Liquid memories! Let a Coca Cola cake take you back in time

7UP cheesecake

Since June 27, every Saturday at 5 pm, Devansh Jhaveri has announced a dish that he is going cook at his Malabar Hill home kitchen on Sunday. Four portions are free for grabs via his Instagram and Facebook handles, through a lucky draw of names of those who comment on the post. From Amritsari choley kulchey to double-patty chipotle black bean burger and beet tortellinis in roasted garlic alfredo sauce, his dishes are progressive, and out-of-the-box creations. He calls this project #yourplaceormine. All that the receivers pay for is the delivery. "I was missing cooking and decided to do a Sunday meal where I shared a professionally cooked meal from the safety of my home," says the founder of Hustle Food Pvt Ltd.

One dish that grabbed eyeballs was the fluorescent-coloured baked Fanta cheesecake topped with Fanta jelly, followed by 7UP cheesecake, which was an extension of the first idea.

Fanta Cheesecake

"Right now, everyone is sitting at home. The lockdown has created space for people to spend time with themselves. One day, I was going through my old photographs and childhood albums. That's when the idea of making a Goldspot cheesecake struck me. The orange cola is not available anymore, so I picked Fanta," says 38-year-old Jhaveri who has added Maaza, Raspberry Soda and Thums Up versions to the repertoire (R1,800 for 1 kg and R950 for ½ kg).

The process is unlike baking a regular cheesecake because the ingredients differ. "It was tedious getting the colours to stay bright. When you bake the cheesecake, it tends to brown on the edges and the colour of the soda I used also changed. To add to that, my cake is eggless," he says. It's the soda jelly layer that makes you believe that you are "eating Fanta".

Cola is usually used in barbeque and grilling, but is rarely used in desserts. Jhaveri worked in Mexican and South American kitchens during his college days in Los Angeles. "We used to use Coke or Pepsi on barbeques for the sweet caramelised flavour. I worked and led kitchens of many restaurants and it was interesting that every kitchen had its own recipe for the BBQ sauce. The cola also helps leave a perfect glaze," he explains.

One Sunday, the Fanta cheesecake arrived with a side of grilled sandwich. We picked on the jelly layer first, nibbling it and tasting the first citrus punch of the cola flavour. Jhaveri doesn't use any other additional flavours for the cake and this makes the clean Fanta flavour come through. The cheesecake was light, each bite leaving a subtle but lasting taste of orange on the palate. It was not overpowering and the cream cheese added a savoury balance. Our cravings are making us lean towards the raspberry flavour next.

Devansh Jhaveri

Follow @devanshjhaveri1111, Instagram

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