Mango Cheesecake (Eggless)

Every time I watch that episode from Friends when Chandler and Rachel steal their neighbour’s cheesecake and eat it, I feel like  getting my own. I finally decided to try making one at home. Since it is May and mangoes are abundant, it was an easy choice to make Mango cheesecake. I searched the net for an easy eggless recipe and ended up on this one from Divinetaste. I modified it a little to suit my tin size. I used a 7” loose bottomed cake tin that took me a day to find in Bangalore. I searched high and low for it or for a springform cake tin. Ended up getting it at Ibcablr. Don’t be mistaken, these are available in most places like Hypercity, MK Ahmed, Nilgiris (Brigade road) etc. it was the size I wanted that was missing.

Biscuit base

Ingredients:

Curd – ½ litre (500 ml)

Paneer – 200 gms

Mangoes – 3

China grass –10 gms

Water – 1 cup

Powdered sugar – 1.5 cups

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Butter (unsalted) – 6 tbsp

Digestive biscuits – 8 to 10

Lime juice – 1 tbsp

Method:

Biscuit base:

Crush the digestive biscuits and mix with softened butter until it is evenly mixed. You should be able to hold the mixture in a closed fist and it should not crumble. Add less butter if it achieves the same result.

Spread this on the base of the loose bottomed cake tin or the spring form cake tin and press until it is tight.

Refrigerate for 1-1.5 hrs.

Cheese filling:

8-10 hours prior to making the cheesecake, pour it in a strainer with a bowl underneath it and leave it in the fridge. You can achieve the same results by hanging the curd in a muslin cloth as well.

I made paneer from about 1 L of milk, you can use store bought paneer too. In the mixer, add the paneer and the hung curd and mix until there are no lumps.

Soak the china grass in water for 10 mins.

Peel and puree 2 mangoes.

Heat the china grass until it dissolves in water. Simultaneously heat the mango puree. Do not allow either of the two to boil.

Once the china grass is dissolved, pour it into the mango puree.

Add this mix to the cheese mix.

Add vanilla and sugar. I suggest adding sugar little by little until the desired sweetness is achieved.

Pour this over the biscuit base and refrigerate for half an hour.

Mango glaze:

Peel and puree 1 mango.

Add the lime juice and 1 tbsp of water. Add around 1 tbsp sugar and heat for 5 mins. Keep stirring and do not let it burn. Add more sugar if required.

Pour this over the cheese filling.

Refrigerate for 5-6 hours.