June 19, 2012

Eggless, No Bake, Mini Mango Cheesecakes

A stroll about the fruit markets with its sweet, tempting display of summer produce in a rainbow of fresh flavors, I have a feeling I’ll be preparing and sharing dainty desserts all summer long.

Of all the wonderful things that summer brings, I look forward so much to the mango festival happening at the local stores around here at this time of the year—sweet, sweet excuse to indulge in a variety of luscious goodness. There are few things quite like the flavor and scent of Alphonso, Rajpuri and Badami at the peak of their season. I just can’t stop picking them, and the result is an ever-inspiring list of mango dishes, though nothing compares to eating them whole, I admit.


With the warmth of the golden summer afternoons wrapping us firmly, I find myself spending as little time in the kitchen as possible. And whenever I’m there, the urge to stir up a totally chill sipper, or whip a stress free, preferably cool treat, for a lazy lunch or dinner, is irresistible. And that’s how this mango cheesecake happened. 

This is one cool, creamy, fruity dessert mango fans will fall for. The best part is, the recipe requires no oven, no stove, no eggs, and absolutely no stress, ah! With a little prep, this make ahead treat could be the highlight of your garden party or mid-summer soiree. Speaking of which, have your checked out my previous no bake cold cheesecake recipe?
Chilled layers of cookie crumbs, mango infused cream, and fresh fruit puree makes a refreshing dessert. Make it in small glasses, and the result is elegant, delicious, and you get to control the portions too.

Normally cheesecake is made with graham cracker crumb crust. However, in the absence of these, you can use digestive biscuits, or consider shortbread cookies, gingersnaps, or chocolate sandwich cookies like oreo. Macerated mango topping adds an extra dimension of flavor and fruity freshness to these beautifully layered delights. And oh, I used fat free cream cheese and the lighter version of the biscuits to cut down on the guilt and calories!

What better meal finale on a sweltering summer day than a cool, striped, mini indulgence layered in pretty glasses? Enjoy!
Eggless, No Bake, Mini Mango Cheesecakes
(recipe adapted from Edible Garden)

Ingredients
Make about 10-12 individual cheesecakes
Prep 20 minutes, plus chilling time

¾ cup finely ground digestive biscuits (I used Mcvitie's digestive light)
85g unsalted butter, melted
226g cream cheese, softened (I used Philadelphia fat free)
160g cream, softened (I used Nestle)
½ cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
¼ cup water
1 ½ cup mango puree (I used freshly pureed Alphonso)

For garnish
Lightly macerated, diced mangoes (I used fresh Badami mango chunks)
Sweetened whipped cream
Crushed pistachios
Mint sprigs


Directions

In a food processor, blitz biscuits until fine crumbs form. Add butter, and pulse again to moisten. Alternatively, crush biscuits by placing in a plastic zip lock bag, bashing with a rolling pin.

Spoon the mixture evenly between 10-12 (depending on size) individual glass molds (I used 10 glasses in assorted sizes). Alternatively, make one big cheesecake using a 9-inch spring form pan. Press the mixture firmly into bottom using your fingers, or the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, or until filling is ready.

To make the cheesecake filling, make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature, this makes it easier to whip without lumps. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft and silky, about 4 minutes. Then beat in sugar and cream until well-blended and smooth, about 3 minutes, frequently scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, soften gelatin by placing it in ¼ cup cold water for 5 minutes, then microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until the granules dissolve to a clear liquid. Cool completely, then stir into the mango puree and mix to combine—make sure there a no lumps.

Reserve half of the mango puree, and fold the rest through the cream cheese mixture, mixing thoroughly. Remove cheesecake molds from fridge, and pour the filling over the biscuit base, filling each about two-thirds full, or to your preference. Smooth top with spatula, and gently tap bottom on counter to release any air bubbles. Chill for 30-45 minutes, or until a bit firm.

Now spoon the reserved mango-gelatin mixture on top of the filling, spread evenly. Cover, and refrigerate until firm, preferably overnight. At this stage, it can be stored in the refrigerator for several days—just make sure it is covered so it doesn’t dry out, or absorb flavor from other food.

Serve cheesecake with lightly macerated mangoes, sweetened whipped cream, and crushed pistachios, if you like. Garnish with mint sprigs—Bon Appétit!
Oh and, before I run off to catch up on the correspondence, here’s a glimpse of the lovely recipes I’ve been sharing on my facebook album—make it tonight. So if you are on fb, hope you’ll stop by to say hello.

44 comments:

  1. Omg, am speechless and cant take my eyes from ur irresistible single serving cheesecakes..

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  2. WOW!!! Perfect one. Looks so tempting and delicious with nice clicks.

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  3. Awesome dessert and also the clicks..one after the other.

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  4. wow dear this is so awesome and inviting and yummy goodness...i just had dinner and this makes me hungry again! you have lot of patience....wow awesome clicks!

    SYF&HWS - Cook With SPICES" Series
    Only Mango - June 1st to 30th
    Dish It Out - Black Beans and Bell Pepper - June 1st to 30th
    Cooking with Whole Foods - Brown Rice - June 10th to Aug 10th

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  5. hey btb...you can link to my event if u want to! :)

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  6. Wow...oru vakku mathram...Adipoli...:)I am all ready to dig in..Awesome clicks as always..

