Here’s a superbly delicious fusion recipe of Rasmalai Mousse Phyllo Cups that emanates celebratory vibes and is a perfectly curated delicacy for your upcoming Diwali party! It’s a bite-sized sweet treat that flaunts gorgeous rasmalai-flavored swirls of creamy mousse, topped with succulent pieces of rasmalai snuggled in crispy, flaky Phyllo cups to satiate your sweet cravings!
It’s a convenient pick-me-up kind of dessert that tastes delicious and literally screams – ‘HAPPY DIWALI’!
Tis the season for food, family gatherings, celebrations, and PARTIES! So, if you are wondering what could be an ideal recipe that does not leave you exhausted before a gathering, this is the one!
This stunner is an insanely easy and quick dessert that takes no time to whip and is entirely customizable. You can make the Rasmalai Mousse cups in advance and store them in a fridge to serve later.
It is the ultimate fusion dessert for any Indian festival that is purely blissful and an irresistible indulgence that allures and gratifies people of every age.
What is Phyllo?
Also known as Filo or Fillo, Phyllo is a thin paper-like sheet made with unleavened dough prepared with flour, water, and oil/ fat. This term ‘Phyllo’ is derived from a Greek word, ‘leaf.’
These tissue paper-thin sheets are used for making warm or cold desserts with savory and sweet fillings.
These are so versatile that you can bake them quickly and go utterly creative, carving gorgeous-looking and fabulous-tasting desserts in myriad ways.
This recipe, Rasmalai Mousse Phyllo Cups, is a finger food dessert that is great for introducing at birthday parties, holiday gatherings, family reunions, etc.
What is Rasmalai?
Rasmalai, also called Rosh malai, is a famous Indian sweet that originates from the eastern state of India – West Bengal.
In this term Rasmalai, Ras means juice, and malai indicates milk cream dumplings.
Collectively, it symbolizes succulent cottage cheese dumplings soaked in sweetened and thickened milk. It is subtly flavored with saffron and cardamom powder and is best served chilled.
What are Rasmalai Mousse Phyllo cups
This recipe is a fusion of rasmalai-flavored mousse swirled charmingly into pre-baked crispy phyllo cups and topped with soft and juicy chunks.
Crispiness from the phyllo cups gives way to a pillowy soft rasmalai mousse, and you’re left with a memorable whipped cream flavor that lingers in your mouth along with traces of sweet rasmalai chunks, giving it a rich, creamy ending.
Reasons You’ll ♡ Rasmalai Mousse Phyllo cups
These Rasmalai Mousse Phyllo cups are the new go-to delicious dessert that checks off all the boxes for me. Besides this, there are more reasons to love this irresistible recipe —
- Insanely easy to prepare
- Super yummy and full of flavor
- Easily customizable
- A perfect make-ahead recipe
- Scalable- can be scaled up or down to feed a large gathering!
Rasmalai Mousse Phyllo cups Ingredient List
Phyllo sheets — Paper-thin Phyllo (filo/ fillo) sheets are used for making the crispy and flaky baked phyllo cups that make the base for this recipe. I have used Athens Phyllo Pastry Sheets for this recipe.
Butter — Unsalted butter is used for brushing each of the filo sheets when readying them for baking.
Heavy whipping cream — The foundation of the mousse makes our rich, creamy, and deliciously flavored mousse. Make sure to use a cream that contains at least 30% fat, or else it will not curate light and fluffy mousse.
Agar-agar — An ideal replacement for gelatin, agar-agar is used as a naturally vegan/ vegetarian thickening agent with gel-like characteristics.
Sugar — Confectioners sugar is used for this recipe as it is the best choice for sweetening our mousse. It lends the freshly prepared mousse a smooth and grain-free texture, an essential attribute of the mousse!
Cornstarch — This recipe of Rasmalai mousse is thickened with cornstarch which helps it retain its creamy and smooth finish.
Cardamom Essence — This lends our mousse a pronounced aftertaste that takes the recipe to another level.
Rasmalai Mix — This is added to the recipe to enhance its flavor manifold!
Saffron Strands — Saffron strands add a beautiful yellow hue and a wonderful subtle flavor that makes the recipe drool-worthy.
Rasmalai wedges — These make the recipe more enjoyable to dig into.
Pistachios — Crushed pistachios are added as the garnishing to render an enticing crunch.
Edible dried rose petals — These are added for garnishing and a lovely touch of floral flavor.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Do not over-whip the cream — Over-whipping the heavy cream leads to curdling and separating; therefore, it should always be avoided.
