Thandai Cupcake Shrikhand Frosting

In a saucepan, add milk, sugar and all the ingredients for the thandai mix. Put the saucepan to heat, stirring till the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat once the sugar has dissolved and keep aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 170C. Line a 12 cup, cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Keep aside.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix and keep aside. Melt the butter and keep aside.

Wait for 5-10 minutes and then start adding lemon juice till milk curdles.

Add lemon juice till the milk curdles completely.

Once the milk cools to room temperature, add the cornflour and whisk it well to combine. Then add the butter and mix again.

Using a strainer drain the water and collect the chena.

Add the flour mixture to the liquid mix and whisk well to remove lumps. Fill cupcake moulds till ¾ full and bake for 15 minutes (start checking at 12 minutes). It’s done if a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the frosting:

Rinse it under tap water so that there's no trace of lemon juice in it.

Leave it in the strainer for 10-15 minutes and then take the chena in your hand and squeeze out remaining water slowly.

To make the shrikhand; tie the yoghurt / curd in a muslin cloth/cheesecloth and give it a good squeeze to remove the whey; put it in a strainer and put the strainer over a deep bowl. Put some weight on the yoghurt and leave it to strain overnight in the refrigerator. From 1 kg yoghurt, you should be left with 500 gm of hung curd, i.e after the whey has been drained.

Add cornflour and start mashing the chena till it’s smooth.

Set the clock to 10 minutes and mash constantly for 10 minutes using your palm. Once it’s smooth, make small balls out of it.

Finely chop the white chocolate and gently melt it either in the microwave or over a double boiler.

Heat 1 cup sugar and 4 cups water in a wide pan and wait till it comes to a full boil.

Add the ½ kg hung curd, cardamom powder and powdered sugar in a bowl. Beat it well with a whisk or an electric beater. Add the melted white chocolate and beat to combine.

Drop the balls in boiling sugar syrup and cook for 15-17 minutes. The balls will double in size by then.

Frost the cooled cupcakes with shrikhand. Garnish with chopped almonds and fennel seeds.

Take out the balls from the syrup and drop them in fresh water. If they sink to the bottom, the balls are done.

Thickened Milk
In a heavy bottom pan, boil 500 ml of milk.

Soak few strands of saffron in a tablespoon of warm milk and set aside.

Once the milk comes to a boil, lower the flame and continue to stir the milk at regular intervals. After 10 minutes add sugar and mix.

After 20-25 minutes the milk will thicken to desired consistency, add soaked saffron and crushed cardamom.

Also add finely chopped pistachios [if using]. Mix and switch off the flame.

Take out the cooled rasmalai balls from the sugar syrup, squeeze and flatten with your hands.

Transfer the balls to thickened milk [milk should be warm].
Chill in the refrigerator overnight or for 5-6 hours.

Garnish with chopped pistachios and few saffron strands before serving.