Thandai Tiramisu

Layers of thandai soaked spongy ladyfinger cookies and thandai flavored whipped mascarpone cream make up this easy festive dessert, perfect for Holi. This creamy thandai tiramisu is raw eggs free and comes together in about 15-20 minutes if you have thandai or thandai powder ready to go!

I am a bit obsessed with tiramisu and whenever indian festival time rolls around, my mind begins to conjure up ideas for Indian fusion tiramisu variations that I could whip up. Whether its my rose tiramisu, masala chai tiramisu or lemon tiramisu with eggless lemon curd), they are always a huge hit with my family as well at parties.

As Holi approaches, one of my cherished rituals is preparing a batch of instant thandai powder a few weeks ahead. Thandai is a beloved creamy milk beverage during Holi (indian festival of colors)and is infused with the flavors of powdered nuts and seeds, complemented by aromatic spices such as fennel, green cardamom, rose, and saffron.

Once I have my thandai masala ready, I love using it to make thandai flavored desserts. In the past years, I have created thandai cookies, thandai cheesecake bars, paan kulfi and thandai flavored badam nankhatai (indian shortbread).

With this thandai tiramisu recipe, I wanted to create a dessert version of thandai. I love how it turned out! It is milky, creamy, decadent, festive and a great make ahead dessert if you are throwing a holi party. There are thandai soaked lady fingers that are layered with a lush mascarpone whipped cream, which is flavored with nutty & fragrant thandai maslaa and a touch of saffron.

Thandai Tiramisu is

• Super Fragrant - Thanks to all the spices, rose and saffron, this is easily one of the most fragrant dessert I have made recently.
• Easy To Make - Takes about 15-20 minutes to put together if you have thandai masala ready. It is such a straightforward recipe. No need to separate eggs. Simply make some thandai and whip heavy cream with mascarpone cheese. Dip ladyfingers, and begin layering!
• Perfect Make Ahead Dessert - I love getting dessert out of the way early on whenever I am hosting. You can make this thandai tiramisu 1-2 days in advance. It gets better as it sits in the fridge.
• Raw Egg Free - Ideal for guests with egg intolerances as there are no raw egg yolks in this recipe. Personally, I prefer desserts without raw eggs, which is why I adore this recipe.
• Alcohol Free - Traditional thandai is often spiked with bhaang (leaves of the cannabis sativa plant). However, my recipe is entirely devoid of caffeine or alcohol, making it a suitable dessert option for kids, festivals like Holi or Diwali and perfect to be enjoyed by expecting mothers.

Ingredients

• If you cannot find lady fingers or dont want to use them, you could use cake rusks or sponge cake cut into rectangular strips.

Method

Make Thandai

1. You could use homemade thandai masala or store bought, thandai syrup or thandai masala. For best taste, make thandai a day ahead or few hours ahead, let cool down and store refrigerated.
2. To make thandai, in a cooking pot, pour milk, sugar & thandai masala. Set on a medium high flame and bring milk to a boil. Reduce to low and let simmer for a 8-10 minutes to let the flavors infuse.
3. Take off the stove, let thandai cool to room temperature and store refrigerated until you are ready to assemble tiramisu. If you wish, you can strain thandai, I leave it as it is.

Thandai Masala Mascarpone Cream

4. In a large mixing bowl, add room temperature mascarpone cream (makes it easier to beat), 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.
5. 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

6. Gather all the ingredients - thandai,ladyfinger cookies, thandai flavored maspcarone cream, sliced nuts, needed for layering tiramisu.
7. 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.
8. Spread half of the cream layer evenly. Then, top with second layer of lady fingers, add 1-2 tablespoon of thadai milk on top. Spread remaining mascarpone cream. Smoothen the top using a spatula.

6. 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.
7. Before serving, decorate as you wish. Just before serving, I sprinkle silvered pistachios & almonds along with edible rose petals and silver leaf.

6. 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.

Recipe Tips

• 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 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.