Fusion Besan Barfi Cake with chocolate ganache

An absolute show stopper and completely worth all the elbow grease that goes into making it. It was extremely fun decorating and the flavors just make for a very festive and fancy end to any dinner party.

Ingredients

• 1 cup ghee , semi-solid from the box
• 3 cup besan (gram or chickpea flour)
• 1/2 cup fine semolina
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 20 strands saffron , soaked in 1/2 tsp water
• 1/3 cup mixed nuts , finely chopped, I used almonds and walnuts roasted 
• pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar , powdered by grinding in a mixer or food processor or sifted castor sugar

Chocolate Ganache:

• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips , or grated dark chocolate
• 1/2 tbsp butter

Garnish:

• pistachio , finely chopped
• almonds , finely chopped
• pumpkin seeds
• freeze dried strawberries , finely chopped
• dried apricots , finely chopped
• dried cranberries , finely chopped
• edible flowers
• edible gold foil
• golden sprinkles

Instructions

Besan Barfi:

1. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan on low heat and add in the ghee. 

2. Once the ghee has melted, add in the besan and semolina (sooji). Then, roast for at least 10-15 minutes on low to medium flame while stirring continuously until the color changes to a light almond color. The secret to making a good besan barfi is being patient and roasting it on low flame while stirring continuously. The besan will look dry in the beginning but as you continue cooking, it should become nice and silky. This whole process will take about an hour so be patient. 

3. Then add in cardamom powder, saffron (soaked in 1/2 tsp water), pinch of salt, and nuts (I used almonds and walnuts). Mix them well.

4. Now switch off the gas and mix in the powdered sugar. Make sure you grind your sugar in a mixer or food processor and use that instead of using store-bought powdered sugar. If using store bought, make sure to sift.

5. Then turn on the gas on medium flame and roast for another 5-6 minutes until everything comes together. Don't over cook the mixture and switch off the gas as soon as the mixture starts coming together and starts releasing from the pan.

6. Grease a 6” round cake ring/pan (or circular mold on a greased dish) with oil (don't use ghee otherwise the cake will stick) and line it with a parchment paper. Then, add in your barfi mixture, flattening it gently with the back of a spatula. My cake was around 1½" deep.

7. Sprinkle some cardamom powder and saffron on top. Then keep it aside for at least 1½ to 2 hours to set (pro tip: if you want to cool it faster, after 1 hour at room temperature, you can put it in the fridge for 20 mins)

Chocolate Ganache:

1. Melt dark chocolate with cream, and butter until it forms a smooth mixture with beautiful silky consistency.

2. Cover it with a cling wrap and let it cool down completely.

Assemble the Cake:

1. Gently and carefully open the cake ring and remove it from the cake.

2. Spread the chocolate ganache on top. It's important to make sure that the cake has fully cooled down before applying the ganache.

3. Garnish with pistachio, almonds, pumpkin seeds, freeze dried strawberries, edible flowers, edible gold foil, and sprinkle some golden sprinkles on top. Your Chocolate Besan Barfi Cake is ready. Enjoy!