Tropical No Bake Cheesecake

Let me tell you all a story. This past weekend I got the opportunity to audition for the Great Canadian Baking Show again. Leading up to the day I had practiced my bake multiple times and it turned out wonderful each time. So heading up to Edmonton the day before the big day I was pretty confident my bake.

Then the morning came...

That morning my lower back gave out, then as I started putting the tart together everything just wasn't working and started to flop. But it was too late to start anything else to take to the audition. I put it together the best that I could and it looked alright, but in my heart I was pretty down knowing it wasn't what I wanted it to be. Then I got to the auditions and they ended up running almost 2 hours behind schedule, so I just watched as my bake slowly gave up. 

Life is funny that way. You can prepare and do something a million times and it is amazing, but then when you go to present it to someone or when it really counts BAM it doesn't turn out. I left the auditions feeling quite let down. Baking is my passion as well as cooking. It is in every part of me and how I was raised, it is linked to so many good memories, and is something the speaks to my soul. So even though things didn't turn out the way I would have liked, I have a feeling inside that there was a reason for the massive break down that day. I think better and greater things are around the corner. 

So this recipe today is my self redemption story. I wanted to experiment and make something to prove that my audition was just a blip and does not define my baking abilities and that I know flavours and techniques and that I got this!!!! Plus I needed to use up a few things in the fridge!



Tropical No Bake Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the crust:
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 cup of shredded coconut
3/4 cup of sugar
6 Tablespoons of melted salted butter

For the filling:
1 cup of mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 - 8 ounce block of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of whipping cream
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon of gelatin powder
2 tablespoons of water
1 cup of diced up mango
1 cup of toasted coconut
1 teaspoon each of Vanilla, Rum and Banana extract

For the Mango sauce:
2 cups of mango
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 9 inch spring-form pan with parchment paper and non stick spray. Add all the ingredients for the crust in a bowl. Mix together until moist and can hold together when you press in your hands. Place the mix into the spring-form pan and using your hands or a glass press firmly into the pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden in colour. Remove and cool completely.

In a large bowl cream together the cheeses and sugar, until the sugar is totally dissolved. Add the extracts and mix together. Fold in the toasted shredded coconut and mango pieces.

In a large bowl whip the whipping cream with the icing sugar until stiff peaks form. 

In a small bowl bloom the gelatin in the 2 tablespoons of cold water for 5 minutes. Once the gelatin has soaked up all the water and bloomed, microwave it until melted and liquid, which usually takes 30 seconds. Add the liquid gelatin to the cheese mixture. Then fold in the whipped cream.

Place the filling into the prepared spring-form pan and level out the filling. Bang it on the counter a few times to release the air bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours. You want the gelatin to have a chance to set up nice.

While the cake is setting make the mango sauce. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan. On a medium heat and bring to a bubble. Cook the mangos until they are softer. Remove and with a blender, hand blender or food processor pure the sauce. Add back to the saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Once done remove and with a fine mesh strainer, strain the sauce. Place in the fridge to cool until serving time.

Once the cake has had time to set, take a flat icing spatula and gently run it along the edge of the spring-form pan and cake to separate it. Then release the ring and gently remove the ring from the base. With a large spatula you can place the cake onto a cake platter or plate to serve. Add some whipped cream on top, some toasted coconut chunks and the chilled mango sauce. 

Enjoy!

Tropical No Bake Cheesecake

This dessert made me so happy and had all the flavours for a party in your mouth! Today is the first day of Spring so a no better way to celebrate it then to have something so cheerful and delicious!
​
Trust me with the extracts, they make this cake extra special and make you think about warmer days lounging on a beach. The mango makes such a nice sauce on top.

So go on and enjoy this cake and let me know what you think!

Happy Spring!