Tag: agar agar

Ombre Blueberry Cheesecake … fresh & exciting

Ombre Blueberry Cheesecake … no bake, fresh, exciting and deep flavours in this no bake cheesecake are sublime. Every spoon offers deep berry notes and then the hint of vanilla bean, dessert just like we love them! The one bowl eggless chocolate sponge at the bottom and the ganache on top really bring it all together deliciously!

Colours and natural flavours in quick, simple desserts is what I really enjoy creating. Hopefully I’ll have just as much fun this year as well working with desserts in colour, a ton of natural flavour and layers. I hope you have a colourful and exciting 2024 as well!

There’s something about berries that makes desserts interesting and exciting, delicious too obviously. Berries offer endless charm and endless ways to create dessert. Another great idea for desserts is playing with different hues of the same or similar colours to create creating ombre patterns. I’ve also found that chocolate often brings these desserts together beautifully!

Ombre layers are one of my favourite ways to dessert and this Ombre Blueberry Cheesecake turned out smooth, fresh and really delicious. Each spoonful was addictive, the berry flavours dancing on the palette!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking or share a comment here on the blog if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

Ombre Desserts
Berry Desserts
Layer Desserts
Eggless Desserts
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Eggless Ombre Blueberry Cheesecake

The fresh, exciting and deep flavours in this no bake cake are sublime. Every spoon offers deep berry notes and then the hint of vanilla bean, dessert just like we love them! The one bowl eggless chocolate sponge at the bottom and the ganache on top really bring it all together deliciously!
Makes 2 X 4" cakes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, British
Keyword agar agar, baking, blueberries, cake, cheesecake, chocolate, cream, dessert, eggfree, eggless, eggless baking, fruit, no bake, no gelatine, simple, sweet, vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Setting 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 50 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Eggless chocolate sponge (makes two 4″ cakes)

  • 105 g buttermilk
  • 25 g oil
  • 50 g castor sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 8 g cocoa powder
  • 85 g all purpose flour/maida

Cheesecake filling

  • 300 g cream / 25% fat
  • 2.5 tsp agar agar
  • 50 g castor sugar
  • 100 g white chocolate chopped
  • 250 g cream cheese room temperature, whisked until smooth

Instructions

Eggless chocolate sponge

  • Preheat the oven to 180C.
  • Line the base of two 4″ round dessert tins with foil and the sides with parchment. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and give them a good whisk.
  • Divide the batter between the tins, about 130g batter per tin. Bake for 20 minutes, until the tester comes out clean. Cool completely, then trim the tops.

Cheesecake filling

  • Whisk together the cream and sugar with agar agar in a glass bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, whisk again. Repeat 1-2 more times until the cream is steaming, Alternatively, simmer on the stove. We need to reach 79C to activate the agar agar.
  • Add the white chocolate, cover and leave for 5-10 minutes until the chocolate melts. Stir until smooth.
  • Whisk the cream cheese with a little cream-chocolate mixture to loosen it, then whisk it all into the cream-white chocolate mixture until smooth.
  • Divide into 3 bowls – 225g each
  • Bowl 1. Add 1.25 tsp blueberry powder
  • Bowl 2. 1/2 tsp freeze dried blueberry powder
  • Bowl 3. Add 1/4 scraped vanilla bean

Assemble

  • Secure an acetate sheet around the cake.
  • Layer 1 – Pour half the dark blueberry filling (100g) over the cake and place in the freezer until firm on top, 30 minutes.
  • Layer 2 – Pour half the light blueberry filling (100g) over first layer and place in the freezer until firm on top, 30 minutes
  • Layer 3 – Pour half the white filling (100g) over the light blueberry layer. Place in the freezer for 3-4 hours until very firm, gently peel off the acetate sheet, then leave to set in the fridge overnight.
  • Top with a chocolate ganache if desired.

Video

In other news, I am thrilled to be included in the list of the 15 Best Indian Baking Blogs from thousands of food blogs on the web and ranked by traffic, social media followers & freshness ranked by Feedspot. Always an honour to be recognised for my little passion, so thank you so much Feedspot!

