Bengali Cheese Cake, Bhapa Doi

Bhapa Doi or steamed yogurt is a traditional Bengali cheese cake which is prepared by steaming sweetened yogurt.  To simplify the steaming process in our modern kitchens, sweetened yogurt is baked in a water bath to make this delicious dessert. I followed  this recipe exactly as given, except the baking time. The recipe called for baking the cake for 15 minutes and/or until a fork inserted comes out clean. My fork did not come out clean, hence baked it for additional 10-12 minutes. Even then, my fork did not come out clear  clean but lot cleaner than it came out 10 minutes earlier and seemed a little set.    I was not sure if it was done or if I had to bake it  a little long.   It tasted good though.   I did not want to over bake it and since it looked a little firm & set, I removed it from the oven, let it cool and refrigerated it, as called for in the recipe. I made this sweet yesterday morning  and later that afternoon, met a Bengali friend for a late lunch.   I made her critic my bhapa doi. The verdict from her was, perfect and exactly how it is suppose to be. I was one happy cookie!

Source: Quick Indian Cooking
Total Time: 30 – 32 minutes
Preparation: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 25 – 27 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 500 gms or 2 cups low fat natural yogurt Nonfat Yogurt
• 1 can or 394gms Condensed Milk
• 4 Green Cardamons
• Few strands of Saffron
• 2 tbsp Milk

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 190C or 375 F.
• Place the cardamons in a baking tray and bake/roast for 5 minutes.
• Meantime, mix yogurt and condensed milk in a bowl and mix well with a whisk until smooth.
• Powder the roasted cardamons and add it to the yogurt mixture and mix well.
• Pour this yogurt mixture into 6 ramekins or an oven safe dish.  I do not have six small ramekins, so used two  7 oz ramekins and a 23 oz ramekin/dish.
• In a big baking tray, place these ramekins and fill it with hot water until 2/3 of the ramekins are inserted in the water.  I did  not read the instructions properly and used cold water.   I realized this while drafting this post.  That could have been the reason why I had to bake it  a little longer than required.
• Carefully place the baking tray with the ramekins in the oven and bake for 10 minutes in a preheated  375 F oven.
• Microwave saffron and milk for 10 seconds and keep it aside.
• Ten minutes into baking, pull out the baking tray, place couple of strands of saffron on top of the yogurt mixture in each of the smaller ramekins and pour some saffron soaked milk on top of it.  Pour the remaining milk and the  saffron strands on top of the yogurt in the larger ramekin.
• Put  back the baking tray with the ramekins in the oven and continue to bake for additional 5 minutes, until the fork inserted comes out clean.  I had to bake mine for 15 minutes, maybe because I used cold water instead of hot water for the water bath.  Once done remove them from the oven.
• Let the ramekins cool for 10 – 15minutes.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.  This dessert  should be chilled before serving.

This cheese cake is goes to Sudhesna’s Tried & Tasted event, started Zamluska and taken over by Lakshmi.  The featured blog is, you guessed it, Quick Indian Cooking.

Check out what my fellow blogging marathoners Srivalli, Priya Suresh, Jaya, Monika, PJ, Priya Vaasu, Azeema, Reva, Ayeesha, Veena, Soumya & Gayathri.