Thandai Tiramisu (Fusion Holi Dessert)
Thandai tiramisu is an easy indian fusion dessert made with layers of thandai soaked ladyfinger cookies and thadai masala mascarpone cream. A fun recipe perfect for your Holi dessert table!
Equipment
- 8 by 8 dish for setting the tiramisu
Ingredients
For Making Thandai
- 1.5 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon thandai masala
For Thandai Tiramisu
- 6-7 saffron strands
- 8 oz mascarpone cream softened at room temperature
- 1.5 cup heavy cream very cold
- 8-10 tablespoon powdered sugar(confectioners sugar) adjust quantity to your taste
- 1.5 tablespoon thandai masala
- 20-22 lady finger cookies
- 2 tablespoon silvered pistachios & almonds for decorating
- edible rose petals & silver foil
Instructions
MAKE THANDAI
- You could use homemade thandai masala or store bought thandai syrup or thandai powder. For best taste, make thandai a day ahead or few hours ahead, let cool down and store refrigerated.
- To make thandai, in a cooking pot, pour milk, sugar & thandai masala. Set on a medium high flame. Keep an eye while milk comes to a boil. Reduce to low and let simmer for a 8-10 minutes to let the flavors infuse.
- Take off the stove, let thandai cool to room temperature and store refrigerated until you are ready to assemble tiramisu.
THANDAI MASALA MASCARPONE CREAM
- Soak saffron in 1 tablespoon warmed heavy cream and let stand while you whip the mascarpone.
- While thandai is cooling down, in a large mixing bowl, add softened mascarpone cream, cold heavy cream and powdered sugar. Using hand mixer (or you can use stand mixer), beat on medium speed for 4-5 minutes or until soft peaks form.
- Add the thandai masala and saffron to the whipped cream. Beat on low speed for a 1-2 minutes to mix everything very well. Your thandai masala mascarpone cream is ready!
LAYER THANDAI TIRAMISU
- Gather all the ingredients (thandai,ladyfinger cookies, thandai flavored maspcarone cream, sliced nuts) needed for layering tiramisu.
- Dip the ladyfingers on both sides in thandai milk and layer the cookies side by side at the bottom of a 8 by 8 square dish.
- Spread half of the cream layer evenly. Then, top with second layer of thandai soaked lady fingers. Add 1-2 tablespoon of thadai milk on top. Spread remaining mascarpone cream. Smoothen the top using a spatula.
- Chill the assembled tiramisu for at least 6 hours, though overnight is the best. I recommend letting it set for about 8 hours to let flavors meld together and softer thandai soaked ladyfingers.
- Before serving, decorate as you wish. Just before serving, I sprinkle silvered pistachios & almonds along with edible rose petals and silver leaf.
- Serve chilled.You can use a sharp knife to cut neat portions(that's particularly easy when you set it in a square or rectangle dish). Or go free style and scoop it with a large spoon.
Notes
- Lady fingers Substitute - If you cannot find lady fingers or dont want to use them, you could use cake rusks or sponge cake cut into rectangular strips.
- Use Good Quality Thandai Masala- If you using store bought thandai mix, make sure to check for freshness. Since it is made with nuts, they have a chance to go bad if sitting on shelf for too long. Same is true if you making thandai masala at home- use good quality ingredients to ensure rich flavors.
- Dont Let Ladyfingers Get Soggy- Don’t dip ladyfinger for too long in thandai to avoid sogginess.Ideally 2 -3 seconds are good.
- Balance The Sweetness Levels- Keep in mind the sweetness level of each component so that the overall taste of thandai tiramsu isn't cloying since All the components from lady fingers to thandai milk to mascarpone cream are sweet.
- Make Individual Servings - You could made individual servings if you wish. Break the lady finger cookies in half or thirds and layer with thandai mascarpone cream. You should be easily able to make 10-12 individual servings.
- Be Careful of Saffron - If I plan to make thandai tiramisu with it, I do not make my thandai masala saffron heavy. Reason being that we will add saffron to whipped mascarpone cream for yellowish tinge. You don't have much control if you are using store bought thandai masala, so, reduce the quantity of saffron later in mascarpone cream. Saffron can get overpowering pretty quickly and we want the thandai masala to shine through in this recipe.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!