Chilled Mango Cheesecake

Ingredients: 
Base: 
170g Nice biscuits 
60g unsalted butter, melted
 
Filling: 

250g light cream cheese (softened at room temperature) 
60g caster sugar (sifted) 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 
1 teaspoon mango essence (optional) 
350g mango purée (strained)
1 tablespoon gelatin powder 
3 tablespoons boiling water 
200ml thickened cream + 2 tablespoons icing sugar 
1 mango, diced- 2cm cubes (optional)

Topping: 
200g mango purée (strained) 
2 teaspoons gelatine powder
2 tablespoons boiling water

Decoration:
100ml thickened cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
Mango strips

Method:

1. Line base of 20cm/8" spring form cake pan with baking paper.
2. To make the base, crush biscuits in a food processor. Add the melted butter and process to combine. 
3. Using the back of a metal spoon press biscuit mixture down firmly onto base of cake pan. Chill in the fridge for use later- approx. 30 minutes.
4. Whip thickened cream with 2 tablespoons icing sugar till about 70% stiff or mousse state. Cover and keep chilled.
5. Dissolve gelatine powder in 3 tablespoons boiling water. Keep warm but not hot for use later.
6. Cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and mango essence together till smooth and creamy.
7. Add the warm gelatine solution to mango purée and mix well.
8. Add mango mixture into cheese mixture and combine till well mixed. Fold in the whipped cream. Stir in the cubed mango pieces (optional).
9. Pour cheese mixture onto cake base. Cover and chill for at least two hours.
10. Dissolve gelatin powder with boiling water and stir this into mango purée. Pour gently onto chilled cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours before serving (best overnight to allow it to set better).

Notes & Tips 

You will need approx. 3 very ripe large Kensington mangoes for this recipe 

Blueberry Cheesecake

I made this blueberry cheesecake as part of a dessert for EPIC youth camp a few weeks ago. 

Ingredients

Base:

200g biscuit crumbs

50g unsalted butter, melted

Filling: 

200ml thickened cream + 1 tablespoon icing sugar

1 tablespoon gelatine powder 
3 tablespoon boiling water 

500g light cream cheese (softened at room temperature) 
60g caster sugar (sifted) 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 
250g blueberry puree (strained) 

Topping: 

4-5 tablespoons blueberry jam 

Method

Line base of 20cm/8" spring form cake pan with cling wrap or baking paper. Toss biscuit crumbs into melted butter and press firmly onto base of cake pan. Chill in the fridge 30 minutes.

Whip cream with icing sugar until firm peaks. Cover and keep chilled.

Place the boiling water in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle with gelatine and use a fork to stir until the gelatine dissolves. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.

Meanwhile cream cheese, caster sugar and lemon juice together until smooth and creamy.

Add the warm gelatine solution to blueberry purée and mix well.

Add blueberry mixture into cheese mixture and combine till well mixed. Fold in the whipped cream.

Pour cheese mixture onto cake base and chill for about 4 hours or overnight.

Spread the blueberry jam over the top of the cheesecake 45 minutes before serving.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Slice

I ate this cheesecake the other day at a friend's BBQ lunch and couldn't wait to try and make it myself since it tasted so yummy :)

Recipe taken from Kraft Foods recipes

Ingredients

350g Oreo Original cookies

80g butter, melted

375g block cream cheese, cubed and softened

½ cup caster sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 cup thickened cream

3 teaspoons powdered gelatine, dissolved in ¼ cup hot water

200g white chocolate, melted, cooled slightly

Method

1. Place 250g of the cookies in a food processor and process into fine crumbs. Add the butter and process to combine. Press the mixture into an 18cm x 28 cm lamington tin or 20cm (base) round springform cake pan lined with cling wrap or baking paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla essence with an electric mixer until smooth, then beat in the cream. Stir through the gelatine mixture and white chocolate.
3. Roughly chop the remaining cookies and stir through the cream cheese mixture then pour over the biscuit base. Cover and refrigerate until set (approx. 3 hours). Cut into slices or squares to serve. 

Chilled Strawberry Cheesecake

I had an abundance of strawberries yesterday after I got given some by my mum. So I decided to use them to make this chilled strawberry cheesecake :)

Strawberries are low in calories and an excellent source of Vitamin C. This chilled cheesecake is very refreshing with a layer of strawberry jelly over the fruits.

Ingredients:
Base:
170g biscuit crumbs
60g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
250g light cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
60g caster sugar (sifted)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon strawberry essence (optional)
200g strawberry purée (strained)
1 tablespoon gelatin powder
3 tablespoons boiling water
200ml thickened cream + 1 tablespoon icing sugar
Vertically sliced strawberries (trimmed to an even size/height to decorate around cake edge)

Topping:
Horizontally sliced strawberries
50g strawberry jelly powder
5g gelatin powder
250ml boiling water

Decoration:
100ml thickened cream
1-2 tablespoons icing sugar, extra
5 small strawberries, halved

Method:

1. Line base of 20cm/8" spring form cake pan with cling wrap or baking paper. Toss biscuit crumbs into melted butter and press firmly onto base of cake pan. Chill in the fridge for use later- approx. 30 minutes.
2. Whip thickened cream with 1 tablespoon icing sugar till about 70% stiff or mousse state. Cover and keep chilled.
3. Dissolve gelatine powder in 3 tablespoons boiling water. Keep warm but not hot for use later.
4. Cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and strawberry essence together till smooth and creamy.
5. Add the warm gelatine solution to strawberry purée and mix well.
6. Add strawberry mixture into cheese mixture and combine till well mixed. Fold in the whipped cream.
7. Place vertically sliced strawberry pieces evenly around cake tin (strawberry tip should be facing up).
8. Pour cheese mixture onto cake base and chill for about 60 minutes or till slightly firm. Top it with a layer of horizontally sliced strawberry pieces. Cover and chill for at least two hours.
9. Dissolve 50g strawberry jelly powder and 10g gelatine powder with 250ml boiling water. Set aside to cool for approx. 15 minutes. When cooled, pour jelly gently onto chilled cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours. 
10. Use an electric beater to beat cream and icing sugar in a medium bowl until firm peaks form. 
11. Place the cream in a piping bag fitted with a 1cm fluted nozzle and pipe rosettes around the edge of the cake. Arrange some strawberries around the cake between the cream rosettes. Cut the cake into wedges to serve.

Notes & Tips

You will need approx. 3 punnets of strawberries for this recipe
Best to chill the cheesecake overnight to allow it to set better

Mini Baked Cheesecakes

Makes 6

Ingredients

250g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbs lemon juice
2 eggs
100g sweet biscuit crumbs
40g butter, melted
Berries and icing sugar, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. To make biscuit base: Combine biscuit crumbs and butter in a bowl. Mix well making sure all the crumbs are coated in the butter.
3. Divide biscuit base mixture evenly amongst 6 large muffin pans.
4. Use the back of a metal spoon to press the biscuit mixture evenly over the inside of the muffin pan.
5. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes or until the base is firm. This helps the base retain its shape when the filling is added.
6. Meanwhile to make filling, use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
7. Pour the cream cheese filling into the prepared bases.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until slightly risen and just beginning to crack a little on the surface.
9. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes, before placing on a plate or wire rack to cool completely.
10. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled. Top with fresh or frozen mixed berries and dust with icing sugar just before serving.
11. Optional: Line muffin pans with 2 paper cases prior to adding biscuit base and filling.

Notes & Tips

Use a silicone muffin pan as it is will be easier to remove the cheesecakes