No-baked Mango Yogurt Cheesecake

 

For those who love mangoes, then this cake can be a winner and is certainly worth trying!  To me, mango blends just well with cream cheese.  The aromatic smell of mangoes just lingers around giving a nice fruity smell to your kitchen.  

Well, this cake is not at all difficult to prepare.  Nothing complicated.  Pretty straight forward.  All that is needed is just measure, mix and pour.  So, it is suitable for any newbies who want to impress your guests or to prove to someone that you can actually bake.  Trust me, this cake will sure to blow them away.

 

Make sure you take it when it's chilled.  Believe me, the moment the cake sets in your mouth, the feeling is just heavenly so much so that your taste buds can't thank you enough!  Everything seems fall into place and your palate is suddenly perked up with all kinds of tastes and senses - sweet, salty, sourish, creamy, chilly, fruity and the list goes on!

This recipe is definitely a keeper.  I stumbled upon the recipe on Facebook, from Anncoo Journal.  My ravenous eyes were captivated by her photos which to me were just picture perfect.  The cake was standing gorgeous and irresistibly appetizing!  I strongly recommend that you take a look and visit her blog, here!

Ingredients:

   

  Cake base
     100g digestive biscuits
     80g melted butter

• Grease the sides of a 8 inch removable cake pan and line the bottom. Blend biscuits coarsely and mix well with melted butter (add little more butter if you find the crumbly biscuits are too dry). Pressing the biscuit crumbs with your hand at the bottom of the lined cake pan. Put the tin in the fridge for later use.

      Cheese filling:
      250g cream cheese, room temperature
      3 tbsp fresh milk
      3 tbsp icing sugar or to taste
      280g mango yogurt (about 2 small tubs)
      1/2 tbsp lemon juice
      150g fresh topping cream/non-dairy whipping cream
      1 fresh mango, cut into cubes
      1.5 tbsp gelatin + 2 tbsp water

      Mango Topping
      2 fresh mangoes, chopped , about 320g
      1 tbsp sugar or to taste
      1/2 tbsp lemon juice
      1 tbsp gelatin + 1 tbsp water

Method:

      Cheese filling: 

• Put gelatin and water in a bowl and soak for a while. Then place it in a double boiler until gelatin dissolved. Keep warm.
• Beat cream cheese and icing sugar at medium speed with 3 tablespoon of fresh milk until smooth. Pour in gelatin and mix well. Add mango yogurt and lemon juice into cheese mixture, continue beating until combined.
• Whisk fresh topping cream until soft peak and pour into the cheese mixture, fold well.
• Pour half of the cheese mixture into the prepared cake pan; add in mango cubes, followed by the remaining cheese mixture.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

      
       Mango topping

• Put gelatin and water in a bowl and soak for awhile. Then place it in a double boiler until gelatin dissolved. Keep warm.

 
  
  

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

It took me two years to regain my confidence, wake up and eventually try again making this cake after my first attempt which I considered as a complete disaster.  Today, I walk out tall and can go around telling the world that I can make a good cheesecake......YES, I holler again - a GOOD CHEESECAKE!  As I have always said, it's not that I am good but I am just lucky that I have with me a GOOD recipe shared by GOOD amazing people around.  All I did was - I  F-O-L-L-O-W-E-D!! As simple as that!

Yes, for those who are looking for a good cheesecake recipe that yields a cake so cottony soft, light and fluffy, then you are reading the correct post.  THIS is the recipe you should be trying and THIS is the recipe you should be keeping.

When you hear your kids bicker over the last piece as to who is to finish it, then you can claim that you have baked wonderfully. And if your little girl comes running to you hugging and telling you,

"Papa, I like the cake you baked.  Can you bake for me again some other day, please?  I love you very much and thank you, Papa!", 

then this tells you that this recipe is a priceless treasure that you must keep and share it out to the world.  So, friends, this is exactly what happened to me last weekend and so here I am sharing it with you.  Believe me, you go out and bake one today and you will come back for a second batch very soon!

 

So peeps, I hope that you like the post today.  Happy trying and have a nice day ahead!  Cheers!

A special cheer to Jeannie of Jeannietay's Blog, the kind-hearted soul who shared this amazing recipe!  I strongly suggest that you visit her post.  Amazing bakes with amazing photos!

