Mango cheesecake

Spring is in the air! Flower buds and new green leaves are sprouting everywhere!  I found lemon balm mint, miniature pansies and thyme flowers survived the winter and peered their heads out from my patio last week.  And what better way to capture these pretty little petals than using them to adorn something sweet??  I used them immediately to decorate a mango cheesecake that I was about to make. 

This is an very easy cheesecake recipe.  No bake, no muss, no fuss.  Only thing is that they need to be refrigerated at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, so that the cake sets properly.  You can feel free to substitute other flavors as well...I think I'll try passionfruit or raspberry, most likely in the not so distant future.  This recipe make one 8 inch square cake, but as the petals and leaves are so dainty and beautiful, I opted for individual dainty little portions.

Mango Cheesecake
~makes 12 mini cheesecake, or a 8" X 8" cheesecake

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
300g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon gelatin
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup mango puree
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For decoration - assorted edible flowers, herbs and berries (I used lemon balm mint, pansy petals, thyme flowers and blackberries)

First, prepare the molds.  Lay the cake ring on top of a pieces of aluminum foil, then tightly wrap the foil around the outside of the ring.  Set out all the prepared tins on a baking sheet.

In the mean time, melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, about 40 seconds on high.  If you are using whole graham crackers, process them in a food processor until a fine even crumb is achieved.  Place crumbs in a medium size mixing bowl, then slowly drizzle in butter.  Mix well until all the crumbs are evenly coated with butter, using you fingers or a spoon.  The mixture should look like wet sand.

Divide the cracker mixture amongst the prepared tins.  Using your fingers or wooden spoon (I used the back of my wooden rolling pin), firmly press the crumbs to the bottom of the tin.  The crackers should be packed and firm.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on top of 1/4 cup of water.  Let stand for 5 minutes. 

In a large mixing bowl, combing softened cream cheese, heavy cream and sugar.  Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Heat the gelatin mixture in the microwave until it becomes clear and liquid, about 15 seconds on high.  Add gelatin mixture to mango puree.  Stir until combined.

Remove 1/2 cup of the mango/gelatin mixture, add to cream cheese.  Quickly beat on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.

Divide the cream cheese mixture amongst the prepared tins, on top of the graham crackers.  You can use a small spoon to divide the mixture, but if the tins are too small, it might be wise to scoop everything into a large piping bag and pipe the cream cheese mixture neatly. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add lemon juice to remaining mango puree.
Remove the cheesecakes from the fridge and spoon remaining mango puree on top.  Return to the fridge for another 15 minutes.

While the cakes are chilling, wash and thoroughly dry all flower petals, fruits and leaves.

Remove the cakes from the fridge once again and sporadically place the fruits and flowers on top of the cakes.  Refrigerate at least 6 hours, best overnight.



When ready to serve, carefully remove the tin foil from the base.  To remove the cake ring, run a hot knife with a fine tip around the edges of the mold and carefully pull the tin upwards. 

NOTE: Since the tins I used were rather dainty and hence tricky to unmold, I also lined the inside of the tin with a thin acrylic film.  It is the type used also for chocolate making and come in a roll of various widths.  Can be found at chocolate or baking supply shops.  This is certainly optional, you can use a fine tipped knife as mentioned above or use a hairdryer to heat the side of the mold for a few seconds to release the cakes.

The cheesecakes will stay fresh for 3 days in the fridge.  Keep it in the cake tin, covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve.