Traditional Indian Sweets Fusion Cake Recipes

Indians prefer eating something sweet right after dinner. Who would say no to a piece of delightful dessert? No one, right? We, as Indians, look for something unique all the time. This blog is purely dedicated to Indian dessert fusion cakes. Sounds interesting, right? I am pretty sure these cakes are a treat to your taste buds.

Rasmalai Cake

Rasmalai is a traditional Indian sweet (Bengali sweet) that is quite prominent among the Indians. Rasmalai literally means adding Ras, i.e., juice to the Malai, i.e., cream. This milk-based sweet dish was originated in Coastal region of Orissa and it bears resemblance to another prominent sweet dish of Bengal, i.e., Bengali Rasgulla. The only difference between the two is that Bengali Rasgulla (prepared using cottage cheese) is eaten as it is and Rasmalai is prepared by adding Bengali Rasgulla to a sweet saffron and elaichi powder flavoured milk mixture.

Rasmalai Cake is a fusion cake of traditional Indian sweet Rasmalai. Rasmalai is made using cottage cheese (Paneer) which is dipped in a creamy and sweet milk syrup. The milk portion is flavoured with elaichi powder and saffron.

Ingredients for a Rasmalai Cake

50 grams – Butter; 130 grams – Condensed milk; 100 grams – Maida; 50 ml – Milk, 1 tsp – Baking powder; ¼ tsp – Soda; ½ tsp - Rasmalai essence.

Procedure – First apply butter to the tin, then sprinkle flour over it and spread it evenly. Dust out the extra flour off the tin.

1. Pre-heat the oven at 180° C.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, soda, cocoa powder, and then sieve the mixture. In another container, add butter, condensed milk, ½ cup milk, and Rasmalai essence. In case, you don't have Rasmalai essence, you can use elaichi powder and saffron which can be added to the milk portion.

3. Then add the sieved mixture to the mixture of butter and milk maid, and beat it with the help of beater in only one direction for a few seconds. Simultaneously, add milk to the batter while beating.

4. Then put this batter in the tin and spread it evenly using your finger. Do not pat the tin once the batter is added to it or else a dome may form after baking.

5. Bake it at 180° C for 25-30 minutes.

You don’t need a reason to be happy. Similarly, you don’t need a reason to eat Rasmalai. Treat your taste buds with this delightfully rich Rasmalai cake.

Gulab Jamun Cheesecake

Gulab Jamun Cheesecake is another Indian fusion cake. Gulab Jamun is a traditional Indian sweet dish that is loved not only by most Indians but it’s quite popular in the neighbouring countries like Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Mauritius. Gulab Jamun is a showstopper sweet dish for all the festive seasons.

What would your reaction be if you were told this so called “Traditional Indian sweet dish” was not originated in India? I’m pretty sure you would be shocked to know this fact. Somewhere near the archaic period, Gulab Jamun was originated in Persia. This delicacy is especially like an Arabic treat named Luqmat-Al-Qadi, which was acquainted with India during the attack of Mughal sovereigns.

Ingredients for a Gulab Jamun Cheesecake

3 tbsp – Agar agar, dissolved in ¾ cup water; 1 ½ tbsp sugar; 5 drops lemon juice; 20 pieces mini gulab jamuns; 200 grams fresh cream whipped with 50 grams powdered sugar (icing sugar); 10 biscuits; 1 tbsp Rose Water; ½ cup quark cheese or hung yoghurt; ½ tsp elaichi powder.

Fresh or dried fruits and rose petals can be used for garnishing.

Procedure –

1. First add sugar to the dissolved agar agar mixture and bring it to a boil. Remove it and let it cool slightly before adding drops of lemon juice. Allow to cool and set aside.

2. Make a cream of the quark cheese/ hung yoghurt in a bowl. Then add elaichi powder, rose water and fold it in the whipped cream.

3. Now add the agar agar mixture to it. Then give it a final and gentle mix.

4. Grease a mould with olive oil. Place the biscuits at the bottom layer. This forms a crust for the cheesecake. This crust is called a tart. The biscuits are crushed and melted butter is added to it. Then this mixture is flattened to form a base (crust) for the cheesecake.

5. Half of the cheesecake mixture is then poured on top of the biscuits. This should be levelled gently.

6. Last step is to add the mini gulab jamuns one by one. Then it is topped by the remaining cheesecake mixture. This has to be levelled properly and then must be set in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Your Gulab Jamun Cheesecake is ready. You can serve this garnished with fresh or dried fruits and rose petals.

Now that you know recipes of these fusion cakes, it is also important for you to know the Dos and Don'ts of a Cheesecake.

Dos and Don’ts of a Cheesecake

1. The mixing process has to be perfect. Make sure you beat each and every ingredient for 30-40 seconds before you add another ingredient. This mixing process ensures consistency of the cheesecake batter.

2. You must bake a cheesecake at a certain temperature. This temperature can vary at times but it lies between the range of 150° C - 180°C. The baking time must range between 30-45 minutes. But if you feel the cheesecake looks slightly undercooked, you can bake it for another 5 minutes.

3. The cheesecake (when it’s a normal cake without any icing and cream cheese) must be kept in the oven for cooling and let it come down to a room temperature after the designated 30-45 minutes of baking. After this, it can be kept inside a refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight.

You must select a base or crust for your cheesecake. It can be biscuits, wafers, cookies. You can experiment on your own.