Cranberry Christmas Coconut Flan … delicate and delicious!

Cranberry Christmas Coconut Flan … Simple, delicious and delicate, this vegan gluten-free set pudding is light and full of flavour. It’s a quick simple, stove top recipe that doesn’t take more than 15 minutes to make. Cranberries lend it a delicate pink hue, also added flavour and texture.

I love the way the flan sets, almost assuming and such a surprise to see the clean release from the mini bundt tin. Desserts that set as prettily as this always make me happy, much like this Vegan Rose Coconut Jelly Pudding…

…. also this Vegan Coffee Pudding. Earthy and deeply satisfying, where every wobbly spoonful was delicious, if you love coffee in desserts, you are going to love this 5 ingredient pudding!

… and the Eggless Mango Custard Pudding and the Pistachio Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce {no gelatine}. I am fascinated by all sorts of set puddings, and it never ceases to amaze me if they leave the mold clean!

You can obviously see that shapes in desserts fascinate me, bringing alive the child in me. This vegan Cranberry Christmas Coconut Flan was no different. I whooped with joy when I demolded it, every little detail in the pattern visible beautifully!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

Puddings
Christmas Recipes
Vegan Desserts
Coconut Desserts
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Cranberry Christmas Coconut Milk Flan

Simple, delicious and delicate, this vegan gluten-free set pudding is light and full of flavour. It's a quick simple, stove top recipe that doesn't take more than 15 minutes to make. Cranberries lend it a delicate pink hue and added texture.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword agar agar, christmas, coconut milk, cranberries, dessert, eggfree, fruit, gluten free, one bowl, simple, stovetop, sweet, vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Setting time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 500 g coconut milk
  • 60 g sugar
  • 1 tsp agar agar powder
  • 45 g dried cranberries chopped

Instructions

  • Whisk all the ingredients in a pan.
  • Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is steaming.
  • Pour into 6 cup mold and leave to set overnight.

Eggless Tiramisu Chocolate Tart … Delicious tart to fall in love with!

Eggless Tiramisu Chocolate Tart … simple pantry ingredients make this refreshingly delicious tiramisu inspired tart with classic flavours of coffee, Kahlua and mascarpone. This one turned out really well, and is our current favourite, after all coffee in desserts are something we all love at home.

I never tire of tarts as a dessert option and at the risk of repeating myself, I find them to be very underrated and not made often enough. This is a quick and easy option for a rather special dessert with staple pantry ingredients.

Add chocolate to it and now you’re talking. The layered Eggless Coffee & Vanilla Bean Cake above is a perfect example of how good the pairing can be. I took it forward with this Eggless Tiramisu Chocolate Tart., a really wonderful take on the Italian classic, one that is indulgent good. With high fat cream hard to come by on the Indian subcontinent, yes despite us being a ‘dairy’ country, I’ve worked for long to create a stabilized cream.

This works really well for me, one I use quite often now. It’s basically a combination of low fat cream / 25% fat cream, cornflour and agar agar, a mix that is simmered over very low heat to activate the agar agar. I’ve now switched to heating it in the microwave in 15-30 second bursts since it helps me control the heat else the cornflour tends to catch the bottom of the pan if left unattended. Sometimes I add in some clarified butter/ghee as I’ve done in this tarts coffee cream filling and OH MY, did it turn out delicious!

This Eggless Tiramisu Chocolate Tart comes together pretty quickly and deliciously. It’s great even without the mascarpone piping on top, but well, you know, tiramisu tastes great with mascarpone, so why not! Oh, and there’s a recipe for mascarpone on the blog here if you need to make it from scratch.

