A neglected block of cream cheese was lying in the corner of my refrigerator for some days. I planned to use it to make a dessert but did not bring myself to do so purely out of laziness. But what got me going was the pile of ripening mangoes in my fruit basket that begged to be consumed. I had just the right ingredients for a decadent mango cheesecake.
I am particularly fond of cheesecakes. Who’s not, actually? I haven’t yet met anyone who does not like cheesecake! Having tried my hand at making a no-bake variety of cheesecake in the past I decided to make the baked variety of cheesecake. There’s a subtle difference in the texture when you bake it. While the no-bake version has a creamy souffle kind of feel to it, this one is airy and light.
A springform makes it convenient to hold the cheesecake, but if you don’t have one you can use a fancy baking dish like the one I used and serve it directly from it.
I used Philadelphia cream cheese. Although Alphonso mangoes would have been ideal, I used Kesar mangoes which added an amazing flavor to the dish. The recipe is basic but if you’re finicky about presenting it well you may want to put in some creativity there. I promise it would definitely be worth the effort! I used whipped cream and freshly sliced mangoes to top it with. The result was a treat to the eyes and the taste-buds! A lot of you asked me to share the recipe. So here it is:
Baked Mango Cheesecake
Prep time
Filling – 20 minutes
Baking – 40 minutes
Topping – 20 minutes
Ingredients
Crust
30 digestive biscuits
100g butter
Filling
226g Cream Cheese
4 medium-sized eggs
1 cup of sugar
4 medium-sized ripe mangoes
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Topping
500g Whipped Cream
2 medium-sized ripe mangoes
Serves 8
Method
Crush the digestive biscuits to a powdery texture. I blitzed it in the food processor to get an even texture.
Melt butter.
Mix the crushed biscuits and butter in the baking dish or springform pan.
Press the mixture firmly on the base of the dish or pan to get the crust ready. Refrigerate for 15 minutes so that the crust is firm.
Preheat oven for 5 minutes at 250 degrees.
Puree the mangoes for the filling.
Beat the eggs in a bowl. Mix sugar in the eggs.
In another bowl beat the cream cheese slightly with a hand blender. Do not beat it too much. Add vanilla extract.
Slowly add the eggs and mango puree to this mixture and fold it in gently.
Get the baking dish/pan with the hardened crust out of the refrigerator. Add the filling mix and tap the dish/pan gently to even out the batter.
Bake for 40 minutes at 250 degrees.
Keep checking regularly. If you notice any blackening on the top, cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil.
Do not test the cake by inserting a toothpick or knife through it. Your cake should have risen around the edges and the center will seem slightly wobbly. However, it will settle down once it cools down.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely.
Beat the whipped cream and coat the top of the cake evenly with it. At this stage, you might want to let the cake chill in the fridge overnight or for about 4-5 hours so that the whipped cream sets well.
Once the cream is firm, decorate the top with sliced mangoes. I would suggest using sweet but firm mangoes to get even slices.
Gently loosen the edges of the cheesecake with the help of a knife. If you’ve used a springform pan, open the sides and if it’s a baking dish, slice and serve from the dish itself.
Let me tell you, it would be gone in a jiffy as soon as you start serving it. So don’t forget to save yourself some. Enjoy!
If you’re in the mood to try some savory mango dish you might like my Mango Salsa recipe.
This is great V! I was hoping you’d share the recipe to the wonderful pics you posted of this dessert. Looks amazing and obviously must taste even better. Off to hunt for cream cheese.
Thanks, Kala! Hope you got your hands on the cream cheese. It’s worth all the trouble. Let me know if you come around to trying the recipe.
Your cheesecake looks yum have bookmarked for future reference Thanks for sharing.
Suzy recently posted…Missing my Xtremely sweet grand furbaby
Thank you, Suzy. It was yummy indeed!
I love cheesecake but never had the courage to bake them. This looks heavenly… And the mango slices look so juicy.
Thanks, Raj! Yeah, there was a time even I was wary about baking a cheesecake. But this recipe is quite simple.
That looks delicious. The recipe is doable so maybe someday I will bring myself to bake this one. And you are right! Who doesn’t like a cheesecake? This one I am sure would have been delicious.
Parul recently posted…Cricket – new form or old me?
It sure was delicious, Parul! Give it a try. After all, cheesecake is worth making all the efforts for. 😉
Looks so delicious. I love cheese cakes, though baking is not really my forte. The recipe here looks easy and doable. Will try it out sometime.
Yes, this one’s quite doable, actually. You don’t need to be a pro at baking for this.
This looks so good, Vinodini. Perfect cheesecake.
Rachna Parmar recently posted…How to Raise Feminist Sons
Thanks, Rachna. It tastes yummy too.:)
Mango Cheesecake looks absolutely yum!! I have never baked a cheesecake. Your recipe is simple and easy to follow. Will try it one of these days. Thanks for sharing, Vinodini!
Thank you, Shilpa! Do let me know how it turns out if you try it.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE cheesecakes! And, the one you shared makes me want to reach into my laptop screen and grab it and run away!
The recipe does seem simple. A cousin who is also a proficient baker has said cheesecakes are easy to make. But, really, V, when a divine cheesecake is right there in front of you, all you want to do is to find one and enjoy it! RIght? 😛
Shilpa Gupte recently posted…Annual health tests for women.
Hahaha…you’re funny! I wish it was possible that way, I’d have grabbed so many cheesecakes and other yummy goodies from my laptop and run away! Yeah, I agree with your cousin, cheesecakes are relatively easier to make than other complex recipes. But yes, cheesecakes are soul food, indeed!
[…] how it turns out. in the comments section below. Also, if you’re interested, check out my Baked Mango Cheesecake recipe that I posted last […]