Mango Cheesecake

I was debating what to make for dessert for Vietnamese/ a friend's birthday gathering, and decided to go with cheesecake. With frozen mango chunks sitting in my freezer and taking up precious space (we've got many pounds of raw dog food in there for Chester), the internet came to my rescue for this fairly simple, if time-consuming recipe.

This needs to be made a day in advance, and it takes a good three hours from start to putting it in the fridge. I made the mistake of starting at at 10, and didn't get to bed till 1.


Ingredients:
Crust:
1.5 cups honey graham cracker crumbs
6 tbs unsalted butter


Filling:
2 cups mango puree
3 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs


Serve with whipped cream and mango puree.



Method:
Crust:
Preheat oven to 325F.
Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan with at least 2.75" high sides.
Stir crumbs with melted butter until evenly moistened.
Press mixture onto bottom of pan.
Bake until crust is set, about 12 minutes.
Turn off oven.
Remove from oven and cool completely.


Filling:
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowls until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the mango puree and beat until well blended.
Pour into pan, over crust.

Bake at 325F for about 1h 25 minutes, until set and puffed and golden around edges (centre will move slightly when gently shaken.
Cool 1 hour.
Refridgerate uncovered overnight.
Run a small toothpick or skewer between caked and side of pan to loosen and remove pan.
Serve with whipped cream and more mango puree and enjoy!



Comments:
The flavour of the cake is quite subtle, and the mango will cause it to have a grainier texture.

Make sure the cream cheese is soft, or it will fly everywhere when you turn on the beater.
Since I used frozen mangoes, I had to add liquid to get the blender going to puree the fruit. I used mango juice/nectar, and that kept the mango taste from diluting.

I whipped cream with some hazelnut syrup, and it was a hit.

Graham crackers will crumble very easily in a ziploc bac and rolled with a rolling pin. I tried to crumble in my magic bullet, and it turned into a very fine powder (probably not advisable).

I am terrible at remembering to take photos. Gomen!



Verdict:
It's a keeper! (Just make sure you have company; it's a lot)