Summer 2022 is peaking here in India and mangoes are everywhere! One of my favourite desserts in the world are cheesecakes, and this baked cheesecake which is topped with dulce de leche and fresh mangoes are to absolutely die for. It tastes super yum and is a must to bake, if you’re an avid baker. It’s a fun activity altogether. Lets get to the recipe, but first lets take a peek at basics.
What is a Cheesecake
A cheesecake is a cake usually comprising of two layers – the bottom layer being made with biscuits (like graham crackers or digestives) while the main part of the cheesecake is made with cream cheese, sugar, heavy cream and eggs amongst other ingredients.
Cheesecakes can be both baked or chilled. If you are a baking a cheesecake, you will still have to chill it overnight in order for it to set – but has a softer less jelly-like texture. On the other hand, a non-bake cheesecake is simply made by chilling the pan in the fridge using binding agents like Gelatin or Agar-Agar to help set your cake.
How to make Dulce De Leche?
Dulce De Leche essentially corresponds to sweetened cooked milk. There are multiple ways to make it – from scratch, using milk and sugar or making it with condensed milk.
There are still couple of ways to make Dulce De Leche using condensed milk – in the oven or on the gas. I will here share with you the easiest way to do-so. To make the sweet spread, simply take a vessel, put an un-opened can of Condensed Milk the vessel and fill the vessel with water until the can is fully submerged. Keep this pan/vessel on low to medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour and remove. When slightly cool, remove the can and open it. You will see cooked darker condensed milk and it’s just yum!
How to create a Water Bath
For your cheesecake to not-crack and be Instagram friendly, it’s advisable to make a water bath for your cheesecake. Its a very simple process, you would just require a roasting tray and water.
Place your Cheesecake Pan in the roasting tray right before baking and fill the tray with water! Put the entire roasting tray into the oven as opposed to just the pan going into the oven.
Tips to Bake a Great Cheesecake
1. Temperature: Use room temperature Cream Cheese. To make a lush batter of your cheesecake, it is to better to use softened cream cheese, otherwise it won’t blend together as finely as it should.
2. Don’t Over mix: Once you have mixed the sugar and cream cheese using a whisk or an electric whisk properly. It is advisable to shift gears and use a spatula to mix in all the other ingredients. Don’t over mix, just mix till its all well combined.
3. Avoid Opening the Oven too much: Every time you open the oven to check on your cake, you change the temperature of the oven, which can lead to cracks on the cake. Best to just let it be for 55 minutes
4. Use a Water Bath: I can’t stress how important it is to follow this one step. Just a reminder here, so you don’t miss out on this one. More details for this is given above as well.
Baker’s Cornstarch
While you be surprised to know, cornstarch being added to a cake is a thing! Now, please don’t add it to a normal cake, round, rectangular, loaf etc. Adding baker’s cornstarch to the cheesecake can provide durability to the cake allowing the cheesecake to hold up better and to help with its formation, thereby reducing cracks and unevenness.
Spring Form Pan
Layers of this Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 Electric Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- 9 Inch Springform Pan
- oven
- Spatula
- Cup Measurers
- Measuring Scale
- Sauce Pan (Vessel)
- Roasting Tray
Ingredients
For the Base
- 200 g or 1½ cups Digestive Biscuits or Graham Crackers crushed
- 110 g or ½ cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 2-3 tbsp Brown Sugar
For the Cheesecake
- 700 g Cream Cheese softened
- 1¼ cup Caster Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Essence
- 4 Eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest
- 2 tbsp Corn Starch
- 200 g Sour Cream
For Dulce De Leche
- 1 can Condensed Milk
To Garnish
- 1 Mango cut into small pieces
- 6-8 Min Leaves cut into halves or one-thirds
Instructions
- In a bowl or in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, mix together crushed biscuits along with brown sugar, followed by softedned or melted butter. Mix until combine.
- Next, taka a 9inch Sprinfoam Pan, line it with a parchment paper at the bottom. I would suggest cutting the parchment along the shape of the pan, so it fits properly. Finally line in the sides/edges of the plan using melted butter and brush.
- Add in the base layer of the biscuits in the pan, pressing firmly with the back of a spoon so it all stays combined and put in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 160°C. Remove from the oven once done and keep aside.
- Next, in a stand mixer using a whisk attachment or using a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and caster sugar. Once combined and fluffy, add in the sour cream. Mix together the sour cream using a spatula.
- Next, add in the eggs, mixing properly after each egg using a spatula. Only add in the egg after the previous one is fully combined but be careful not to overfill. Finally add in all the rest of the ingredients - vanilla essence, lemon zest and corn starch. Mix using a spatula just until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the sprinfoam pan, on top of the base layer after straining it with a strainer as you pour it into the pan. Once done, put the springform pan in a 9*15 inch roasting pan, filling the roasting pan with water. This process is called the Water Bath and more about it can be found written above.
- Put the entire roasting pan with the Cheesecake and water along with it in the middle rack of your oven at pre-heated temperature of 160°C for 50 minutes. Its a gradual process, please refrain from opening the oven as it would lead to cracks.
- Once done, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit inside the oven for 10 minutes. Finally, crack open the door of the oven just a bit, and let it sit for another 40 minutes till it comes to room temperature.
- Take it out of the oven, keep it on a cooling rack and let it cool down for another hour. Once done, put the cheesecake inside the refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight for it to set.
- One hour before taking the cheesecake out, fill a vessel with ample amount of water and add in a closed tin of condensed milk. Make sure th water is covering the entire tin. Add this saucepan on low to medium heat, and keep it at it for 45 minutes. Once done, remove the tin from the vessel, and let it cool down. This is how you make Dulce De Leche, more about it can be found written above.
- Start by removing the cheesecake from the springform pan. Once done, drizzle the dulce de leche over the cheesecake, making an entire layer of it. Follow this up, by dressing the cheesecake with freshly cut tiny mangoes and mint leaves. Voila! Get ready to devour your cheesecake, as you have earned it.
Someone once rightly said “a recipe has no soul, you must bring soul to the recipe”, so here I am, trying to bring my passion for food into easy to make recipes from around the world.
My name is Sohail Nath and I welcome you to my happy place, @boy.eatsworld.
This blog, my creativity’s nest covers travel inspirations, authentic yet homemade recipe and food blogs.