pan

Baking tray (at least 2inches in height)

Butter paper 

Plastic gloves  

Pipping bag with nozzle

Method 

To make the cookie base brush the cookies with your hands and add them to a mixer grinder. Make a fine powder and remove to a bowl. Add cardamom powder and melted butter and mix it.

Spread the cookie crumb in a spring form pan and using a flat bottomed cup or glass press it down. Refrigerate it for at least 30mins.

To make rasamalai curd, mix together milk, saffron, cardamom powder and bring the milk to a boil. You can also add the leftover milk from rasmalai. Remove from heat and once it is Luke warm add curd, kewra, rose and lemon yellow colour.

Cover and let it ferment till the milk turns to curd. 

If you already have curd then you can add dissolved saffron, cardamom powder, kewra, rose water and lemon yellow colour and mix it. 

Now hang this curd in a muslin cloth or a cheese cloth or a nut milk strainer. After about 4 hours remove the curd to a bowl. Add cream, hung curd, condensed milk and corn starch.

Mix then with a whisk till there are no lumps. 

Remove the spring form pan from the fridge and line the pan with strip of butter paper on the inside. The butter paper should sit on top of the cookie crumb. Now gently lift the rasamalai and press it between your fingers to squeeze out any milk from them.

Place the rasamalai on the top of the cookie crust to cover it all. Pour the curd mixture on to the cookie crumb in the spring form pan till the top. 

Pre heat an oven to 170c. Place the spring form pan in the baking tray and fill up the tray with hot water till 1inch in height. Place them in the oven and cook for about 45mins. Turn off the oven and let the cheese cake sit there for another half hour.

Remove and cool it completely. Refrigerate it till it is chilled. Remove, slice and serve.

For the sauce mix together strawberries, vanilla and sugar and cook them on low heat till the strawberries turn syrupy. Remove and let it cool completely. 

For serving place a slice of the cheese cake and garnish with the strawberry sauce. Additionally you can add chocolate chips, cherries, whipped cream, paan syrup, mint leaves, and ghee roasted seviyan on top of the cheese cake.

You can also garnish the cheese cake with mini rasamalai or chenna payesh.