Chenna Poda/Eggless Ricotta Cheese Cake

This is not a cake! It’s like a luxurious and rich baked mawa dessert that just melts in your mouth. With no egg, no leavening agent, it’s every vegetarian’s dream! A very popular Oriya (or Odia) delicacy, chenna poda exceeded my expectation in every sense. When I first came to know about it, (my husband sent me an article regarding popular sweets of every state) I thought to myself  ” chenna, sugar and milk….how bad can it be?” But Oh Boy!!! Did I underestimate it by a mile or what? It tasted amazing!!!!

It’s unlike any cake I have ever made or tasted. My first thought was that it would taste similar to a cheesecake so I skipped on the nuts in this recipe. Big mistake. It couldn’t have been more different than a cheesecake. Many feel that this cake has such delicate and smooth flavors that any kind of nuts would be jarring in it and some feel that because it tastes like a sweet, cashews and raisins would gel in very well with it. I tend to agree with both the statements (I know, that’s weird!!!) and hence, leave it up to you to make a decision. (I did not add any nuts) May be I’ll add them a few times and skip a few. And the burnt taste….aaahhhh…..that takes it to another level. Do you see the black edges on the bottom of the cake? I had broiled just the top (after inverting, it became bottom) of the cake but would totally recommend the bottom (the top, in this pic……sorry for the confusion) too.

Traditionally fresh, homemade chenna is used in making this cake and since chenna resembles a lot like ricotta cheese in its taste and texture, I have made this recipe using ricotta cheese but either one can be used. Also, there was a process of trial and error regarding the temperature and time duration of baking this cake. I wanted to bake this cake covered the entire time to preserve its moistness but that took forever to bake. So I settled with half time covered and the rest uncovered until the toothpick came out clean. All said and done, this cake is an absolute delight to eat and is a must try!!

Yum

Chenna Poda/Eggless ricotta cheese cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: one 9 inch cake

Ingredients

• 800 gm ricotta cheese or chenna (I used Ricotta cheese)
• 100 gm semolina
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 cup cashews and raisins, chopped (optional, I did not add any.)

Instructions

1. If using ricotta cheese, start with step 5
2. If using chenna - Heat milk ( approximately 1.25 - 1.5 gallon or 5 to 5.5 liters milk, depending upon the quality and fat content in the milk) and when it comes to a roaring boil, switch off the stove and add little vinegar to curdle it.
3. Strain it in a muslin cloth and transfer the chenna to a bowl.
4. Using a wire whisk, whip the chenna well. You might have to add a little water to bring it to the same consistency as ricotta cheese. (about 1/8 cup, if needed)
5. Preheat the oven to 350F
6. To the cheese, add sugar and semolina and whisk well. Add cardamom powder and nuts (if adding) and let it rest for 2-3 minutes.
7. If the batter is too thick, add little water. Mine didn't need any water.
8. Pour it into a greased baking dish (9 inch or 8 inch). This cake doesn't rise so it can be filled up to 3/4th full.
9. Cut a parchment paper, the size of baking dish, grease it with little ghee and cover the top of batter with it.
10. Bake it covered in the oven for 35 min and then uncovered for another 30-35 minutes until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Turn the oven to broiler mode and then bake the oven for another 4-5 minutes or until the top gets a beautiful dark brown crust.
12. Turn the oven off, pull the cake out and let the cake cool down. If you are browning both the top and bottom then once the cake is cool enough to touch, flip it on a plate and now put the bottom side as the top side, back into the baking dish.
13. Turn on the oven on broiler mode again and brown the cake for another 4-5 minutes.
14. Turn off the oven. Pull the cake out, let it cool completely and enjoy.

Notes

Please read the post for additional info.

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