By Taige Shukla
Instagram: @whatsthe_chai
Happy Summer Saathee fam! We are officially in the heat of July, and even better, peak mango season! Nothing beats the heat like a nice juicy mango, so why not create a refreshing summer dessert with our star ingredient. For most people, you really can’t go wrong with this combination of flavors, and if you are a fan of the flan texture, this recipe is for you. When I initially set out to make this, the intention was to pass along a “no bake” cheesecake recipe. This was done by using gelatin to firm up the filling, however when using the gelatin, the texture of cheesecake became more like a flan, therefore we are now calling this a Mango Cheesecake Flan! The flavor is still so delicious, and it is now light and bouncy vs dense and creamy. If you are a massive mango fan like myself, I highly recommend adding even more slices on top of the cake when serving. Give this unique dessert a try for your next summer gathering.
Servings: About 12
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Setting Time: 2 – 3 hours
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ Tbsp cardamom powder
½ Tbsp cinnamon
¼ Tbsp ginger powder
¼ Tbsp all spice
Filling
3-4 ripe mangos, 1 cup pureed
16 oz cream cheese
1 ½ cups powder sugar
2 tsp gelatin (sub vegan gelatin if desired)
¼ cup cold water
1/3 cup sour cream
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Mango Jelly Topping
2 ripe mangos (1/2 cup pureed)
2 tsp gelatin
¼ cup water
1-2 tsp lemon juice
Directions
Start by prepping the crust. Blend the graham crackers, brown sugar, butter, and spices together until fine crumbs form. Press down firmly in a spring form pan and set aside in the refrigerator for at least 15 mins.
For the filling, start by mixing 2 tsp of gelatin with ¼ cup water and let sit for at least 5 mins, set aside.
Next, using an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese, sour cream, and vanilla until well combined, then mix in the powdered sugar. Melt the set aside gelatin in a microwave, add it into the cream cheese mixture, and mix in 1 cup of pureed mango until smooth.
Finally for the filling, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks have formed (should look like whipped cream). Gradually add it into the cream cheese mixture and pour into the cake pan on top of the crust. Make sure the top is evenly smoothed out and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Once an hour has passed make the mango jelly topping. Again, start by mixing 2 tsp of gelatin with ¼ cup water and let sit for at least 5 mins. Re-melt the gelatin in the microwave and let cool down slightly. Mix in ½ cup mango puree, and lemon juice. Pour the mango mixture on top of the cooled filling layer and let set in the refrigerator for at least 2 more hours.
Top with more mango or any additional fruit you may like and it’s ready to serve!