Recipe- Easy To Make No Bake Mithai Cheesecake

Mithai Cheesecake- an Indian inspired fusion cheesecake flavored with flavors like rose, cardamom, saffron and topped with assorted Indian sweets (mithai).

This is a no-bake cheesecake and makes a show stopper of a dessert for the festive season!Cheesecake pairs well with so many flavors, that’s the reason you have such a big menu at Cheesecake Factory!

All Indian sweets also go really well with cheesecake and in the past few years I am sure you have seen the rise of rasmalai and gulab jamun cheesecakes.

Ingredients

2 + 1/4 cups cookie crumbs from 50 parle-g cookies, 250 grams
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 grams (1 stick), melted
2 tablespoons milk 30 ml
generous pinch saffron strands
24 oz cream cheese 3 x 8 oz blocks, at room temperature
1 + 1/2 cup powdered sugar 180 grams
2 tablespoons rose water
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
few drops kewra water skip if you can't find
1 cup heavy cream 8 oz
4 gulab jamuns cut in half
1 motichoor ladoo
1-2 jalebi
1 motichoor ladoo
1 chum chum cut in half
1-2 gulab jamuns cut in half, may also use small jamuns
1-2 jalebi
crushed pistachios
dried rose buds or petals
edible silver leaves chandi ka vark

Method

* Pulse parle-g biscuits (or any cookie you like) in a food processor until you have crumbs. Transfer it to a bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder and mix.

* Then melt 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, let it cool a bit and then add to the bowl of crumbled pargle-g. Mix until the mixture resembles wet sand.

* Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press tightly into the pan. Use the back of a bowl of spoon to press it compactly.

* Place the pan in the freezer for the crust to set while you make the filling.

* Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons milk in a small pan. Once it's hot, add a generous pinch of saffron to the milk and set it aside.

* Beat room temperature cream cheese (3 x 8 oz blocks) until very smooth, at medium speed for 3-4 minutes in a stand mixer or use your hand mixer. Then add powdered sugar and mix until well combined.

* Add rose water, cardamom powder, prepared saffron milk and few drops of kewra water. Mix until it's all well combined and then transfer this prepared cream cheese mixture to a bowl.

* Now add 1 cup of heavy cream to the stand mixer (or use your hand mixer) and beat using the wire whisk attachment until it forms peaks. Make sure the cream is cold and straight out of the refrigerator.

* Start folding in the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture using a spatula.

* Fold in parts and mix until all the whipped cream is combined with the cream cheese mixture.

* Now, take out the crust out of the freezer. Cut 4 gulab jamuns in half and arrange over the crust with the cut side facing down.

* Now, pour over half of the cheesecake filling over the top of the crust, smooth using a spatula.

* Crumble one motichoor ladoo and one jalebi and spread over. Top with the remaining cheesecake filling and smooth it out with a spatula.

* Decorate with chandi ka vark, and sweets (chum chum, crushed motichoor ladoo, gulab jamun, jalebi or any assorted mithais that you have), crushed pistachios, dried rose buds.

* Cover and chill the no-cake Mithai Cheesecake overnight. Next day, remove the sides of the springform pan carefully to release the cheesecake and then transfer it to a serving stand. Slice and serve.

* This is best served straight out of the refrigerator. The filling since it's not baked will loosen up when left at room temperature.