Mango Cheesecake

Prep Time: 30 minutes                   Baking Time: 1 ½ – 2 hours
Yield: 1  9-inch cheesecake – about 12 slices

Crust Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup (300 mL) graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs
2 tablespoons (30 mL) brown sugar
4 tablespoons (60 grams) melted unsalted butter

Filling Ingredients:

1 ½ cups (375 mL) mango puree from thawed (and drained) frozen mango chunks, or 2-3 fresh mangos (peeled, pitted)

4 – 250 g packages of cream cheese (not low-fat), at room temperature
1 ¼ cup (300 mL) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon (15 mL) pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon (1.5 m L) salt
1 tablespoon (15 mL) all purpose flour

4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

2 tablespoons (30 mL) sour cream or heavy cream

Garnish:   Mango Coulis (recipe follows); whipped cream; fresh mango slices

Method:

1. Make Crust: Preheat oven to 325⁰F (180 ⁰C). Lightly butter a 9-inch spring-form pan. In a bowl, combine graham crumbs and sugar. Mix in melted butter. Press crumb mixture over just the bottom of the pan. Bake until the crust has set and is golden in colour – about 10 minutes. Cool completely before adding filling.
2. Prepare filling: Defrost and drain frozen mangoes … or peel, pit, and coarsely chop fresh mangoes. Puree in a blender or food processor. You will need 1 ½ cups of puree. Set aside.
3. In a large mixer or food processor, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until smooth. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and flour.  Mix until well combined.
4. Add the eggs, and the egg yolks – one at a time. Minimally mix after each addition. Stir in the mango puree and cream.
5. Pour filling into the prepared (and cooled) crust.
6. Before placing the cake in the oven, place a large baking dish on a lower rack in the oven. Fill dish half-full with boiling water. This creates a moist environment for the cheesecake.
7. Bake (at 325⁰F) for 75-90 minutes – or until set and golden in colour – and when the internal temperature reaches 150⁰. Let cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, and then run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake to release it from the pan. Continue to let it cool at room temperature for an hour and then refrigerate (uncovered) until completely cool. When completely cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before serving.
8. At serving time, transfer cake to serving platter; cut into wedges and serve with mango coulis, whipped cream and fresh mango slices.

Mango Coulis:   Defrost 1 cup of frozen mango pieces (or use fresh mango pieces). Add 2 tablespoons of fruit juice, 3 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Puree until smooth – add more juice if it is too thick; add more icing sugar if it is too thin.   Strain if necessary. Place in a squeeze bottle.