“When you’re with a group of people and you take a bite of a really great dessert, the conversation just stops…”
Emily Luchetti.
There is always room for dessert as it goes into your heart and not your stomach!!
A meticulously planned dessert is mandatory for every elaborate meal and Christmas is the perfect excuse to try out new desserts. So this time, I managed to try a new recipe shared by my cousin, Preethi chechi. As always , her recipes are ones that are foolproof and guaranteed to have the same results each time. Her recipes are my gold standard for process & output.
This simple recipe would take you a trip down memory lane, when life wasn’t so complicated and all ingredients were readily available in your pantry. If you are a fan of Tres Leche cake and Tiramisu, you would definitely enjoy this recipe. The pudding is on the sweeter side so you could balance it with some fresh orange rind incorporated into the creamy layer.
Ingredients
Thin Layers – 2 or 3 ( as per your preference)
Refer Simply Sponge for making it on your own.
Sugar – 5tsp
Milk – 3 cups
Rum – 2 oz
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
Milk – 300ml
Sugar – 150 gms
Cornflour- 25 gms
Unsalted Butter – 150 gms
Rum – 2-4 tsp
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
Chopped Nuts – 1/2 cup (cashews , almonds and macadamia , or any nuts of your choice)
Granulated Sugar – 1/2 cup
Unsalted Butter – 1 tbsp
Method
You could use the recipe for Simply Sponge or use a recipe of your choice for thin sponge layers.
Weigh and divide the batter equally into the pans so that the layers remain uniform.
If you have followed the Simply Sponge recipe , pour the batter into your prepared baking dishes and bake for 20-25 minutes, if it is done in thin layers. I weighed the batter and shared it equally between three 9 inch round baking dishes.
Heat 3 cups of milk in a sauce pan and bring it to boil.
In a deep dish pan , caramelise 5 tsp of granulated sugar on a low-medium flame.
Add the hot milk to the caramelised sugar little by little.
Once the milk and sugar are fully combined remove from the flame.
Add 2 oz of rum and vanilla essence to the cooled caramelised milk.
Heat 150 ml of milk with 150ml of sugar.
Keep it on a low-medium and stir it till the sugar dissolves.
In another bowl, combine 25 gms of cornflour with the remaining milk(150ml).
Add the cornflour-milk mixture to to the hot milk and stir till it stars to thicken.
Remove from the flame.
Add butter, rum and vanilla essence.
Whisk it all together with an electric beater until creamy.
Grease a heatproof plate or aluminum foil with butter.
Heat 1/2 cup of sugar on a pan on a low-medium flame.
Wait till it goes golden brown and a little extra.
Now add 1 tbsp of butter to this caramel sauce and let it combine.
Add the nuts and coat it completely in the caramel sauce.
Pour and spread this mixture over the prepared greased dish or foil and let it cool.
Break it into pieces and grind it further using a rolling pin.
Assembly
This can be assembled in two or three layers according to your preference.
Weigh the caramelised milk and creamy sauce batters and divide it equally between the layers.
Start with the layer of sponge.
Pour a portion of the caramelised milk over the sponge layer.
Now add a portion of the creamy sauce.
Repeat these steps till all layers of sponge are soaked with caramelised milk and covered with the creamy sauce.
Garnish with the praline or butterscotch chunks.
Maya's LAB 