Gulab Jamun Cheesecake with Air Fryer Gulab Jamun
This air fryer gulab jamun cheesecake has a layer of milk-based donuts surrounded by creamy cheesecake with a sweet pistachio crust. *Drool*
Ingredients
For the air fryer gulab jamuns:
- 11 tablespoons nonfat instant milk powder (equivalent to ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons whole grain spelt flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ghee, melted
- 2 tablespoons milk, 2%
- ½ tablespoon nonfat Greek yogurt, plain
- ½ tablespoon ghee (for greasing your hands)
- cooking oil spray of choice
For the gulab jamun syrup:
- ½ cup Swerve, granular
- ½ cup water
- 1 green cardamom pod
- ½ teaspoon rosewater
- pinch saffron
For the pistachio cheesecake crust:
- 1½ cups shelled pistachios (no salt or lightly salted; 6 ounces)
- ¼ cup Swerve, granular
- ¼ cup ghee
- cooking oil spray of choice
For the cheesecake:
- 24 ounces block cream cheese (680 grams; not the whipped kind)
- 18 tablespoons Swerve, confectioners (equivalent to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 3 large eggs
- 2½ teaspoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon rosewater
- ¾ teaspoon cardamom powder
- dried rose blossoms and crushed pistachios (for garnish)
- whipped cream topping (if desired, sugar-free whipped topping may be used)
Instructions
To make air fryer gulab jamun:
- First, stir the dry ingredients together (milk powder, spelt flour, cardamom, and baking soda). Next, add the liquid milk, melted ghee, and Greek yogurt. Stir until you have a uniform (but not very solid) dough.
- Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. It will firm up, making it easier to shape.
- Mist the drip pan of your air fryer oven with cooking oil spray.
- Rub some ghee on your hands. Break the gulab jamun dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on the prepared drip pan. They should fit comfortably on the pan without touching.
- Place the drip pan in the top rack position in the oven. Air fry at 350°F (175°C) for 5 minutes, then flip them and air fry an additional 3 minutes.
- Let the gulab jamun cool slightly, then cut each one in half.
To make gulab jamun sugar syrup:
- Note: Wait to make the syrup until shortly before serving the cheesecake!
- Combine the granular Swerve, water, green cardamom pod, rosewater, and saffron in a small saucepan. Put it over medium heat and allow the Swerve to fully dissolve, stirring occasionally. It will take 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the cardamom pod when it is finished cooking.
To make pistachio crust:
- Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of your 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan. Mist the bottom and sides of the pan with cooking oil spray.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Put the pistachios, granular Swerve, and ghee into a food processor.
- Blend until the pistachio nuts are crushed well. You will probably have to stop the food processor a few times to scrape down the sides. It's finished when the ingredients are sticking together, but some texture remains.
- Using oiled hands, firmly press the crust into the bottom of the springform pan. The crust should be in an even, flat layer with no holes.
- Bake the crust in the top third of the oven for 10 minutes. Let it cool and chill completely in the fridge before filling it with the cheesecake mixture. The crust will firm up when it is chilled.
To make the cheesecake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Using a hand mixer with whisk beaters, blend the cream cheese, confectioners Swerve, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, rosewater, and cardamom powder together in a large bowl. Aim to get a fairly smooth and uniform mixture. This will be much easier to accomplish if your cream cheese is at room temperature.
- Pour approximately 1½ cups of the cheesecake filling on your cooled pistachio crust. Smooth it to make an even layer with a spatula.
- Place all of the gulab jamuns in a single layer on top of the cheesecake mixture. The gulab jamuns should be placed cut side down on the cheesecake.
- Finally, pour the remaining cheesecake mixture over your gulab jamun layer. Smooth the top of the cheesecake with a spatula. Make sure the cheesecake mixture is completely covering the gulab jamuns.
- Bake your cheesecake at 350°F (175°C) in the top third of the oven for 45 minutes. Let it cool completely before removing it from the springform pan.
- To serve: spoon a bit of warm gulab jamun syrup on a plate. Top with a slice of cheesecake, and garnish with whipped cream, crushed pistachios, and dried rose petals. Enjoy your fine work!
Notes
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). This high fat cheesecake is the sort of recipe that is perfect for sharing. One serving is 1/16 of the cheesecake, so this will be a lot of dessert for most small families.
As I mentioned above, even though this cheesecake is sugar-free and has no refined grains, it's still dessert. It's quite high in saturated fat and thus not a good choice for those looking to lower their saturated fat intake. That said, using a sugar substitute makes it an easier fit into most low calorie or low carb diet plans.
However, just because it's low in carbs doesn't mean I'd take double or triple helpings. Instead, I'd enjoy a regular portion of this sweet treat but continue to get the bulk of my calories from nutrient-dense meals.
Using granulated white sugar and confectioner's sugar instead of Swerve will greatly increase the calories and carbs in this cheesecake. Neither granulated sugar nor powdered sugar offer much nutritionally beyond calories.
To be frank, I don't see the point in using regular sugar here. Some exceptions might be if you strongly prefer the taste, if you're trying to increase your calorie intake, or if you have an intolerance to sugar substitutes. (Welcome to the world of nutrition, where there are nearly always exceptions!)
Nutrition information is for one serving of the recipe and does not include whipped cream topping or other garnishes. Carbohydrates listed are net carbs (total carbs minus fiber and erythritol).
Nutrition
Calories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 7.3gProtein: 7.7gFat: 23.7gSaturated Fat: 12.5gSodium: 207.7mgPotassium: 182.8mgVitamin A: 12.5% DVVitamin C: 0.6% DVCalcium: 7.3% DVIron: 1.7% DV
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