Frozen Kulfi Cake

I was browsing through the Martha Stewart cookbook and this recipe instantly caught my attention. Kulfi is a traditional Indian dessert made by reducing milk on low flame over a long time, and is flavoured with cardamom and pistachios. It is generally frozen in conical kulfi molds and served as individual creamsicles. The idea of the Indian dessert turned into a cake definitely piqued my interest. This is a very rich dessert since it has condensed milk, coconut milk, cream and nuts. So when our friends A & A invited us along with another family of friends for dinner, I decided to make this since there will be a few people to share this fantastic treat. By the time we had our fabulous dinner and finished off with a A's dessert, we were so full, we couldnt eat another bite. So we all waited around for sometime, and tasted a little bit of the kulfi cake. The cake got very good reviews from all the guests. I wish everyone could have had more! I hope A & A enjoyed the rest of the cake. Anyways, this is a good choice for parties and family gatherings and will definitely be an instant hit. Enjoy this frrrrozen trrreat !

Recipe (Makes one molded dessert, Serves 8):

Unsweetened coconut milk - 2 cups

Whole cardamom pods - 8

Whole, shelled green pistachios or whole blanched almonds - 1/2 cup

Sweetened condensed milk - 1 1/2 cups

Blanched almond slivers - 1/2 cup

Heavy cream - 3/4 cup

Mango peeled, pit removed and cut into large pieces - 1 small

Light corn syrup - 2 tbsp

5-cup oval mold or any 5-cup mold

Method:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the coconut milk and cardamom pods until the milk just reaches a boil.

Remove from the heat, cover and set aside to steep for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Place the pistachios on a baking sheet, toast until aromatic, about 8 minutes.

While warm, transfer the nuts to a clean kitchen towel, rub to remove the brown skins.

Set the nuts aside. (If using whole blanched almonds, simply toast and set aside).

Place the condensed milk, pistachios and almond slivers in the bowl of a food processor.

Process until well-blended and the nuts are finely chopped.

Strain the coconut milk into the nut mixture.

Pulse until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.

Gently whisk the cream into the coconut mixture.

Strain 1 cup of the mixture through a fine sieve into the bottom of a 5-cup oval pudding mold or any 5-cup mold.

Transfer mold to freezer, let chill until firm, about 1 - 1.30 hrs.(Poke the mixture lightly with your finger to test for firmness).

Now pour 1 1/2 cups of the remaining kulfi mixture over the frozen mixture.

Return to freezer and chill until firm, about 1 1/2 hours.

In the bowl of a food processor, puree the mango to yield about 1/2 cup.

Combine the puree and the corn syrup in a bowl.

Pour the mango mixture over the frozen mixture, freeze until firm, about 30-40 minutes.

Stir the remaining kulfi mixture and pour (unstrained) over the frozen mango layer until the mold is full.

Cover with plastic wrap, freeze overnight.

To unmold the cake, remove the plastic wrap, place the mold, metal-side up, on a serving platter.

Wet a kitchen towel with very hot water and wring out.

Place the towel over the mold and press into the mold, being careful to press the warm towel into any curves or flutes of the mold.

Repeat this step as needed, until the kulfi slips out onto the platter.

Return cake to freezer on the platter until firm again, atleast 30 minutes.

The cake maybe made upto this point, a day ahead.

To serve, chill (in the refrigerator) about 20 minutes, until soft enough to cut with a serrated or slicing knife.

Serve immediately.

Source: The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook 1200 collected recipes.

Tips:

1. Instead of fresh mangoes, I used 1/2 cup canned sweetened mango pulp.
2. While toasting pistachios, watch carefully as they brown quickly. I took them out in about 5 minutes.