Holi marks the beginning of the thandai season. We enjoy it all summer long. Every year I make different thandai flavor desserts as well. My 10 minute condensed milk fudge burfi with thandai powder has been a hit for years! Last year you loved my ultimate fusion recipe – Gulab Jamun Thandai Mousse shots and many of you tried it as well. This year I am sharing a super sturdy mousse recipe with you. This unique Indian spin on the regular mousse just makes it more flavorful.
Wondering what is thandai?
It is a very popular Indian beverage. Holi marks the beginning of thandai fever and lasts all summer long. Thandai is a unique Indian spice blend that is made of ground peppercorn, cardamom, fennel, melon seeds, poppy seeds, rose petals. It is then added to milk and enjoyed chilled on hot summer days. You can make it beforehand and store it to make a drink later. You can buy a packet of readymade thandai powder from an Indian store or make it at home if you have all the ingredients on hand.
The fragrant thandai mousse cake base – Step by step method
The eggless thandai cake base is adapted from my trusted vanilla cake recipe. I have skipped vanilla and added rose water, thandai mix, and saffron instead.
Step 1
Grease and line a 9” springform pan with parchment paper. Make sure you secure the lock. Keep aside. Add saffron to warm water and keep aside to cool. In another bowl sift all dry ingredients except sugar. Give it a quick mix.
Step 2
In another bowl add sugar, yogurt, water, thandai powder, oil, rose water, and saffron water.
Step 3
Whisk well with a manual or an electric balloon whish until creamy and sugar has almost dissolved. Whisk, until the oil has emulsified well.
Step 4
Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredient bowl a little at a time. Now whip everything until it forms a smooth batter. Do not over whip it.
Step 5
Transfer it to the pan and bake it for 30-35 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with few moist crumbs. Take out the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Now gently run a butter knife through the circumference of the pan and release the pan carefully.
Step 6
Invert the cake on the cooling rack. Set the cake aside to cool.
Airy, fluffy thandai mousse
This creamy mousse is the highlight of the thandai cake. I have used agar agar ( an excellent vegetarian alternative to gelatin) to make this mousse cake more sturdy.
Step by step method to make thandai mousse –
Whipping the cream
Add chilled whipping cream, confectioner’s sugar, and a pinch of salt to a big bowl or a stand mixer. Remember that the cream will double its size after whipping. Use a balloon whisk to whip the cream to very loose peaks just like a thick milkshake. (Do not whip it to stiff peaks). Keep aside.
To activate agar agar
Step 1 – Add cream to a saucepan. Sprinkle agar agar over it. Add in saffron, thandai powder, cardamom. Mix well to combine. Step 2 – Heat this mixture on medium heat stirring frequently. Once the mixture comes to a boil let it cook for a minute. Switch off the flame and strain the mixture passing through a fine-mesh strainer. Step 3– Let this mixture cool to warm. ( Do not cool the mixture completely or it will set before adding it to the cream. If the mix has cooled down for some reason, warm it up again until pourable consistency. Step 4– Now start whipping cream on medium speed with one hand and add the warm mixture to the cream with another hand and whisk continuously without stopping until soft peaks hold well. This process of mixing will take only 10-12 seconds. So do not over whip. Scrape the sides with a spatula. Mousse consistency may look very soft, but it stiffens after chilling in the fridge. Remember that we want only soft peaks.
Assembling the thandai mousse cake
Recipe testing and conclusion
I tested this recipe twice. 1st time I added gulkand to the cake base and it did not rise well. Maybe because gulkand is too sticky with a lot of sugar content. 2 nd time I did not add it and the cake was nice and fluffy with plenty of thandai taste. So as much I would love to include gulkand in this recipe I have skipped it. This thandai cake recipe is not overly sweet. You may choose to thin out the gulkand and add a layer to the cake before adding the mousse. But I will keep on testing in the future.
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More amazing recipes to try on Holi or Diwali!
Easy Mango Mousse without Gelatin Cheesecake Thandai Mocktail with Berry Swirl Mango Panna Cotta Without Gelatin Whole Wheat Jaggery Malpua Instant Rabdi Recipe
Eggless Thandai Mousse Cake Recipe
