The ancient Greek, when creating the cheesecake, would’ve never dreamt that someday they would be made all over the world in the most unimaginable flavours and combinations.
Today some cheesecakes are baked, some chilled, some use eggs and some fresh cheeses, some like crushed biscuit bases and some sponge cake bases. There are German, Italian, Greek, British, Swedish, Irish, French and Australian (just to name a few) versions… and then is the Indian version using the mighty king of fruits, Alphonso mango. One of the most popular fruits, nutritionally rich and with a unique flavour, fragrance and taste, mango is 100 per cent desi. A bit high on calories, mangoes are rich in prebiotic dietary fibre, vitamins and antioxidant compounds. Though grown all over the world, nothing can beat the Indian variety.
Absurdly, the artificially ripened stuff is also on sale; so do look out for naturally ripened, quality mangoes.
With a light moist cake base, a rich creamy mid-section and an unusual, fun and inviting top layer, this cake is impossible to resist.
For the Genoise (cake base)
● 121 gm flour, sifted
● 4 large eggs
● 1 tsp vanilla
● 121 gm sugar
Put vanilla, eggs and sugar in a bowl. Place it over a hot bath and beat it for three minutes till sugar is dissolved.
Now take it off the bath and whisk it for five minutes till it multiplies in volume. With the beater on, mix in the sifted flour; do not over-beat.
Pour into cheesecake tin lined with waxpaper. Bake for 2o-25 minutes at 180°C. When the cake is ready, remove from tin and peel off paper. Let it cool, and then slice horizontally into two halves. Cling wrap and keep one aside for later.
Mango Cheesecake
● 200 gm cream cheese
● 150 gm double cream
● 350 gm mango puree
● 150 gm castor sugar, will have to adjust depending on how sweet the mangoes are.
● 2 tbsp gelatin powder dissolved in 4-5 tbsp hot water
Line the loose bottom cheesecake tin with cling film, leaving the excess hanging over the sides, so that when the cake is set, you can remove it easily. Now place the genoise cake base at the bottom. Drowse with sugar syrup. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, whip double cream till soft peak stage. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar till it loosens up and add whipped cream. Pour in mango puree and mix well. Prepare the gelatin and pour it in mixing throughout. Pour all this over the cake base, cover with cling film and let it set over night.
To Decorate:
● 3 mangoes- you will be left with some fruit after you scoop out the good bits ● 1 tbsp castor sugar
● 1 packet of mini marshmallows
● 100 gm dark chocolate
Use a melon baller to scoop even, round balls of mango flesh. Place them on a plate and dust with sugar. Melt the chocolate in a microwave and put in a piping bag. When ready to garnish, place mango balls evenly all over the cake and then throw in the marshmallows to fill in the gaps. Drizzle with chocolate. Send it back to refrigerate for about an hour before serving.
The writer is the author of Aapplemint, a food, travel and photography blog