Mar 19, 2016, Updated May 07, 2023
Happy Saturday everyone! I am so excited to be sharing today’s recipe with you guys! I have had this idea in my head ever since I started thinking of Holi recipes and I am so happy that it turned out well! I mean I do have my share of failures and when you are trying something new, you are never sure whether it will turn out as good as it’s in your head. But this thandai cheesecake mousse did and the gulkand whipped cream was just the icing on the top!
For those who don’t know what thandai is, please refer to my recipe for thandai. It’s a refreshing drink made with milk and lots of spices like saffron, fennel, peppercorns, poppy seeds, cardamom etc. This drink is usually made during the festival of colors, Holi which is next week! ? So obviously I am making some thandai to celebrate and what I am also making is this cheesecake mousse! The same flavors of thandai in a cheesecake form plus it’s no bake and should be made a day in advance which actually means you can make these just in time for your Holi party! And gulkand is rose petal preserve, it’s basically just sugar and rose petals and used in a lot of Indian sweets. I used very little of it in the whipped cream to give it’s a slight gulkand flavor, you can add more for a stronger flavor.
I first thought of making a proper 9 inch baked thandai cheesecake and then I changed my mind at the last minute! I thought these individual thandai cheesecake mousse will be easier to prepare and also easier to serve at your Holi party. Individual servings are the best and it’s so convenient to make these in advance, pop in the fridge and then just serve your guests the next day. To make the thandai cheesecake mousse, you first need to make the thandai paste. The recipe for the paste makes some extra paste but you can obviously just mix the extra with your milk and enjoy the thandai (obviously!). Once you have made the paste, the rest of the steps are really easy. Chilling the cheesecake mousse overnight is recommended. Once they are chilled, simply decorate them with some gulkand whipped cream and there you have it – a delicious Holi dessert which is sure to impress your guests! Hope you guys make this no-bake thandai cheesecake mousse this Holi and if you do please don’t forget to share a picture with me.
PS: This recipes serves 12-14 but as you can my glasses are really small. You may get less serving depending on how big your glasses are. Method First of all make the thandai paste. Blend together all ingredients listed under “thandai paste” with little milk and set aside. Crush graham crackers using your food processor till you get fine crumbs or put the crackers in a ziplock bag and crush using a rolling pin. Transfer the crushed crumbs to a bowl. Add sugar to it and mix. Add melted butter and mix till crumbs feel like moist sand.
Take your serving glasses/bowl and divide the crumbs equally between them. Push the crumbs to the bottom of the glass using the back of your spoon or with your thumb till it’s all compact. Place the glasses in the refrigerator while you make the filling. Warm 1 tablespoon of milk in the microwave and then add 1 teaspoon saffron to it. Crush the saffron a little when you add it. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer or using your hand mixer, beat cream cheese for 5-6 minutes or till completely smooth. It’s very important for the cream cheese to be at room temperature here. Add sugar, cardamom essence and the soaked saffron to the cream cheese now. Mix till combined. Add 4 tablespoons of the prepared thandai paste to the mixture. Mix till everything is well combined. Set aside. Now beat the heavy cream till it forms peaks using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer or using your hand mixer. Be careful not to over-beat it. [It’s a good idea to chill the bowl and the attachment for 15-20 minutes before you beat the cream, also the heavy cream should be cold and straight out of the refrigerator.] Carefully fold in the whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture. Do this in 2-3 parts. Once you have folded in all the whipped cream, take out the glasses out of the refrigerator. Pipe or spoon the cheesecake mousse mixture into the prepared glasses. Cover with a cling sheet and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Next morning, when ready to serve make the gulkand whipped cream. Start beating heavy cream using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer or use your hand mixer. Once it starts to foam a little, add gulkand paste, 2 drops of rose essence and few drops of pink food color (optional). Beat till it forms still peaks. The gulkand whipped cream is now ready.
Take out the chilled thandai cheesecake mousse from the refrigerator and top with gulkand whipped cream. You can garnish on top with some mukhwas (mouth freshener which mainly has candied fennel) if you like! Serve immediately and enjoy!
- I recommend chilling the mousse overnight however if you don’t have time, the minimum recommendation is 4 hours.
- Make sure the cream cheese is completely at room temperature before you start beating it and beat it for good 5-6 minutes with your stand mixer or more if using a hand mixer. It should be totally smooth with no lumps.
- I used very little whipped cream on top, if you want more on top of your mousse, double the recipe for Gulkand Whipped Cream.
