What is Masala Doodh?
Who remembers Masala Doodh when you were little? Masala doodh is essentially milk, which is boiled with almonds, pistachios, cardamom, nutmeg, sugar and saffron to create this really heavenly concoction, that warms your soul and gives you that homey feeling, like a tight hug! Every household in India has their own version of this drink.
My mom made this milk for us as an after dinner dessert, served cold. She also made it when my brother and I were studying for our school exams, to give us energy and strength for studying into the wee hours of the night.
Ingredients of the Masala Doodh powder
The ingredients of the Masala Doodh powder, that goes into the Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes are:
- Nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios
- Whole green ardamom pods
- Nutmeg, freshly grated
- Saffron
How to make Masala Doodh powder?
Masala Doodh powder is made by grinding all the ingredients, such as almonds, pistachios, cashews, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron until it forms a fine powder. Store it in a glass jar in a cool place for upto 3 months, to preserve maximum freshness from the nuts. Nuts tend to go rancid, so I would not recommend keeping it for more than 3 months. This masala milk powder is so versatile.
How to make Masala Doodh?
Add 2 tablespoons of the Masala Doodh mixture into milk of your choice, it can be plant based milk as well. Bring it to a boil once, and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Steep the mixture by covering it with a lid, for another 20 minutes. Drink it as it is either warm or you could serve it cold as well, by storing in the fridge for 2 hours.
The idea for my Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes
I love making Mini Cheesecakes. Cheesecake in itself is quite heavy to eat, and a little bit goes a long way. Mini Cheesecakes is a perfect way to indulge but yet in small portions, and savor the flavors in your mouth. Also minis are always perfect for parties.
I love the texture, sourness, and creaminess of cheesecakes. It is like a blank canvas, and you can decorate it however you want, with whatever flavors you want, it will adapt really well to any unique flavors.
Ingredients for the Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes
The ingredients for the Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes are:
- Crust
- Graham crackers
- Unsalted butter, that is melted
- Ground cardamom
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Cream Cheese Mixture
- Cream cheese, full fat
- Greek yogurt
- Granulated sugar
- Heavy cream
- Cornstarch
- Extracts like vanilla and almond
- Masala Doodh powder
- Lemon juice
- Whipped Cream
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Milk powder
- vanilla extract
Why make Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes?
The recipe is:
- Eggless!
- Quick and easy!
- Uses one food processor to make the crust and the cheesecake batter
- Super pretty
- Super delicious
- Crowd pleaser!
How to make the Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes
My recipe is eggless. The crust is made with graham crackers, sugar, melted butter and cardamom. Use a food processor to make the crust. I use a tablespoon scoop to scoop out the amount into each cavity of the cheesecake pan. I also use a tablespoon to press it down tight. The crust is baked for 10 minutes for it to set.
The batter is really easy as well. I wipe the food processor with a paper towel and use it again to make the cheesecake batter. It is THAT easy! All the ingredients are added into the batter and whipped to form a smooth batter.
The cheesecake batter is added into each cheesecake cavity. The Greek yogurt, and lemon juice helps to provide the slight tanginess to the batter. These mini cheesecakes were not overtly sweet. The Masala Milk Powder gives a beautiful slight orange color from the pretty saffron. You can inhale the fragrance of the cardamom and nutmeg from the batter. The mini cheesecakes are baked just for 16-18 minutes to the max.
- TIP: Do not overbake else it will crack and the texture will not be right. Let them cool completely, and then let them get cold in the fridge.
Each mini cheesecake is topped with a colorful rainbow whipped cream, signifying the wonderful Rangoli colors that are present this time, with a touch of edible gold leaf to make it look extra festive!
What cheesecake pan do you use for the Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes?
The one I use is not available on Amazon anymore. Here is an alternate cheesecake pan that you can use, or you can find a cheaper one with a removable bottom pan. These mini cheesecake pans are super convenient. Ofcourse, you can use a cupcake pan as well with cupcake liners. But I love the clean look of these mini cheesecakes.
How long can you keep these Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes?
The Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes can be kept for upto 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Are they transportable?
Yes! Absolutely! If you want to take it to a gathering, make sure that they are in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Where do I get the edible gold leaf from?
The edible gold leaf is available on Amazon.