Do tag me on Instagram @passionateaboutbaking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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Eggless Tiramisu Chocolate Tart

Simple pantry ingredients make this delicious tiramisu inspired tart with classic flavours of coffee, Kahlua and mascarpone.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Keyword agar agar, chocolate, coffee, dessert, eggless, no bake, simple, summer dessert, sweet, tart, vegetarian
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 14 minutes
8 hours
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Tart base

  • 150 g digestive biscuits
  • 60 g clarified butter/ghee melted, cooled

Chocolate filling

  • 115 g cream 25% fat cream
  • 100 g 54% dark chocolate chopped
  • 1 tsp coffee powder

Coffee cream filling

  • 300 ml cream 25% fat cream
  • 50 g clarified butter/ ghee
  • 1 1/4 tsp agar agar powder
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 65 g sugar
  • 1/2 tsp coffee extract {or instant coffee}
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6 digestive biscuits, whole

50ml strong coffee with 1 tbsp Kalhua {or just strong coffee}

Cream topping

  • 300 g mascarpone
  • 25 g icing sugar

Cocoa powder to dust over

Instructions

Tart base -8”

  • Place digestive biscuits in a processor and blend to a fine meal. Stir in melted clarified butter/ghee.
  • Work up the sides of a tart tin, then press firmly to make the base.
  • Place in the freezer for an hour while you make the chocolate and cream filling. Once chilled and firm, gently loosen the edges of the chilled tart shell and return to the tin in the freezer.

Chocolate filling

  • Heat the cream to almost boiling. Add the chocolate and coffee and leave covered for 15-20 minutes until the chocolate softens. Whisk until smooth.

Coffee cream filling

  • Whisk together all the ingredients in a glass bowl.
  • Microwave for 30 seconds, whisk again. Repeat until the cream begins to thicken at the edges, 4-5 times. Cool, whisking now and then to keep the cream uniform and to prevent a film from forming on top.
  • Note: You can also make this on the stove top. Stir constantly.

Cream topping

  • Gently mix the mascarpone and icing sugar until smooth. Don’t overmix.
  • Assembly
  • Gently pour the chocolate filling over the base of the chilled tart base and spread to cover base. Top with a circle of whole digestive biscuits. Moisten the biscuits with the coffee-Kahlua mix, then pour over the cool coffee cream.
  • Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
  • Pipe over with the mascarpone and dust with cocoa powder
  • {Note: The potency of agar agar sometimes differs across brands and/or in warmer temperatures.}

Video

Chocolate Coconut Strawberry Layered Tart … in one word, DELICIOUS!

Chocolate Coconut Strawberry Layered Tart… In one word – DELICIOUS! With Spring here and the weather warming up quite alarmingly, strawberries are at their ripest and juiciest best. This is one layered tart that I love making when strawberries are in plenty. The flavours come together beautifully, and the layers quite easily!

I absolutely love desserts with strawberries and you’ll find a load of them on the blog, and perhaps even more on my recipe feed on Instagram @pabrecipes. I tend to post more often there as I love the visual appeal of the platform. You can also find the assembly reels on my main feed @passionateaboutbaking. Did I tell you that everything is eggless now?

This eggless chocolate tart is quite special – a quick biscuit base, a light chocolate layer, then a finger licking good vanilla bean coconut custard, followed by my most favourite part – a deep red flavourful strawberry jelly . The jelly made from scratch and set with agar agar is packed with fruity flavour and sliced strawberries stirred through. The slight tartness really pairs well with the other layers.

If you have strawberries in season, then make this please! Or save it for them they show up!

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Chocolate Coconut Strawberry Layered Tart

A quick biscuit base, a light chocolate layer, then a fingerlicking good vanilla bean coconut custard, followed by my most favourite part – a deep red flavourful strawberry jelly . The jelly made from scratch and set with agar agar is packed with fruity flavour and sliced strawberries stirred through. The slight tartness really pairs well with the other layers.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword agar agar, chocolate, cookie, dessert, eggless, eggless layered cake, fruit, homemade, no bake, strawberries, summer dessert, tart, vegetarian
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Biscuit base

  • 100 g digestive biscuits
  • 40 g clarified butter/ghee melted, cooled

Chocolate layer

  • 185 g cream
  • 75 g dark chocolate chopped
  • 1.5 tsp cornflour
  • 1/2 tsp agar agar
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 30 g brown sugar

