Mango "Cheese"cake Recipe

My close friends all know that I have a huge cheesecake craving (ESPECIALLY during exam season). The creamy texture and the melt-in-your-mouth sensation is literally addicting. But alas, every indulgence seems to be followed by a smack from reality - Hi, Joyce. There goes your new years resolution for eating right. 

Okay, don't get me wrong - I'm not promoting thinspiration but it is important to be conscious of the types and amounts of foods that we consume. It's just part of being healthy. But let's be honest- when my cravings strike, they hit me like a stampede. I am lucky that I only have this one craving but umm, not so lucky that I can devour 2 slices in 5 mins...? Not surprisingly, I wanted to find a healthier alternative. 

After several minutes of very intense online searching, I discovered a recipe for **Yogurt Cheesecake**. 

At first, I was skeptical. A cheesecake made from yogurt? But being my adventurous self, I decided to give it a try and I must say that I was very impressed. Even though this recipe uses Greek yogurt in place of creamcheese, it still has the creaminess that taunts me during my most intense cravings! It also delights me to say that it's so much healthier. 

Too good to be true? I guess you'll just have to try it yourself.

I've made this "cheese"cake 4 times now and I've played around with different sugar contents and toppings to suit my taste. I'm not one for really sweet desserts so you might want to change around the portions to your liking. Anyways, here we go. 

Yogurt "Cheese"cake Ingredients/Equipment 

1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tbsp melted margarine 
2 cups or 500g Greek yogurt (I use 0% fat but I'm sure 2% would be fine as well)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
9" baking pan
large mixing bowl
oven

Steps 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted margarine inside the 9" baking pan until it takes on a paste-like consistency. 

3. Press the paste against the bottom of the baking pan to form the base. 

4. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes at 375°F.

While that is happening....

5. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.

After 7 minutes have gone by...

6. Take the baking pan out of the oven and pour the contents from the bowl on top of the graham cracker base. 

7. Bake in the oven for 35 mins at 350°F. Be careful not to over-bake.

8. Remove the cake from the oven and once it has cooled, place the cake into the fridge for at least 2 hours before removing it from the baking pan. 

Tip: When removing a cake from disposable baking pans like this, take a pair of scissors and make vertical incisions along the edge. Then, carefully peel the sides of the pan downwards. This way, the sides of the cake may be exposed without ruining the shape. Of course, if you don't want to deal with this step, just invest in a springform pan  (which I will likely do soon) :P

After pulling the sides of the pan down, snip them off with the pair of scissors. Then carefully transfer the cake onto a cake board.....and clean up the mess. 

While this yogurt cheesecake tastes great by itself, I prefer to add a fruit topping just to give it an extra layer of flavor. 

Mango Topping Ingredients/Equipment 

2 fresh mangoes (diced)
1/8 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with equal parts water
Saucepan

Steps:

1. Combine the diced mango, sugar, salt and water in the saucepan and cook under medium heat for 15 mins.

2. Slowly pour the cornstarch/water mixture to thicken the mango sauce

3. Let the mango sauce cool. When the yogurt cheesecake has been in the fridge for at least 2 hours, add the sauce on top.

Enjoy!

Now, just to make your mouths water some more, here is another cake I've made but with blueberry! The steps in making the sauce is essentially the same; only difference is the fruit and perhaps the proportions. So you might want to taste-test the sauce as you go and add more or less sugar/salt/cornstarch accordingly.