Other Fun Diwali recipes that you can make from the blog are:
- Nankhatai Apple Crumb Bars
- Orange and Fennel Penda Brownie Bars
- Quick Khajur (Date) and Nut Chocolate Bars
Stay safe, healthy and happy this Diwali! Wishing you and your families a wonderful Diwali and Saal Mubarak!
If you make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment here on this blog post.
XO
Amisha
*First posted on 11/6/2020*
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Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Masala Doodh powder
- ½ cup raw unsalted almonds
- ½ cup raw unsalted cashews
- 1/4 cup raw unsalted pistachios
- 8 cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 heaped teaspoon saffron
Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes
Crust
- 6 strips of graham crackers (90 gms)
- 1/4 cup (57 gms) unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- ¼ to ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons (25 gms) granulated sugar
- A pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 12 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57 gms) Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (82.5 gms) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 gms) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons masala milk powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Whipped Cream
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Different americolor food gel colors
- Toothpicks for different colors
- 1M Wilton Piping Tip
- 12 inch pastry bag
- Edible gold leaf for decoration
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method
Masala Doodh Powder
- Grind all the ingredients in a high speed blender until it forms a fine powder. Remove contents into a glass jar and store for upto 3 months in a cool place or in the fridge.
Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecake
Preparing the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add graham crackers, granulated sugar, salt and cardamom in a food processor and process until it forms a powder, about a minute.
- Add the melted unsalted butter and mix again until combined.
- Put about a heapful tablespoon or a tablespoon scoop of the crust in each of the 12 cavities of the cheesecake pan. Distribute it equally. Using the tablespoon, press the mixture down to seal it tight.
- Place the pan into the oven for 10 minutes for it to set. Remove and let cool.
Cream Cheese mixture
- Use a paper towel to wipe the food processor.
- Add cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sugar, heavy cream, corn starch, vanilla extract, almond extract, masala milk powder and lemon juice into a food processor, combine well until smooth and set it aside.
- Using a rubber spatula, scrap the batter off the sides of the bowl into the center.
- Distribute the mixture evenly amongst all the 12 cavities of the cheesecake pan. Tap it gently for the mixture to even out so there are no bubbles.
- Place it into the preheated oven at 350 degrees for exactly 16-18 minutes. NO MORE, else the cheesecake will crack and will not be soft when ready to eat. It should be slightly jiggly in the center.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Place the cheesecake pan into the fridge for 2 hours for it to set further.
- Release the cheesecake by lightly running a sharp knife around each cavity. Remove them gently from the bottom of the cheesecake pan, so as not to break the mini cheesecakes. Place them on a plate.
Whipped Cream
- In a medium to large bowl, add the cream, powdered sugar, milk powder, vanilla extract. Using a hand held mixture, whip for 2 minutes until you get soft peaks. In a 12 inch pastry bag, cut the end off and put in the piping tip. Secure it. Now open up the bag, and put it into a tall glass. Using a tooth pick, dip it into the food gel and line the inside of the pastry bag from bottom to the top (lengthwise). Repeat with different tooth picks and different food gels, all around the piping bag. All colors should be more or less equidistant from each other.
Assembly
- Add the whipped cream into the piping bag. Slowly twist the top, push down the whipped cream. Test with a few whips on how you want to decorate your mini cheesecakes. I simply place the piping bag at a 90 degree angle above the mini cheesecake, and pipe it straight down to form ruffles. Lower the pressure as you come up slightly to get a fine tip on top of the cheesecake. You will see the colored streaks all around the whipped cream. Add a bit of gold leaf to each cheesecake on the whipped cream. Serve cold!
- Store in the fridge for upto a week, in an air tight container!
Notes
What cheesecake pan do you use for the Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes?
- The one I use is not available on Amazon anymore. Here is an alternate cheesecake pan that you can use, or you can find a cheaper one with a removable bottom pan. These mini cheesecake pans are super convenient. Ofcourse, you can use a cupcake pan as well with cupcake liners. But I love the clean look of these mini cheesecakes.
How long can you keep these Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes?
- The Masala Doodh Mini Cheesecakes can be kept for upto 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Are they transportable?
- Yes! Absolutely! If you want to take it to a gathering, make sure that they are in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Where do I get the edible gold leaf from?
- The edible gold leaf is available on Amazon.