If hydrating agar-agar — Agar-agar tends to set quickly; therefore, it should be whisked to room temperature (cooled) before adding it to the whipping cream mixture. It firms up the mousse in the desired way.
Storing the phyllo sheets —Phyllo Sheets tend to become sticky when left at room temperature for a long duration. Therefore, make sure to store the unused sheets in the refrigerator as soon as you finish working with them. Roll them in plastic wrap and refreeze them.
For a smoother process — Keeping the workstation ready is the key to a smoother preparation process. So, I recommend you keep the wooden surface or chopping board prepared along with the butter in the bowl, muffin pan, kitchen towel, pastry brush, and pizza cutter handy. Also, thaw the phyllo sheets beforehand according to the package instructions. This arrangement will give way to speedy preparation.
Keep the sheets covered — The phyllo sheets are very thin paper-like sheets that tend to dry up quickly when left exposed to room temperature for a long. Therefore, keep the rest of the sheets covered with a moist kitchen towel when working with a sheet. This will prevent them from drying and breaking up.
Use the sheets meticulously — Phyllo Sheets are fragile sheets that are very delicate to use. They may break quite quickly and need to be handled with care. While applying butter, they may curl up and may need to be held from one end to facilitate the process.
Do not discard the broken sheets — The broken phyllo sheets can be placed at the bottom of the muffin pan, adding extra layers to the phyllo cups. So, this way, you can utilize all the filo sheets that broke up while lining the muffin pan! Further, using these torn phyllo sheets to make thicker phyllo cups will be an advantage as thicker phyllo cups hold the rasmalai mousse more efficiently. So, it is better to keep the cup thicker with filo layers.
Beat until the stiff peak — Reaching a stiff peak is essential for making the best mousse. To ensure this rasmalai mousse is done, remove the whisk from the cream and hold it upside down. If the mousse stays intact without falling off, it means you do not need further beating. But if it falls off the attachment, you need to beat it for another 15-30 seconds to allow it to reach a stiff peak.
Line the workspace with parchment paper — The thin paper-like Phyllo Sheets may stick to the surface on which they are unrolled. Therefore, before unrolling your thawed phyllo sheets, place a parchment paper over the workspace.
To prevent the phyllo sheets from puffing up — Filo sheets may slightly puff up when baked, as the butter layers release steam while baking, which makes the sheet puff up. To avoid this, poke tiny holes in the phyllo cups before baking them. Do not make large holes; tiny ones made with toothpicks will be good enough.
Remove the baked cups immediately — Remove the baked Phyllo cups from the muffin pan as soon as they are done. If they are left to cool down, their oil solidifies, making removing them from the muffin pan difficult.
Step up the flavors — Try brushing the phyllo cups with cardamom-flavored sugar syrup that produces a crunchy sweet phyllo cup! However, don’t go overboard with the syrup, or the phyllo cups will spoil the recipe.
Pre-made phyllo cups — You can use store-bought pre-made Mini phyllo dough shells to save time and effort. The ready-to-use phyllo cups do not require any cooking and are easy and quick to use in the recipe.
A perfect make-ahead recipe — This brilliant make-ahead recipe is ideal for surprising your loved ones. You can bake the phyllo cups in advance and store them for two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. They can also be stored for a month in the freezer. Also, prepare the mousse and store it in the refrigerator in the piping bags. When ready to serve, assemble the recipe by piping the rasmalai mousse into the phyllo cups and garnishing them. Now, fill them with pride!
Toast saffron strands for flavor and hue — When crushed and used in the recipe, Saffron strands render it a nicely infused flavor and bright yellow color.
For toasting saffron –
- Take a heavy-bottomed skillet and sprinkle a few strands of saffron in it.
- Saute the strands over low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes until they are fragrant.
- Keep vigilant during toasting, as these may burn up pretty quickly.
- Burnt saffron strands cannot be used and are wasted. Remove from heat after 2- 3 minutes and crush them gently.
- They are ready to be used in the recipe as instructed.
Other filling variations — These crispy and flaky Phyllo cups can be enjoyed with myriad flavors and sweet and savory fillings. There are endless possibilities for using these crispy phyllo cups.
For sweet fillings —
- Drizzle some chocolate or strawberry syrup over the ice cream scoop to prepare a yummy delicacy.
- Try Thandai mousse with soft Gulab Jamuns to dig into an irresistible treat.
- Add some chilled custard with fruits, and enjoy!
- Swirl in whipped cream with fresh fruits and gobble away the excellent whip!
