Recipe: Mango Cheesecake
Helmi Smeulders knows the Antillean cuisine like no other. After all, she has lived on Curaçao for 20 years and loves cooking authentic Caribbean dishes with a modern twist. In her new The Caribbean Cookbook, she shares well-known Antillean all-time favourites such as plantain, yardlong beans, Johnny Cakes and this delicious mango cheesecake.
“I came up with this recipe in June, right in the middle of mango season. The mango trees on the island were laden with juicy, sweet fruit. We picked them straight from the tree, just like you pick apples in the Netherlands in autumn. Because I had so many mangoes, I came up with the idea of incorporating them into my favourite cheesecake recipe. And guess what? It worked perfectly! I can’t wait for the next mango season!”
How to make mango cheesecake
- Wrap the outside of the springform pan with two large pieces of aluminium foil. This prevents water from getting into the pan during baking.
- Grind the speculaas biscuits finely in a food processor. Mix in the butter. Cover the bottom of the springform pan with this mixture; spread it evenly using the back of a spoon. Place the springform pan in the refrigerator so the crust can firm up.
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C. Beat the cream cheese until smooth with a mixer and add the sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla, mango and lime juice.
- Meanwhile, bring 2 litres of water to the boil. Transfer the filling to the springform pan. Place the pan in the roasting tin and fill the tin with hot water until it reaches halfway up the springform pan. Carefully place the roasting tin in the oven and bake until the cheesecake is firm, about 75 minutes. Meanwhile, make the mango coulis.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and take off the foil. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely. Then carefully remove the edge of the springform pan and spread the mango coulis over the top of the cheesecake. Keep the cake in the refrigerator until serving.
- For neat slices, it is best to use a warm knife. To do this, fill a tall container with hot water. Dip the knife into the hot water each time before cutting a slice and wipe it clean in between. Cut the cake into 12 slices this way.
Title: The Caribbean Cookbook
Author: Helmi Smeulders
Price: €21.99
Publisher: Nieuw Amsterdam
Read also:
