Chakka Varatti Cheesecake
Move over dulce de leche, enter the inimitable chakka varatti or jackfruit jam. With its unique sweetness deepened by rich jaggery notes, this creamy jam stands up to the best dulce de leches and makes for a desi cheesecake like absolutely no other. You can follow the same recipe and use dulce de leche instead of chakka varatti, but if you live anywhere where jackfruits grow in summers, don’t make that substitution. Make the chakka varatti and then fold it into a cheesecake. You can thank me later. This recipe is adapted but significantly modified from Shinee's beautiful Dulce de leche Cheesecake, which you can find here.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 15 digestive biscuits
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the cheesecake filling:
- 6-700 g cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 jar chakkavaratti or jackfruit jam, or about 2 cups
- ½ cup sour cream or thick, hung curd
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
To finish and dress the cheesecake
- Sliced almonds
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Maldon sea salt flakes
Instructions
Prepare the pan:
- Layer 2 large heavy-duty foil pieces criss-cross over one-another, and put a 9-inch springform pan in the middle. Fold the foil over the sides of the springform pan. Seal well – this is going to sit and bake in a water bath, so there can be no holes or weak points!
Prepare the crust:
- Pulse the digestive biscuits in a mixie jar until fine. Add the sugar and then the melted butter; pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened.
- Press this into the base of the 9-inch springform pan, working at the bottom and then up the sides of the pan. Don’t worry if the biscuit crumb doesn’t reach all the way up each side; a little roughness here adds to the look of the finished cake. Refrigerate to harden while you prepare the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Fill a roasting pan or other tray with water and set this in the middle rack of the oven—you will later place the cheesecake in its springform pan into this water bath, so make sure the tray is large enough to accommodate it. This extra moisture helps the cheesecake bake evenly and keeps it from forming cracks as it cools. But if this seems a lot of hassle, you can skip this and bake the cheesecake as any other straight in the oven, too.
Prepare the filling:
- In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy.
- Add the sugar, the chakka varatti (or dulce de leche), thick curd or sour cream, vanilla essence and salt. Beat the mixture until smooth, and all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition on medium speed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared crust.
Bake the cheesecake:
- Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour, in the water bath or directly in the oven as you choose, or until the edges of the cheesecake feel set. It’s ok if the center is still a touch wobbly, but only a touch.
- Turn off the oven heat and let the cheesecake cool in the oven slowly.
- Remove from the oven after there’s no longer any heat there, and cool completely on a countertop. Then run a knife around the sides of the cheesecake to loosen slightly and keep the sides from pulling as the cake cools. This also will prevent cracks from forming.
- Cover with a plate and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least an hour, or preferably overnight.
- When you are ready to serve (or store in freezer for longer), release from the springform pan. Lift the cake out.
To finish
- Sprinkle the toasted nuts over top, and grate nutmeg directly over the surface of the cheesecake.
- Sprinkle the Maldon sea salt over the top.
Notes
- This cheesecake can be made a day or two ahead of when it’s needed, and stored in the refrigerator.
- It also keeps well, frozen, for longer. Return it to the fridge to thaw and serve when it’s soft. Make sure you finish the cake only when you’re ready to serve.
- Here's a recipe for making your own vanilla essence at home!