The Recipe:

(yields an 8" round cake tin and 4" x 6" rectangular tin)

250g cream cheese (1 block)

6 egg yolks

70g castor sugar

60g butter (1/4 block)

100 ml full cream milk

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest (or lemon essence) (optional)

60g cake flour

20g cornflour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp Vanilla extract (optional)

6 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

70g castor sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (Top and bottom heat, no fan force)
2. Line bottom of the cake pans and grease the sides.
3. Whisk cream cheese and butter till smooth over a water bath or can do double boil method.
4. Add the sugar (70g) and whisk until dissolved. Remove from water bath
5. Add cold milk and whisk until combined.
6. Add egg yolks one at a time and whisk until smooth.
7. Add vanilla, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest and whisk
8. Sift flour and fold into mixture. Set aside.
9. Whisk whites at low speed till foamy
10. Add cream of tartar and beat at high speed till bubbles become very small but still visible
11. Gradually add sugar (70g) and beat till just before soft peaks 
12. Fold whites into batter 1/3 at a time. Set aside a couple of tablespoons. Divide batter into 2 portions and add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into one portion together with the reserved meringue. Gently fold until combined.
13. Pour both batter alternately into prepared pan and tap the pan on the counter to release air bubbles
14. Bake on the lowest rack in a preheated 200 degree C oven (top and bottom heat, no fan force) for 18min, lower to 160 degree C for 12 mins and turn off the oven and leave cake in the closed oven for 30 mins. Open the door of the oven slightly at the end of the baking for 10 mins for cake to cool. (I baked mine at 155C for 45 mins then 140C for another 15 mins then leave in oven for 30 mins with oven door closed)

Butter Chocolate Cheesecake

 

Personally, I love this cake a lot, from baking it, eating it or just by looking at it.  The texture, pattern and color combination are just too pleasing to the eyes and irresistibly indulging to the palate.  

I am never a fan of cheesecake as I find it too creamy and fattening and a lot of it is cloying but for this particular one, it just wins me over.  To me, chocolate and cheese is indeed a great combination, thus it never fails to make a great dessert.  The moment my eyes caught sight of the photo and recipe (by Ann Low of Anncoo Journal), I was all set and fired up to make my very own one.

Of course, it doesn't take too long to bake and the process itself is nothing complicated.  The ingredients used are pretty standard and predictable if you are used to making butter cake and cheesecake.  The only thing that caught me by surprise is the use of whipping cream instead of milk. I am not sure whether was it that the cream made the cake so soft and fluffy.  Whatever it is, this recipe is worth trying and definitely a keeper.  It certainly makes a great and presentable dessert for any potluck or home party.

Recipe:

Ingredients: 

(A)

250g Butter, softened

160g Caster sugar

4 large Eggs (about 70g each)

1tsp Vanilla extract

170g Self-raising flour plus 4tbsp cocoa powder, sift together into a bowl 

5tbsp Milk (I used whipping cream)

(B)

250g Cream cheese, room temperature

60g Caster sugar

3 tbsp Whipping cream (optional)

1 large Egg, about 70g

1tbsp Self-raising flour

      Method:

• Grease and line a 8 inch square cake pan. Preheat oven to 160 deg C.
• Beat ingredients (B) till fluffy and set aside.
• From ingredients (A), beat butter and sugar till pale and fluffy, add in eggs one at a time and mix well, add in vanilla extract and whipping cream, mix well.
• Fold in sifted flour and cocoa powder with a rubber spatula in 2 portions into butter mixture, mix well.
• Spread half portion of batter into pan, then spoon in cheese mixture (B), cover cheese mixture with the remaining portion of cake batter (total of 3 layers). Then use a chopstick to swirl through the batter to create the marbling effect.
• Bake for 60-70 minutes or skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

I made this cake last week specially for my beloved wife.  Yes, it was her birthday!  16 October!  Her 40th birthday!  Well, at this point of life, we no longer look forward to celebrating birthdays anymore.  Instead, how we wish that the day would never come so that we will stay as young as ever.  We deliberately choose to be denial, not wanting to acknowledge the digits that come tagging our age.  So, on this note and coupled with other family matters, I tried to keep everything as simple and as modest as possible.  No celebration!  No present!  No flowers!  No surprises! But....a birthday cake!

I was insistent that a birthday cake was still a must-have thing on this special day, at least to satisfy my 4-year old girl.  You know, at this age, she is just too obsessed with cakes.  The thing that excites her the most is the blowing and the cutting, definitely not the eating.  Just looking at her running around innocently with candles and a lighter in her hands, all excited and glowing, is indeed the greatest gift that we could ever ask for. 

Come back to my cake, this is truly my first time baking a birthday cake for someone, and that someone special happens to be my wife.  God willing, I hope to bake her a birthday cake every year for as long as we are still together and I am still functional.  I chose cheesecake simply for the reason that to me a cheesecake is always a class above the rest, having a character and style of its own - simple and plain yet elegant and posh!   Perfect for a birthday gift!

