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Gulab Jamun Cheesecake

Gulab Jamun Cheesecake is a modern Indian recipe for a classic eggless cheesecake on a biscuit (cookie) crust flavoured with saffron and lemon juice topped with rose water flavoured cream. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Indian version of: Gulab Jamun Cheesecake.

prep time

25 minutes

cook time

50 minutes

Total Time:

75 minutes

Additional Time:

(+cooling)

Serves:

12

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Milk RecipesCheese RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesIndian Recipes



This is an eggless Indian take on cheesecake (an Indian
dish, if you will) that incorporates the milk solid based dessert balls, gulab jamun into the cheese batter. This is an excellent dessert and makes a spectacular centrepiece for Diwali.

Ingredients:

For the Cheesecake Crust:
150g digestive biscuits or graham crackers, processed to crumbs
3 tbsp brown sugar
6 tbsp butter
¾ tsp cardamom powder

For the Gulab Jamun Cheesecake:
450g (16 oz) cream cheese (the brick style, not the spread) (or you can use my home-made cream cheese recipe to prepare your own)
390g (14 oz) condensed milk
125ml (½ cup) Greek yogurt or sour cream
3 tbsp milk, divided
generous pinch of saffron threads
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tbsp lemon juice
9 gulab jamun halved for inside the cake

For the Topping (optional):
3 gulab jamun, quartered to decorate the top of the cake
100ml double cream
1 tsp rose water
rose petals (optional) for decoration
pistachios (optional) for decoration

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 150°C (130°C fan/300°F/Gas Mark 2). Grease the base and sides of a 20cm diameter springform cake tin with butter or oil. Line the base of the tin with a circle of greaseproof (waxed) paper.

In a cup, combine 1 tbsp of the milk with a generous pinch of crushed saffron. Set aside to infuse. Melt the butter in a microwave.

Add the crumbed biscuits (cookies) to a bowl, then stir in the melted butter, cardamom powder and sugar. Stir well until the crumbs are all moistened. Pour the crumbs into the cake tin and press firmly into the base and part way up the sides of the pan. Place in the refrigerator and allow to chill and set as you prepare the filling mixture.

Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Mix together the cornflour and 1 tbsp milk to a smooth slurry then add to the cream cheese along with the condensed milk, saffron milk, Greek yoghurt and lemon juice. Beat well until thoroughly combined and smooth.

Pour the resultant batter into the prepared springform cake tin. Add 1/3 of the mixture first and top with half the gulab jamun halves (space these evenly). Add a further 1/3 of the cheesecake mix and top with the remaining gulab jamuns. Finally top with the remaining cream cheese mixture.

Transfer to your pre-heated oven and bake for 50 minutes. The cake will puff up slightly be golden brown on top and will retain a little bit of a jiggle when done. At the end of the cooking time, turn the oven off, prop the door open with a wooden spoon and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely to room temperature (2-3 hours).

You can unmould and serve as is. However, if you wish to decorate further, beat the double cream and rose water until the mixture stands in stiff peaks. Spread this over the top of the cheesecake then garnish with the gulab jamun quarters, rose petals and pistachio nuts. Chill in your refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.