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  7. hmmmm so yummy dessert.......superb clicks......

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  8. Awesome clicks as everytime dear... Would love to be there and dig in...

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  9. Would love to dig into those layers. Looks too yumm Nashi!!

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  10. Your cheesecake has come out beautifully Nashi!! Excellent photography too! I tried the same recipe from Edible Garden last month. It turned out pretty and good! Do have a look at them in my blog :)

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  11. Awesome clicks and so delicious recipe..loved it..

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  12. awesome clicks.. n lovely layers.. love it..

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  13. AnonymousJune 19, 2012

    Hi nashira,
    Excellent recipe and lovely pics. Very admirable. Also I wanted to know about the gelatin that you use. Any brand name? As I live in Oman(Muscat) and wish to use the same kind that you use.

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    1. I used Dreem unflavored gelatin, it's usually available in 50g net packet with 5 individual sachets inside. Good luck!

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  14. thanks for trying this and taking some delectable pics. sharing on my fb page soon! :)

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    Replies
    1. ...and thank you for sharing the recipe so we could all try it! ♥

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  15. I have seen a dozen adaptations of this recipe by now and I am surely tempted to try it myself! Beautiful...

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  16. nashira, hope you guys are doing well. Haven't come here in a while. Glad I did, right now. sitting in office and almost dozing off :-) But your mango cheesecake photos have my adrenaline pumping :-)

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  17. Wow this is irresistible,can't take my eyes off those clicks,wish I could dig into one right now

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  18. Looking Great Nashi!Nice pics as well..Nice way to add up an extra inch to the waist;).liked the smoothie recipe too...

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  19. Hi dear.
    Beautiful clicks, I'm drooling over them.

    JOIN ME THIS MONTH IN- JUNE EVENT- ‘ONLY’ MANGO & COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY

    FOODELICIOUS

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  20. No bake is always appreciated when it's hot out, these look lovely.

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  21. looks yummy. cheese that u used, is it cream cheese spread. i live in dubai and anyone one knows where i can get it

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    1. Philly cream cheese block is best for making cheesecake (see product here: http://philly.com.au/products/philadelphia-cream-cheese-block/). I’ve seen it in Lulu hypermarket--Doha, so why don’t you check out Lulu in Dubai? However, as I mentioned in the recipe, I used the lighter version that comes in a tub--it has a greenish label. And oh, cream cheese is soft and spreadable, so no worries if you end up buying something labeled spreadable cream cheese, just make sure it's unflavored. Good luck, Marie!

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    2. Marie, I actually used Philly no fat cream cheese, not Philly lite as mentioned earlier--sorry about the mistake! I took a picture of the cheese and posted it here for easy reference. Hope this helps. Do let me know how it turns out if you happen to make it, thanks!

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    3. Thank u so much. So sweet of u
      Marie

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  22. I am drooling over these cheesecakes, they look fantastic :-)

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  23. mmmmmm..... amazing and lovely clicks. Mouth watering dish.

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  24. Looks tempting and delicious

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  25. I love making no bake desserts :) these looks very rich, creamy and with mangoes in it... perfect for the season!

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  26. I just found your blog from Flavour Fiesta- love it! This recipe looks so good and I plan to try this soon!

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    1. Pleasure to meet you Sarah, thanks so much for popping in! I'd love to hear from you if you try it.

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  27. really lovely! I love how pretty the cheesecake looks in those tall glasses.

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  28. Looks wonderfully indulgent....

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  29. I have been searching for mangoes in our area, but I have not found any so far...I am hoping I can find some in the next few weeks. These treats are heavenly!

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  30. This is wonderful, Nash! I'm with you on spending as little time as possible in the kitchen right now, so a no-bake, refreshing dessert is always the most welcoming treat. I can't access to the fruit as easy as before now that we're living in a country side in Minnesota. As a result of deprivation, I can't stop staring at those fresh mango slices! Hope you're enjoying your summer days!

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  31. Perfect!

    Without even giving it a try I know this is greattttt!

    Photos are so sweelicious!!

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  32. AnonymousJune 29, 2012

    Nashira, you have such a wonderful colorful blog - one of the best food blogs I must say. The pictures are so awesome and so are your creative recipes - luv it!

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    1. Aww appreciate the time you took to write to me, thanks so much for your loveliness!

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  33. hi! could you please tell me if whipping cream can be used? I am in the US, so it wud be helpful if you can tell me how many cups will make 160 gm of cream. thanks.

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    1. Heavy cream can be substituted for the Nestle cream. As for the gms to cup conversion, 125gm is 1/2 cup, and 65gm is 1/4 cup. So 160gm would be a little more than 1/2 cup and less than 3/4 cup. I hope this helps!

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  34. AnonymousJune 06, 2017

    Hi there, was just wondering, the nestle cream, is it the nestle dessert cream you used?

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A million thank you's for stopping by, taking the time to connect, and coming back to visit again. I genuinely appreciate each of your kind thoughts, lovely words, love and support. Happy, happy to hear from you, and hope to see you again!

♥ Nashi