Gulab Jamun Cheesecake

While the rest of the world was busy bursting crackers over Diwali weekend, we were busy stuffing our faces with this AWESOME Gulab Jamun Cheesecake! 😀

I love fusion desserts. Remember when I baked those delicious Cookies+Brownies = Crownies? (Oh that gooey, chocolaty goodness!) There is something amazing about marrying the best bits of two individual desserts, only to be left with a gastronomical extravaganza perfectly suited for the Gods. And that’s exactly what you have in this delicious Gulab Jamun Cheesecake!

A day before Diwali, I was up to my neck in chores and not a single Diwali sweet had been made. And when you’re part of a household that can’t live without dessert on regular days, a festival without something sweet is downright blasphemous! 😛 So, I began racking my brain for a desi dessert that wasn’t too mainstream. And that’s when I came up with this recipe for Gulab Jamun Cheesecake!

Gulab Jamun is a classic Indian mithai (sweet) made with khoya (milk solids) and flour rolled into little rounds that are then deep fried and soaked in sugar syrup infused with rosewater and cardamom. The result? Gorgeous deep-gold mounds oozing with the fragrance and flavour of Gulab (rose). Yumm!

If you’ve been through my blog before, you know about my love for Cheesecake. And while I love a good ol’ plain cheesecake, I enjoy experimenting with flavours, swirls and fillings a great deal. That’s what led to the Mango Swirl Cheesecake that I shared a recipe for a few months ago, and that’s what led to this Gulab Jamun Cheesecake.

Here’s what you need: 

For the Biscuit Base:

• Digestive biscuits – 200 g
• Caster Sugar – 30 g
• Unsalted Butter – 55 g, melted

For the Cheesecake Layer:

• Cream Cheese – 200 g
• Caster Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Eggs – 2
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• Fresh Cream – 200 ml
• Rose Extract – 3/4 tsp
• Gulab Jamun – 1 kg, tinned

Here’s how you make this yum Gulab Jamun Cheesecake:

• Make the Biscuit Base: Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Using a food processor or a regular mixer grinder, blitz the digestive biscuits to a coarse powder. Add in the caster sugar and melted butter, and using your hands, knead the mixture for a minute. Press the biscuit mixture into the base of a springform pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake the base for 10 minutes, then take it out and leave it to cool.
• Make the Cheesecake Layer: To prepare the cheesecake layer, whip the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in an egg at a time and whip until well incorporated between additions. Pour in the rose extract, lemon juice and fresh cream and give it a final mix.
• Cover the base and sides of the springform pan with aluminium foil. Then place it in a larger roasting pan filled with about an inch of water (also called a water bath). Pour the cheesecake mixture over the cooled biscuit base. Then, place the Gulab Jamuns into the cheesecake layer in any pattern you prefer.
• Pop the cheesecake into the oven while still in the water bath and bake for an hour. Once the 60 minutes are up, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in it to cool for another hour with the oven door closed.
• Take the cheesecake out and allow it to cool completely before you refrigerate it. Once chilled, DIG RIGHT IN!

This stunning Gulab Jamun Cheesecake is exactly the kind of dessert that will make a festival more festive, and a celebration more enjoyable. It’s the kind of dessert that will have your guests gasping in awe. It’s the dessert that will leave your family wanting for more!

The perfectly crispy biscuit base pairs beautifully with the tangy, creamy cheesecake layer. Add to that juicy Gulab Jamuns and you’ve got yourself a dessert that is sweet and packed with unique flavour. And the addition of rose extract to the cheesecake layer is the perfect finishing touch that transports you directly to sweet-scented rosy heaven! After all, what’s a Gulab Jamun Cheesecake without the Gulab (rose)? ❤

This was my way of celebrating Diwali – blending the goodness of heritage and my knack for creating desserts. And without doubt, my family truly enjoyed it! Give this recipe a try; it’s a true winner that you can put together any time of the year and it always tastes delicious. Prepare to be amazed! 😀

P.S. – For those of you who are thinking, ‘She cheated with the store-bought Gulab Jamuns!’, well, yes I did! 😛 Why, you may ask? Because, I was looking for something quick and not tasking. If you have the time to make Gulab Jamun from scratch, that’s great! If not, the store-bought variety tastes just as great! 😉

 

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