Our family being Gulab Jamun lovers, my kids just love this Eggless Gulab Jamun Mix cake and always prefer it at each family celebration. So when the time came to think about some desserts for elder one's birthday celebration, his answer obviously was "Gulab Jamun Cake". Keeping his preference in mind, I went ahead and prepared this western cheesecake dessert with a desi spin. Inspired from Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe, this cake is eggless made with agar agar. All you have to do is whip the ingredients together, pour into the springform pan, place it in the fridge and wait for couple of hours or overnight. The best thing is you don't need any oven to make this cake and still this delicious cheesecake will make you look like a baking expert! 




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Last week it was a time well spent with family at home, outings, meeting friends and not to forget special cooking ! It was 9 days holiday at work on account of Eid celebrations, the news of which was surprise to me as previously it was mentioned for 5 days only. Now with 4 more days added, I decided atleast now I should be spending some more time in the kitchen and try few of the recipes that I had bookmarked from a long time.
  
So here comes the dessert that was prepared on last day of Eid holidays and it tasted so delicious that I am eager to share its recipe here. No bake Eggless Blackberry Cheesecake, that turned out to be a hit at home. I have posted the recipe before, for No bake Eggless Mango cheesecake  with cheese and cream in it. Below recipe has been adapted from here which uses hung curd and paneer instead of regular cheese and cream. I reduced the quantity by half and used small glasses to make individual portions. These individual dessert glasses will surely impress your guests and not just that, it will be convenient while serving too. Though the recipe method may look lengthy, but this is a really simple to make dessert. We all enjoyed it.





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A gap of almost 2 weeks between this post and last post :( ... That's because first I had been busy with my kids exams, followed by a busy schedule at office where in our department [Health planning and follow-up] was involved with organizing a conference on strategic planning in healthcare at national level under Ministry of Health, Kuwait. With consultants and speakers from different countries sharing their experiences and expert opinions about planning, it was helpful not just brushing up/ updating myself in the subject but getting the hands on experience to work at an individual level and in a team while arranging this event and I enjoyed every minute of it. Now back to my space/blog [a place that helps me in relaxing and this is what I am looking for post conference]

After the first successful attempt to prepare Tiramisu and Pannacotta [Cardamom flavored and Mango chocolate flavored], the next recipe on my "to do list" was a cheesecake. With mangoes in the season the flavor already got decided in my mind. Yes, it was a no-bake eggless chilled Mango cheesecake.


The recipes that I came across various food groups and blogs had different combinations of ingredients. I opted for the vegetarian version that had used either hung curd and paneer or cheese with cream besides mango puree and vegetarian setting agent in it as filling layer. I adapted from different recipes as per the availability of ingredients at my place.

Ingredients

For the crust
Digestive biscuits 250 gm  + 4 biscuits
Butter 100 gms
2 tbsp cocoa powder

For the filling
Philadelphia cheese 200 gm
Whipping cream 250 ml
Mango puree 1 3/4 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup
Agar Agar 15 gms * [See notes]
Water: to soak as well as prepare the agar agar solution.

For the glaze topping
Mango puree 3/4 cup
Agar Agar 5 gms
Sugar 1 tbsp
Water 1/4 cup water
Mango diced for garnishing
Few fresh mint leaves
Cake Sprinkles [optional]


Method: 

Crush the biscuits with hands on a plate. [You can even put them into a ziplock and use a rolling pin to crush these biscuits or whiz them in food processor to coarse powder]. Now add melted butter and blend well until the mixture comes together. Divide this mixture into two parts and add cocoa powder to one part.

Press the plain biscuit powder mixture into the bottom of 8 " springform pan [Alternately you can use individual glasses and divide the mixture equally into all the glasses]. On top of this mixture press the cocoa biscuit mixture firmly using back of your spoon [You may omit dividing the mixture and adding the cocoa powder to proceed further as mentioned below]. This mixture will form the base of the cake. Refrigerate the mixture for 30-40 minutes while you proceed to prepare the filling.

Prepare agar agar solution as per the packet instructions depending upon the brands that you use. [I had to soak agar agar flakes for 10 minutes, drain the water]. Take enough water to immerse the agar agar and warm it. Warm up mango puree in another vessel. Once the agar agar gets dissolved in the water, reduce the flame and add the mango puree stirring continuously on sim flame. Switch off the flame after 2-3 mins. Allow it to come to room temperature.

Meanwhile, whisk the whipping cream in a large deep vessel until soft, then whisk in the Philadelphia cheese and sugar. Add the mango- agar agar mixture into cream mixture. Beat gently with a hand held wire whisk until well combined. Pour this mixture over the prepared crust, level with the back of spoon. Chill for 3 - 4 hours in the fridge.

For glaze, soak the agar agar as per packet instructions and warm it up along with water and sugar. Prepare the mango agar mixture using the same steps as mentioned above. (optional step: you can add 1 tbsp lemon juice). Allow it to come to room temperature. Now spread the glaze over the set cream layer and refrigerate it for 2-3 hours or till you serve it.

Keep the cake at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving. Now slowly release the cake from the pan. Garnish with mango cubes/pieces, cake sprinkles and mint leaves. You can also top the cake with chocolate sauce and strawberry.



And that's a slice of delicious cheesy cake, a virtual treat to my readers and friends.

* Notes :
I am still experimenting with agar agar and the measurement may differ little-bit with respect to the brands that are used or the form [powder/ flakes] that we use. Its bit tricky but once you get the real science, then you would know the correct ratio of the setting agent that should be used. Read more about properties of agar agar and the steps required to cook it from here

Update: Thanks to Meena Dhage, who messaged me and gave the equivalents of agar agar if flaky or powdered and her experience to get the cheesecake (with hung curd and paneer) right using the below formula -
"4 tablespoons agar agar flakes = nearly 3 tsp agar agar powder "

Happy cooking!!!
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