- Create strawberry mousse phyllo cups and treat yourself to the surprise.
- Add some seasonal fruits, dust them with confectioners sugar, and dig into a healthy treat.
For savory fillings —
- Make a healthy sprout salad
- Samosa filling is so enticing
- Aloo Tikki chaat tastes irresistibly delicious!
- Fill them with noodles for a spicy twist.
- Corn Salsa for a super delightful delicacy!
Let me know what you think!
So, bite-sized dessert lovers, huddle up, and delight your friends and family with these Rasmalai mousse cups that will instantly be a popular hit!
Should you make these Rasmalai Mousse Phyllo cups, please leave me a comment below, and don’t forget to share them with your family and friends.
CRAVING FOR MORE, TRY these lip-smacking Diwali recipes-
We wish all of our readers a sparkling Happy Diwali! May the beauty of the festival fill your home with happiness and good health!
Happy Diwali!!
Follow the step-by-step instructions to make the best Rasmalai Mousse Phyllo Cups
Rasmalai Mousse Phyllo Cups
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
RASMALAI MIX
- 2 tablespoons Milk powder
- 1 tablespoons Confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
- 1 tablespoon Powdered Dry nuts Mainly Pistachios and almonds
BITE-SIZED PHYLLO CUPS
- 1 package Phyllo sheets
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter you can use oil too
RASMALAI MOUSSE
- 2 cups Heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon Agar-Agar powder
- 7 tablespoons Confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Cardamom Essence
- 4 tablespoons Rasmalai mix
- ¼ teaspoon Saffron strands
GARNISHES
- – – Rasmalai wedges
- – – Crushed Pistachios
- – – Saffron strands
- – – Edible dried rose petals
INSTRUCTIONS
BITE-SIZED PHYLLO CUPS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Before you start working with Phyllo sheets, I would recommend setting up your workstation first.Prepare the wooden surface or chopping board; butter in a bowl, muffin pan, a kitchen towel, pastry brush, pizza cutter, and of course, thawed phyllo sheets as per package instructions. This beforehand organization will make the whole process go smoother.
- Remove the phyllo sheets from the box. Unwrap one roll of phyllo dough and lay it flat on a clean surface. I am going to work with 6 sheets at a time.
- Therefore, roll the remaining sheets. Wrap it in its plastic wrap and store the sheets back in the refrigerator. PROTIP – The thicker the cup, the better. The thicker phyllo cup is capable enough to handle our Rasmalai mousse.
- To prevent drying and breaking the sheets, cover the sheets you are working on with a moist kitchen towel.
- Melt butter in a microwavable bowl. Lay one sheet on a clean surface and brush the entire sheet with butter or oil. Be careful while working with the phyllo sheet, as it is very delicate and may break. PROTIP- You may have to hold the sheet from one end, as they are paper-thin sheets and may curl up while applying butter.
- Uncover the second sheet and lay it on top of the buttered phyllo sheet. Press gently so that the sheets stick to each other. Repeat the process – cover the whole sheet with a thin layer of butter. Continue this process with the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sheets.
- Once you have a stack of 6 sheets, all buttered up, split them into two halves vertically. Using a pizza cutter, cut the sheets into 6 squares horizontally. Depending on your preference, you can divide them into desired shapes – a square or a circle.PROTIP – Keep the square slightly bigger than the muffin pan cavity.
- Grease a muffin pan. Apply butter inside each mold of the muffin pan. Transfer a phyllo sheet square into the greased muffin pan. Gently press each square into the mold of a muffin pan.
- Press the squares evenly around the edges to prevent air pockets. Poke a few tiny-sized holes at the bottom of each cup to let the steam escape.
- Now that we have our phyllo cups set into the muffin pan, it’s time to bake them.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Keep a watchful eye around 10 minutes as they burn easily.
- Once done and beautifully baked, remove the phyllo cups from the oven. Let them cool for a few minutes, then remove them from the muffin pan. Since the muffin pan was greased, the baked phyllo cups will slide out easily.
- For some reason, if they are stuck to the pan’s bottom, take a butter knife and give the phyllo cups a slight push; it will come out effortlessly. Bite-sized phyllo cups are ready to be filled.
RASMALAI MIX
- Combine milk powder, confectioners sugar, cardamom powder, and pistachio powder in a mixing bowl.
- Mix until combined. Make sure you break all the lumps. Set aside.
RASMALAI MOUSSE
- Take 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a cup. Add agar-agar powder.
- Add rasmalai mix to the cream.
- Whisk it well into the cream, making sure there are no lumps in the mixture. Set aside.