Vanilla coconut layer

  • 185 g coconut milk
  • 40 g cream
  • 1 tsp agar
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 1/2 vanilla bean shell
  • 2 tbsp raw sugar

Strawberry layer

  • 250 g strawberries sliced
  • 50 g brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp agar agar

Instructions

Biscuit base

  • Preheat the oven to 170C.
  • Live a square 6″ dessert mold with heavy duty foil.
  • Run the biscuits in a blender or crush in a ziploc.
  • Stir in the cooled clarified butter and transfer to the prepared tin. Press the crumbs firmly into place to make a base.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown.
  • Cool completely on a rack while you make the chocolate layer.

Chocolate layer

  • Whisk together all the ingredients in a heavy bottom saucepan until lump free. Simmer over low heat stirring constantly until the chocolate melts and thickens to a custard consistency. Whisk well, then strain and cool slightly.
  • Pour over the cooled biscuit base and place in the freezer for 30 minutes until firm to touch.

Vanilla coconut layer

  • Whisk together all the ingredients in a heavy bottom saucepan until lump free. Simmer over low heat stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to a custard consistency. Whisk well, then strain and cool slightly. Gently pour over the chocolate layer and place in the freezer for 30 minutes until firm to touch.

Strawberry layer

  • Reserve 50g sliced strawberries.
  • Place remaining strawberries, sugar and water in a heavy bottom saucepan and stir well to mix.
  • Simmer over low heat stirring constantly until the berries break down and release their juices.
  • Strain the syrup, return to the saucepan and stir in the agar agar. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Cool slightly and stir in the reserved strawberries.
  • immediately pour over the set vanilla coconut custard and return to the freezer to set, approximately 20 minutes.
  • Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
  • Slice with a serrated knife.

Video

MANGOES – 10 delightful eggless dessert recipes before the season disappears!

INSPIRED EGGLESS MANGO DESSERTS that have flavoured this season at home. Bake, no bake I have you covered! They are all egglee/eggfree with no gelatine used.

You can see I have really made the most of the season, explored my creativity and really enjoyed this Indian summer. Here are a few of my favourites that I have shared to my feed on Instagram, with all the recipes shared to my recipe feed on PAB Recipes. Don’t forget to tag me if you try any of these!

Eggless Mango Semolina Coconut Trifle … Complete mango overload with all my favourite flavours in this very satisfying dessert! A semolina/suji and coconut one bowl eggless cake forms the base. The granular texture of semolina with beautiful undertones of coconut reminded me of my childhood in Bangalore where coconut barfi was always a treat. I topped the cake with loads of dassehri aam/mango, then thickened cream, a silky sauce made with langda aam/mango, then more diced mangoes. Finished it off with a piping of stabilized low fat cream. All it needs is a couple of hours to chill so the cake gets moist. Else, if you are impatient like us, it tastes good right away too!

Eggless Mango Mascarpone Cheesecake (No Bake) – Rich, creamy and delicious. A simple, quick no bake recipe that makes the mango shine. The filling is light, mousse like and very indulgent! Topped it with the last few strawberries of the season, mango of course, piped mascarpone, basil flowers, mint. Garnish inspired by @zoebakes Mango Curd Tar.  

Eggless Mango Vanilla Bean Cavity Cake… Stretching the mango season as much as I can! I’m really enjoying different versions of the eggless cavity cake, and here’s another one that turned out really well. One of my favourite pairings with mango is vanilla bean and I think the two compliment each other beautifully.

Eggless Mango Rasmalai Trifle… A delightful eggless dessert that brings two favourites together. You guessed it – mangoes and rasmalai! A simple pistachio topped sponge soaked in the most delicious rasmalai or saffron milk, covered with thickened cream and mangoes. The trifle is reminiscent of the quintessential Indian rasmalai dessert and pairs beautifully with mangoes. I baked the sponges in stem glasses. If you want to as well, do make sure the glasses are oven safe.

