Saffron Cardamom Baked Yogurt
A classic, easy dessert with an old-fashioned charm. This saffron cardamom baked yogurt is pure bliss!
Yogurt is fabulously versatile. In my highly biased opinion, it deserves to be universally loved and lauded! I don’t think there’s any Indian household that does not use it in any and every way possible. Its an integral part of our everyday cuisine and that includes desserts, like this Saffron Cardamom Baked Yogurt!
Yogurt is a great ingredient to work with for desserts. With its natural slight tang, it accentuates other sweet flavors beautifully. After trying this creamy, plush baked yogurt, I’ll even go so far as to say yogurt may begin to rival ice cream in our house!
I kid you not! This entire batch was polished off before I knew it.
How Can I Make Baked Yogurt
3 basic ingredients are all you need to make this delicate dessert- yogurt, condensed milk, and honey. I chose to flavor it with a little bit of cardamom and saffron. You can add anything you’d like to this... cinnamon, vanilla, citrus zest, rose, maybe even lavender!
Everything gets whisked in a bowl. And then the mixture is poured into the ramekins.
It just needs 15 minutes to bake, in a water bath, after a 5-minute prep. Gentle baking in a water bath ensures the creamiest dessert. This is not a pudding you want to overbake. The oven should be turned off as soon as the tops are slightly set. It continues to set as it chills.
The scent of this dessert as it baked was sweet and aromatic; so good that I wish I could bottle it up! It is truly a foolproof recipe.
To top it off, I made a quick mango saffron compote which complimented the dish perfectly! Some slivers of pistachio, a sprinkling of dried rose petals, and some crushed saffron strands finished it off prettily.
Saffron-baked yogurt demands to be savored. It has a light, velvety smooth texture that you could get lost in! Though optional, mango compote makes it even more special. You can use a compote made with any fruit, or just simply top it with fresh fruits and nuts.
Recipe
Saffron Cardamom Baked Yogurt
Ingredients
Baked Yogurt
- 400 ml Yogurt
- 150 ml Condensed milk
- 1-2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Saffron strands
- 1 tsp Cardamom powder
Mango Saffron Compote
- 1/2 Mango, diced
- 1/4 tsp Saffron strands
- 1/2 cup Water
- Honey to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160 C. Keep a deep baking tray and 4 ramekins ready.
- Combine the yogurt, condensed milk and honey in a bowl. Make sure the mixture is smooth. Taste and adjust for sweetness.
- Whisk in saffron and cardamom.
- Divide the mixture equally between the 4 ramekins. Place them in the baking pan. Pour hot water carefully in the pan. It should cover 1/4 of the pan. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil.
- Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the top of the yogurt seems slightly set. Switch off the oven. Leave the ramekins in the oven for another 10 minutes with the oven door open.
- Refrigerate the yogurt pots until completely chilled. Top with the mango saffron compote, pistachio slivers, and rose petals. Enjoy!
Mango Saffron Compote
- Combine mango, saffron, and water in a small saucepan. Cook on low heat till the mango is very soft and cooked through.
- Cool and puree the mixture. Stir in honey according to taste.
What is the size of your ramekins
Natasha Author
Hi Rucha, these ramekins have a capacity of 200ml. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi! Do you use sweetened condensed milk? Or condensed milk without any added sugar? I have trouble finding unsweetened condensed milk…
Natasha Author
Hi Margo, yes, please use sweetened condensed milk. That's what I used as well. 🙂
What can you substitute the condensed milk with? Coconut milk?
Natasha Author
I don't think coconut milk would work here, unless sugar is added to the mixture. You could try sweetened coconut condensed milk though.
Hope this helps.
Nancy
You can make sweetened condensed milk yourself. It’s easy. I have made it using coconut milk. You can find recipes online.
Should I use Greek yogurt or regular yogurt with 3.25% milk fat?
Natasha Author
Either will work well. 🙂
Can this be baked in a single bowl instead of ramekins? Will the baking time change?
Natasha Author
Hi Shyamanjali, yes I think it can be baked in a large bowl, though I haven't tried it myself. The baking time would also increase, I suppose by another 10-15 minutes. Hope this helps. 🙂
Wow this is beautiful, bookmarked to try soon 🙂
Natasha Author
Aww thank you so much, Sarah!