Monday, April 9, 2012

Mango Cheesecake

Mango Cheesecake

Mango Cheesecake... light, silky, and utterly irresistible.  Hued with pale orange and combined with a delicate mango twist, our Easter 2012 dessert left hints of the tropics on our quickly emptied plates.  Not as dense or rich as many cheesecakes, even my "I can't eat cheesecake" husband cleaned his plate after telling me his piece was far too large.

Epicurious provided the base recipe for this luscious treat which I adapted to our tastes with a few changes.  Watching my waistline as we enter spring and feeding the diabetic grandparents, we reduced some of the fat as well as some of the sugars from the original version without sacrificing any of the taste or texture.

Mango Cheesecake
Trader Joe's provided an unexpectedly perfect crust with crushed "Cat Cookies" combined with butter and a touch of brown sugar.  A household favorite for years, I pulled our ever present container off the shelf when I realized I had forgotten to even think about a crust ingredient for our cake.  Low in fat themselves, they suited my "healthier" dessert path and produced a crust I will now be using regularly.

Reviews on the original recipe brought many comments of "not much mango flavor", and I have to agree, the mango flavor is light.  Reviewers commented that fresh mangoes actually brought the least amount of flavor, while frozen and canned mango chunks or pulp seemed to kick it up a notch.  And though I had 3 beautiful, fresh, champagne mangoes ripe on the counter, I turned once again to Trader Joe's with a bag of frozen mango chunks from my freezer.  Easily pureeing the chunks into that beautiful orange hued blend, a squeeze of fresh lime juice provided just the touch to intensify the flavors.

Producing a beautiful mango kissed cheesecake, the puree brought a delicate and not extremely pronounced mango flavor, but a light springy dessert that perfectly suited our Easter meal.  Served with fresh fruit, this dessert is one that has left us wanting more.

mango cheesecake, blackberries, raspberries

Mango Cheesecake

Crust
Trader joe's, Kitty Cat Cookies, Cheesecake crust
1 1/2 cups crushed Trader Joe's Cats Cookie crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2 Tbs granulated sugar
6 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

Filling
14 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) mango puree (fresh, frozen or canned)
juice from 1/2 lime
1 8-ounce packages reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (scant) granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 Tbs cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325º.  Prepare a 9 or 10-inch springform pan by rubbing the cut end of a butter stick over the bottom, corners and sides.  Set aside

In a large zip top bag combine the cookie crumbs, sugars and melted butter.  Zip the top and squeeze the bag to combine all of the ingredients.

Pour the crumb mixture into the prepared pan, tamping down with the bottom of a juice glass.  Set aside.

In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese sugar, pinch of salt and vanilla until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the flour and cornstarch and mix just until blended.  Add mango puree along with the juice of 1/2 of a lime and mix again, just until blended.'

Pour the batter into the pan and place into the preheated oven.

Bake cake until set and puffed and golden around edges (center may move very slightly when pan is gently shaken), 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.  Cool cake 1 hour.  Refrigerate uncovered overnight.  Run small knife between cake and sides of pan to loosen. Remove pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Cut into wedges and serve with mango puree, fresh fruit or sliced mangoes.

Mango Cheesecake

33 comments:

  1. Oh wow, this looks incredible. I've never tried mango cheesecake as I tend to be a purist and order it up plain or with lemon at most. But I love all things mango so I'd definitely give this a try given the opportunity. It's such a refreshing taste for the spring time as well.

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  2. oh man, this sounds absolutely delicious!

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  3. Kim,
    This mango cheesecake looks and sound amazing. As you know, I love anything with an island flavor. this cheesecake sounds , so light and delicious, perfect for Spring and Summer. I'm pinning this one!

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  4. Oh wow - what a great flavor! I can't imagine it too well, other than utterly delicious creaminess, but I'd adore a slice!

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  5. Lucious is right. This cheesecake looks amazing. I love that you used mango- Yum!

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  6. Your cheesecake is lovely and looks as if it has perfect texture! Mango would be so delicious here, I wish I could try a piece ;)!