- You can find mukhwas at any Indian grocery store. It’s a mouth freshener which we eat after our meals in India. Thandai Cheesecake Mousse with Gulkand Whipped Cream
title: “Thandai Cheesecake Mousse With Gulkand Whipped Cream " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-26” author: “Joe Devito”
Mar 19, 2016, Updated May 07, 2023
Happy Saturday everyone! I am so excited to be sharing today’s recipe with you guys! I have had this idea in my head ever since I started thinking of Holi recipes and I am so happy that it turned out well! I mean I do have my share of failures and when you are trying something new, you are never sure whether it will turn out as good as it’s in your head. But this thandai cheesecake mousse did and the gulkand whipped cream was just the icing on the top!
For those who don’t know what thandai is, please refer to my recipe for thandai. It’s a refreshing drink made with milk and lots of spices like saffron, fennel, peppercorns, poppy seeds, cardamom etc. This drink is usually made during the festival of colors, Holi which is next week! ? So obviously I am making some thandai to celebrate and what I am also making is this cheesecake mousse! The same flavors of thandai in a cheesecake form plus it’s no bake and should be made a day in advance which actually means you can make these just in time for your Holi party! And gulkand is rose petal preserve, it’s basically just sugar and rose petals and used in a lot of Indian sweets. I used very little of it in the whipped cream to give it’s a slight gulkand flavor, you can add more for a stronger flavor.
I first thought of making a proper 9 inch baked thandai cheesecake and then I changed my mind at the last minute! I thought these individual thandai cheesecake mousse will be easier to prepare and also easier to serve at your Holi party. Individual servings are the best and it’s so convenient to make these in advance, pop in the fridge and then just serve your guests the next day. To make the thandai cheesecake mousse, you first need to make the thandai paste. The recipe for the paste makes some extra paste but you can obviously just mix the extra with your milk and enjoy the thandai (obviously!). Once you have made the paste, the rest of the steps are really easy. Chilling the cheesecake mousse overnight is recommended. Once they are chilled, simply decorate them with some gulkand whipped cream and there you have it – a delicious Holi dessert which is sure to impress your guests! Hope you guys make this no-bake thandai cheesecake mousse this Holi and if you do please don’t forget to share a picture with me.
PS: This recipes serves 12-14 but as you can my glasses are really small. You may get less serving depending on how big your glasses are. Method First of all make the thandai paste. Blend together all ingredients listed under “thandai paste” with little milk and set aside. Crush graham crackers using your food processor till you get fine crumbs or put the crackers in a ziplock bag and crush using a rolling pin. Transfer the crushed crumbs to a bowl. Add sugar to it and mix. Add melted butter and mix till crumbs feel like moist sand.
Take your serving glasses/bowl and divide the crumbs equally between them. Push the crumbs to the bottom of the glass using the back of your spoon or with your thumb till it’s all compact. Place the glasses in the refrigerator while you make the filling. Warm 1 tablespoon of milk in the microwave and then add 1 teaspoon saffron to it. Crush the saffron a little when you add it. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer or using your hand mixer, beat cream cheese for 5-6 minutes or till completely smooth. It’s very important for the cream cheese to be at room temperature here. Add sugar, cardamom essence and the soaked saffron to the cream cheese now. Mix till combined. Add 4 tablespoons of the prepared thandai paste to the mixture. Mix till everything is well combined. Set aside. Now beat the heavy cream till it forms peaks using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer or using your hand mixer. Be careful not to over-beat it. [It’s a good idea to chill the bowl and the attachment for 15-20 minutes before you beat the cream, also the heavy cream should be cold and straight out of the refrigerator.] Carefully fold in the whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture. Do this in 2-3 parts. Once you have folded in all the whipped cream, take out the glasses out of the refrigerator. Pipe or spoon the cheesecake mousse mixture into the prepared glasses. Cover with a cling sheet and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Next morning, when ready to serve make the gulkand whipped cream. Start beating heavy cream using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer or use your hand mixer. Once it starts to foam a little, add gulkand paste, 2 drops of rose essence and few drops of pink food color (optional). Beat till it forms still peaks. The gulkand whipped cream is now ready.
Take out the chilled thandai cheesecake mousse from the refrigerator and top with gulkand whipped cream. You can garnish on top with some mukhwas (mouth freshener which mainly has candied fennel) if you like! Serve immediately and enjoy!
- I recommend chilling the mousse overnight however if you don’t have time, the minimum recommendation is 4 hours.
- Make sure the cream cheese is completely at room temperature before you start beating it and beat it for good 5-6 minutes with your stand mixer or more if using a hand mixer. It should be totally smooth with no lumps.
- I used very little whipped cream on top, if you want more on top of your mousse, double the recipe for Gulkand Whipped Cream.
- You can find mukhwas at any Indian grocery store. It’s a mouth freshener which we eat after our meals in India. Thandai Cheesecake Mousse with Gulkand Whipped Cream