- Now, strain the rasmalai mix through the strainer. Push the rasmalai mix liquid through the strainer with a spoon. Discard the chunks left behind.
- Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the heavy whipping cream and rasmalai mix with an electric whisk or stand mixer at medium speed. The mixture will start to get frothy and bubbly. Add confectioner's sugar and cornstarch at this point. Keep whisking for another 2-3 minutes.
- After 4-5 minutes into the beating, the mixture will start to thicken. Once it appears thick, add cardamom essence to the rasmalai cream.
- Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional 1 minute. Your rasmalai cream will start to look “all puffy,” and the whisking marks from the balloon whisk will be quite distinct.To double-check that your rasmalai mousse is done, remove the which and hold it upside down. If the mousse stays stiff without dropping, it’s all done. But if the mousse falls off the attachment, then beat it for another 15-30 seconds until the stiff peaks form.
- Add the toasted saffron to the rasmalai mousse. For toasted saffron, see the notes below.
- Fold it gently into the mousse. As so start folding, saffron will impart a rich deep yellow color to our mousse.
ASSEMBLING RASMALAI MOUSSE PHYLLO CUPS
- Once blended, transfer the mousse into a piping bag. To do that, insert your nozzle into the piping bag, fill the bag with rasmalai mousse. Squeeze the piping bag a little to remove any air bubble.
- Fill each phyllo cups with swirls of rasmalai mousse. Garnish each phyllo cups with rasmalai wedge chopped nuts, and rose petals.
- Repeat the process with the rest of the phyllo cups and serve immediately.
RECIPE NOTES
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use oil instead of butter to brush? Yes, you can! I have used butter to brush my filo cups because this sweet recipe works really well. You can also use vegetable or olive oil instead of butter if you prefer. How many sheets are there in the Phyllo dough pack? The phyllo dough pack contains two 8-oz rolls of pre-made paper-thin phyllo pastry sheets that just need baking. Each roll containing 20 sheets is approximately 14”x 9” in length. Where can I buy these Phyllo sheets from? You can easily procure these filo sheets from your nearby grocery store, in their freezer section, beside the pie-crust and puff pastry sheets. Freshly baked Phyllo Cups storing suggestion! When completely cooled, you can store the baked phyllo cups in an airtight container at room temperature. Phyllo cups will stay good for three weeks. Fill them up just before serving. Using agar-agar for this recipe There are primarily two ways you can make the mousse with agar-agar. I have included both of these ways in my recipe. The bottom line is that whichever method you follow, your rasmalai mousse will turn up with perfect texture and structure.- First method- You can add agar-agar directly to the cream and whip it together with the cream to create a light and airy mousse. Agar-agar is usually hydrated for jellies and pudding recipes. Since we are using agar-agar as a stabilizing agent in this recipe, we do not need to hydrate it over the heat. You can see in the image how perfectly it holds its structure.
- The second method- The other process is shown in the video, where agar-agar is bloomed along with the cream. It is whisked to room temperature and added to the whipping cream mixture. Whipped cream will spoil if hot agar-agar is added to the cream mix. Therefore, before adding it to the cream mix, ensure the bloomed agar-agar is cooled to room temperature.
Absolutely delicious! so yummy!! i love it!
Thank you!
Hi Ruchi,
Do we need to melt Agar-Agar power and mix in the cream?
Jyothi, your query has already been addressed in the recipe post under – Does agar-agar needs to be hydrated for rasmalai Phyllo cups? 😊
Hi Ruchi, any particular brand of Rasmalai mix you recommend. Thanks.
Jazz, you can use Gits Rasmalai mix for this recipe.
Love the tips that you give on the variations
Thank you 😊
Can you use the phyllo cups instead? And also would the store bought rasmalai would work for this recipe?
You sure can! Rasmalai wedges are only for decoration, and yes that would work great.
Would ready rasmalai milk work instead of the rasmalai mix powder? If yes, how much to substitute?
Oh no, that would not work. You see, the dry mix blends with whipping cream, and the milk powder lends the cream its desired texture. The liquid milk of rasmalai will make the cream runny, and the mousse will not hold its structure. I hope this helps.
Thanks you! And by 12 servings you mean 12 individual cups or more? Just trying to figure out how many cups I need for 2 cups of heavy cream! 🙂
This recipe and mousse measurements are for 12 phyllo cups. Again, it depends on how you fill your cups; with the swirls I made, this mousse was enough for 12 cups.
One last question Ruchi! Can the mousse be made in advance and piped just before serving?
Yes, absolutely!