First and foremost, I want to say how excited I am to finally be posting my first recipe on my blog. I have been talking about doing this for so long and never really got the chance to do it.

I wanted to start off on a sweet note, so I incorporated two of my favorites together: Rose Chai and Cheesecake (with Parle-g crust :)). When I was pregnant with my son, I kept going back to a local café for their Rose chai. I may have gone more than I should have, but in my defense, I was eating for two! When I was creating this recipe, I thought why not mix two tasty items and see what happens… and I came up with this! You will not be disappointed – this cake is AMAZING! I also recommend making the cake with the Parle-G crust is a great compliment to the dessert as it marries everything together very well. If Parle-G biscuits aren’t your thing, then a regular graham cracker crust would taste just as good.

If you are entertaining guests or family members, this will be a guaranteed crowd pleaser. While this recipe may seem complex, it’s actually something that is easy to follow and the results are delicious! I have taken extra care to make the recipe easy to follow. The chai masala mixture is something that can be used in your daily chai as well! If you have some extra time, I recommend making it fresh at home. I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I did! Don’t forget to tag me when you make it and let me know how you like it! Stay happy and stay hungry! 🙂

Rose Chai Cheesecake

Preptime: 20 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes

Total cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Rose chai ingredients:

· ½ cup water

· 2 tsp regular tea

· 1 tsp chai masala (store bought or homemade)

· 2-3 tbs rose water

· 1 tbs rose syrup

To make homemade Chai Masala:

· 1 tbs cinnamon powder

· 1 tbs ginger powder

· 1 tbs ground black pepper

· 1 tbs ground fennel seed

· 1 tbs cardamom powder

· 1 tbs ground clove

– Put everything in a coffee grinder or mixer to make a ground powder; grind until everything is mixed together. You can store the rest in a container and use for your daily chai fix.

Crust:

· 1 ½ cups of Parle-G biscuits crushed

· 1 tsp chai masala

· 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted

Filling:

· 4 cups cream cheese (room temperature)

· 1 ¼ cups sugar

· ½ cup sour cream

· 5 large eggs (room temperature)

· 1 tsp chai masala

· 1/4 cup rose chai

· 1 tbs rose water

For Garnish: (optional)

· Dried edible rose petals

· Crushed pistachios.

Directions for Rose Chai:

1. In a small pot, add ½ cup of water and let it simmer for about one minute.

2. Add tea (regular tea) and chai masala to the pot and bring it to a low boil then turn off the heat.

3. Strain the tea in a small bowl and let it cool for about 5 minutes.

4. Once the tea is cool, add the rose syrup and rose water and set the mixture aside until it’s ready to use.

Directions for the Cheesecake:

1. Pre-heat the oven 450F

2. Place a large pan filled with ½ inch of water (about 9-10 cups) in the preheated oven.

3. Make the crust: mix the Parle-G crumbs with the chai masala and butter, then press the crust onto the bottom of your springform pan. Line with parchment paper for an easy and clean removal. Finally, freeze the crust until filling is prepared.

4. Make the filling: mix the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream in a bowl with an electric mixer.

5. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl

6. Mix the eggs, ¼ cup of the rose chai, 1 teaspoon of chai masala, and 1 tablespoon of rose water mixture to the cream cheese mixture until everything is incorporated.

7. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour in the filling.

8. Carefully place the cheesecake into the preheated water bath.

9. Bake for 12 minutes then turn the oven to 350F.

10. Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

11. Let it cool for about an hour on a wire rack, and then place it in the fridge to cool down further.

NOTES:

• I personally let my cake cool in the fridge overnight for the best consistency/results.
• I bought my rose water and rose syrup from Patel Brothers, but it can easily be found at any local Indian grocery store.
• Foil the outside of the springform pan to prevent the water from going into the cheesecake.