Eggless Mango Saffron Shrikhand Cavity Cake… yes you heard right! This isn’t just a simple layered cake. This delicious eggless cake has a cavity filled and then topped with the most indulgent and luxurious saffron shrikhand. That just means more deliciousness in every bite!

Eggless Shrikhand Mango Jelly Pastry Tart {no gelatine}. This dessert pastry is a saffron shrikhand paired with a fresh mango jelly nestled in a crisp delicious eggless pastry shell.

Nobake Ombre Mango Pudding Cheesecake. If you’re torn between eating a pudding or a cheesecake, look no further. This turned out just too light and delicious! What began with a mango pudding ended up as quite a delightful ombre cheesecake. The biscuit base had deep, earthy undertones thanks to jaggery and ghee. Perfect pairing with the topping!

Saffron Mawa Pistachio Crumble Indian Bread Pudding… For those who like Shahi Tukda or the quintessential Indian bread pudding. Reduced saffron milk, a mawa/ khoya pistachio crumble, milk bread shallow fried in ghee, then finally unsweetened cream. Bliss! It’s quick, it screams comfort, it’s over the top indulgent and most delicious!

Eggless Mango Phalsa Tres Leches Cake… Moist, flavourful and soooo good! After all, what’s not to love about a milk soaked sponge topped with the best seasonal mangoes and an odd tart berry that tastes delightful! If you love dairy as much as we do, then you are going to love my tropical take on the Mexican Tres Leches Cake. A simple, one bowl sponge makes the base for this cake, a recipe I’ve developed over time and use often.

Eggless Mango Shrikhand Misu… Not a tongue twister but just a delicious mango and shrikhand trifle inspired by tiramisu! A flavourful eggless saffron pistachio sponge layered with shrikhand, mangoes and pistachios, moistened with a delicious saffron syrup. The sponge is a simple, one bowl recipe as always. Make it you must! The recipe uses easily available ingredients and is almost guilt free 

Coffee Coconut Blancmange #vegan #eggless #nobake #dessert

Coffee Coconut Blancmange… an agar agar twist to this traditional pudding just because I’m still experimenting with agar agar! Also, if you know me a little, coffee is one of my most favourite flavours for dessert. The other being chocolate of course!

The traditional blancmange is made normally with cream/milk & thickened with gelatin or cornstarch. Since I had agar agar staring at me, I thought why not.

Also coffee was on my mind, then I saw a tin of coconut cream.

Well, the rest is history & the outcome was this very pretty and nicely set pudding, a Coffee Chocolate Blancmange! Serve it with a deep chocolate sauce, maybe a crisp amaretti on the side. What’s not to love

I might try making it with 100% coconut cream next time, perhaps a dairy version with cream. Seems exciting enough to experiment with. Do let me know if you try!

You can find more COFFEE desserts here, more eggless desserts here, or more puddings here.

Do tag me on Instagram at passionateaboutbaking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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Coffee Coconut Blancmange

Coffee Coconut Blancmange. An agar agar twist to this traditional pudding just because I’m still experimenting with agar agar! It’s vegan, it’s glutenfree & it’s so pretty!
Keyword coffee, dessert, eggless, gluten free, glutenfree, homemade, no bake, sweet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 400 ml coconut cream
  • 200 ml coconut milk
  • 75 g coconut sugar 1/2 cup {to taste}
  • 2 tsp coffee
  • 2 tbsp Kahlua {or 1 tsp coconut/coconut extract}
  • 2 tsp agar agar

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients except Kahlua in a heavy bottom pan and whisk to mix. Simmer to a boil and continue to cook on low for 5 minutes, stirring often.
  • Stir in Kahlua/extract.
  • Strain into mold, cool, then leave to set overnight in the fridge.
  • Loosen the edges gently with a knife, then gently overturn onto platter, and give a firm shake to loosen.
  • Serve with a dark chocolate sauce, a kahlua cream sauce etc, maybe a crisp amaretti biscuit.
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