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  7. Cheesecake. Mmmmmmm. What I noticed first (and loved) was the fact that the crust isn't really thick. It's the perfect amount of thing. holds the filling in, but doesn't bring attention to itself. The color and texture are perfect. I'm hooked and fully expect to be invited next year!

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  8. Oh Kim! You've got me drooling over this one! Looks amaaaazing!!! Kive the crust, love the filling... mmm.. Mango season is slowly starting here, and this one is going on my list!!! Thank you...

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  9. WOW - I have always made the traditional cheesecake - yours make my mouth water! I bet this is just divine! Hope you have a wonderful week!

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  10. Cheesecake is my absolute favorite dessert!! I am loving this mango version...I can't wait to give it a try! :)

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  11. looks so good! I will have to make this sometime!

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  12. Mango in a cheesecake does sound like a delicious treat! I like the fact that the mango is subtle, not strong. Funny that canned or pulp brought in more flavor. It does look amazing and the cookie crust is a perfect way to encase the creamy filling. Yum!

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  13. The cheese cake looks gorgeous and irresistible! Love its creamy texture and of course mango is an all time favourite :)

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  14. whoaa.. I feel like this is already summer!, I'm really speechless when I saw your Mango Cheesecake, if I saw it at cake store display I will not waiting much longer to grab it and eat it!

    cheers

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  15. Oh this sounds and looks wonderful! I love Cheesecake and Fruit! :-)

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  16. I am in love with this cheesecake already. But am very sad that the crust uses a Trader Joe-specific ingredient when I don't have one in my city. I'll have to wait to make this until I go to Nashville next and buy those cookies!

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  17. Oh wow you weren't kidding when you said it was light and silky - definitely irresistible :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  18. I love fruity desserts, but this just kicks it up like 3 notches! Mango cheesecake...mmmm...just the sound of it is making me drool, not to mention it looks amazing! Beautifully done, I would have been a very happy camper if I got a slice of this for Easter :)

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  19. Oh my, my favorite fruit starring in cheesecake. I have some ripening on my counter now. I would really love to make this. Your photos are lovely too.

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  20. So beautiful, Kim! I love cheesecake and your mango version served with berries sounds irresistible!!!

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  21. Oh yum! This sounds wonderful Kim. I love both mango and cheesecake so I can see this becoming a dangerous favorite for me

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  22. So pretty and it sounds delicious, I love that mango season is just beginning again!

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  23. Great idea for the crust!
    Looks delicious!
    LL

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  24. Mango Cheesecake??? Wow, what a great idea Kim! i love love your photos..making me drool to tell you the truth!:)
    Have a wonderful day love!!

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  25. I LOVE Mango!! I def have to try this one! Thanks for visiting my blog. Yours is lovely and I'm now a happy follower:-)I hope you will do the same. Have a great day!

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  26. I couldn't stop staring at the pictures, the cheesecake looks so yummy! I love mango and will for sure try this recipe :)

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  27. Mango and Cheesecake in one heavenly bite. Does it get any better than this?

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  28. o wow! This cheesecake looks AMAZING! I just got back from a trip to mexico (so much fun!) and I ate almost 2 mangos there everyday, they are so deliciously sweet! Saving this recipe for later :) YUm!

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  29. I wish more people commented after trying out the recipe, because sometimes you need that confirmation "yes, it did turn out very well". Nevertheless, this recipe does look very good indeed and I took the plunge after buying a box of sweet Indian mangoes. Heavenly!

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  30. Too many people saying "wow this looks amazing", too few saying "I've just made it, it's amazing"! I made it with sweet Indian mangoes, heavenly!

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  31. I love baking so much,and when my good friend shared this recipe to me,I can't wait to give it a try,I used canned mangoes and since we don't have traders joe here I used graham crackers for the crust and it turned out sooo good and delicious and so easy to make,I made one for our church gathering today and one for our dessert,Gonna make this again next time\(^-^)/

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  32. MaryJane... I'm SO happy you enjoyed this cheesecake!! It's one of my personal favorites, and I'm also happy you reminded me of it. We haven't had it in quite some time, but I think it's time to change that!

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