BM# 70: Week 1/ Day 3
Theme: Desserts in Glasses
Dish: Indian Style Individual Carrot Halwa Cheesecakes
I gave the ‘desserts in glasses’ an Indian twist with this No Bake Carrot Halwa Cheesecake. After the 2 Western style desserts (individual tiramisu and cookie-butter cheesecakes), I wanted to do an Indian inspired one. Luckily my sister made carrot halwa for diwali and after enjoying it as is, it got transformed to this creamy, decadent cheesecake.
I was thinking of making rice pudding (aka payasam) with a twist and serving it in the glass, but that didn’t really sound too exciting for me. But with my love for carrot halwa (as seen in this cake, ice cream or these poli), I knew that it would blend well in a cheesecake.
There is no baking involved in this recipe. Carrot halwa is mixed into creamcheese and then layered with graham cracker crumbs and saffron flavored whipped cream. It is a great way to use up leftover carrot halwa, but don’t get me wrong you can by all means make carrot halwa fresh to make these cheesecakes.
Make sure that the carrot halwa is not too thick. Thin it out with some milk, so that it mixes well with the cream cheese. Also having the cream cheese soft and at room temperature is very important to get a smooth halwa layer. The crunchy component comes from graham cracker crumbs, but you can also use crushed digestive biscuits. I topped it with some saffron flavored whipped cream. 
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 70.
Individual No bake Carrot Halwa Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the Carrot Halwa Filling:
- 1 cup Carrot Halwa
- 1/4 cup Cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom
- 1~2 tbsp Sugar (optional)
Other Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs Grind about 4~6 graham crackers in a food processor until smooth
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1~2 tbsp Confectioners Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Saffron extract
- Few Strands saffron
- 1 tbsp Pistachios, chopped
Instructions
Make the Carrot Halwa Filling:
- Make your favorite Carrot Halwa recipe. Link to the recipe I used is in the post.
- Whisk softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the carrot halwa and mix well. Taste to see if it needs any sugar. If it needs more, then add some sugar along with ground cardamom. Mix well.
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
- Whip cream along with confectioners sugar, saffron extract and saffron strands until stiff peaks form.
To Assemble:
- Combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Place 1 tbsp of the mixture in the bottom of the glasses. Lightly press with the back of the spoon to compact it.
- Spoon about 1/4 cup of carrot halwa mixture on top of the crust in each glass. Top with quarter of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving.
Notes
Rajani
I love this new look on our age old halwa. Will keep this recipe in mind the next time I make it.
Gayathri Kumar
This is a great fusion dessert. Looks so delicious..
sapana
Carrot halwa cheesecke looks so exotic and very innovative. Love the stunning pictures.
Ritu Tangri
Quite an innovation…must be great in taste as well 🙂
Harini
Very innovative!!
Suma Gandlur
The fusion of decadent ingredients sounds really tempting.
Sheryl
This looks great and your photos are amazing! I don’t recall having halwa on my trips to India. Can you describe it for me? Is it like a pudding?
[email protected] Big Sweet Tooth
This is such a lovely twist! Amazing recipe… I would definitely love a cheesecake like this…
Priya Suresh
Omg, very creative cheese cake..ABsolutely inviting me. Never thought of making cheesecake with carrot halwa, well done.
Ruxana
What a lovely creativity ….yummy