Personally, I like this bake a lot.  The only drawback is I am not quite pleased with the crust.  I thought that it was a little overspiced.  For those who do not like cinnamon and nutmeg, the taste could be quite irritating.  Secondly, I used coarse sugar instead of caster sugar thus making the crust a little sandy.  Biting the sugar crystals can be quite a bit disturbing when you are eating the cake.  Other than that, the cake was near perfect.  The cream filling was light and velvety and certainly has that melt-in-the mouth effect.  Also, the taste was just nice - not too sweet and not too cheesy.  The blueberry filling complemented perfectly with the cream cheese filling.

All in all, this recipe is worth trying.  Indeed, it is another keeper recipe.  I adapted this recipe from Michelle of My Mom-Fri here.  This is another pass-down recipe and has been around for not less than 20 years.  I am glad and somehow blessed to have found this recipe.  A perfect gift for my beloved wife.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR!!

The Recipe:

The Crust: 
1 1/2 cups graham cracker*(I used digestive biscuits, 15 pcs)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder *(I regretted using this as not many of us like cinnamon)
1/4 tsp nutmeg*(I shall omit this next time, too overpowering)
1 tbs sugar
1/2 cup (approx. 100g) softened butter
1 tsp lemon juice and grated rind (optional)*(I overlooked this)
I added a pinch of fine salt

The Cheesecake Filling:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (approx. 100g) softened butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice and grated rind (optional)

Cheesecake filling:

1 cup (1 brick) cream cheese (use your brand of choice)

1 cup (1 brick) all purpose cream

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons liquid milk

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (1 sachet of Knox)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Topping:
1 can Comstock Blueberry pie filling

- See more at: http://www.mymomfriday.com/2010/12/mom-cook-no-bake-blueberry-cheesecake.html#sthash.wAFyWpDi.dpuf

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (approx. 100g) softened butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice and grated rind (optional) - See more at: http://www.mymomfriday.com/2010/12/mom-cook-no-bake-blueberry-cheesecake.html#sthash.wAFyWpDi.dpuf

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (approx. 100g) softened butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice and grated rind (optional)

Cheesecake filling:

1 cup (1 brick) cream cheese (use your brand of choice)

1 cup (1 brick) all purpose cream

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons liquid milk

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (1 sachet of Knox)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Topping:
1 can Comstock Blueberry pie filling

- See more at: http://www.mymomfriday.com/2010/12/mom-cook-no-bake-blueberry-cheesecake.html#sthash.wAFyWpDi.dpuf

1 cup cream cheese (use your brand of choice)*(I used 300g of cream cheese)
1 cup all purpose cream*(I used whipping cream, 250ml)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp liquid milk*(I used plain water) 
1 tbsp unflavored gelatin
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)*(I overlooked this) 

The Topping:
1 can Blueberry pie filling 

The Method: 

To prepare crust:
Crush graham crackers.  You can use a food processor or hand mixer to make crumbs fast and easy.
Mix all dry ingredients and add butter to bind.  Mash well.  

*Crust mixture should be close to texture of moist sand; add a bit more butter if too dry.  

Transfer and press evenly on bottom of ungreased springform pan (or any pie dish you prefer).

*I used an 8" round baking pan and pressed down the crust with a glass bottom.

Place in the freezer to harden the crust while you make the filling. 

To prepare the filling:

Using a mixer, whip the chilled cream (NOT cream cheese, yah!) with 2 tablespoon of sugar until stiff. 

In a separate bowl, gradually mix the remaining sugar into the softened cream cheese.

Beat until fluffy and set aside. 

In a small sauce pan, combine milk and gelatin powder.  Heat until completely dissolved (don't boil, use a wire whisk to remove lumps).  Remove from heat and pour into cream cheese mixture.

Fold in cheese mixture to the whipped all-purpose cream and beat on medium to high.

Add lemon juice if you want some zest in your cream filling. 

To assemble:

Bring out pan from freezer and pour in the cheesecake filling.  

Spread evenly with spatula and tap pan lightly to set and release air bubbles. 

Cover pan and chill for a few hours.

Top with blueberry pie filling or fruit compote before serving.   


Hope you like this post.  Have a great week ahead! 

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (approx. 100g) softened butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice and grated rind (optional) - See more at: http://www.mymomfriday.com/2010/12/mom-cook-no-bake-blueberry-cheesecake.html#sthash.wAFyWpDi.dpuf