Ingredients
Chai Ingredients
- 36 pieces of cake rusk (2 boxes of 18)
- 15 green cardamom pods
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- 6 cloves
- 2 black peppercorns
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg or grated nutmeg
- 1″ piece of ginger, sliced and bashed open
- 650 ml water
- 8-10 tsp loose black tea or tea bags (use 10 tsp for weaker leaves)
- 300 ml milk
Thickened Milk and Cream Mixture
- 300 ml milk
- 25 g cornflour (corn starch for US readers)
- 750 ml double cream or heavy whipping cream, cold
- 500 g mascarpone, cold
- 110 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Finishing
- 30 g white chocolate, grated
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare the Spices: Pound the whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, cloves) slightly; they don’t need to be fully powdered. Alternatively, use your preferred chai masala blend to taste.
- Toast the Spices: In a saucepan over low heat, toast the whole spices for 1 to 2 minutes to intensify their fragrance. If using pre-ground chai masala, skip this step to avoid burning.
- Make the Chai Base: Pour water into the saucepan and add grated nutmeg, sliced ginger, and tea leaves or tea bags. Optional: add rose, saffron, or lemongrass for extra flavor.
- Simmer Tea: Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes to create a strong, concentrated chai.
- Add Milk and Simmer: Pour in 300 ml milk and bring back to a simmer. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes to fully infuse flavors.
- Strain Chai: Strain the mixture through a tea sieve carefully to remove solids, yielding about 600-700 ml of chai. Allow to cool completely.
- Prepare Thickened Milk: In a clean saucepan, whisk together 300 ml milk and 25 g cornflour until smooth. Place over medium-low heat.
- Cook Thickened Milk: Stir continuously to prevent lumps, alternating between spatula and whisk until the mixture bubbles and thickens quickly.
- Cool Thickened Milk: Transfer the thickened milk to a jug or bowl; cover the surface with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate until completely cold.
- Combine Mascarpone and Thickened Milk: Pass chilled thickened milk through a sieve to remove lumps, then combine with cold mascarpone in a mixing bowl. Whisk lightly on low speed for about a minute.
- Whip Cream Mixture: In a separate large bowl, whisk double cream, sugar, vanilla bean paste, and ground cardamom on low speed until soft peaks form. Avoid over-whipping to prevent grainy texture.
- Fold Mascarpone Mix into Cream: Gently fold the mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream using a hand whisk to combine without over-mixing.
- Assemble First Layer: Briefly dunk each rusk (less than a second) in cooled chai, then place into a 9″x13″ tin in an even layer. It need not be perfect.
- Add Cream Layer: Spoon about half of the cream mixture over the rusk layer and smooth it evenly.
- Repeat Layers: Dunk the remaining rusks quickly in chai and layer on top of the cream. Then spread the remaining mascarpone cream over the second layer and smooth.
- Finish Topping: Grate white chocolate over the final cream layer and dust with ground cinnamon.
- Chill: Cover the tiramisu with a lid and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably 24 hours, to allow flavors to meld and the dessert to set firmly.
Notes
- The chai should be strong and concentrated; use more tea than usual to achieve rich flavor.
- When thickening milk with cornflour, continuous stirring is essential to prevent lumps and sticking.
- Dunk rusks very briefly in chai to avoid sogginess while allowing flavor absorption.
- For best texture, do not over-whip the cream; soft peaks achieve a smooth, creamy blend.
- Refrigerate a full 24 hours if possible for the best flavor development and firm setting.
- You can add subtle extra flavors to the chai like rose, saffron, or lemongrass for a unique twist.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian fusion
