Mango Almond Cheesecake – Bon Appetit Blog Envy Holiday Bake-Off

by The Meal Makeover Moms on November 27th, 2009

Bon Appétit magazine is hosting a Blog Envy Holiday Bake-Off between now and December 13th. The cool thing about the Bake-Off is that everyone gets to vote for their favorite desserts from various categories — cakes, pies, cookies, etc. Even though the contest is only open to bloggers, anyone can cast their ballot. The grand prize is a trip to New York and dinner at Le Bernadin restaurant with the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Barbara Fairchild.

We talked for quite some time about what to create. As you know, we tend to avoid excessive amounts of butter, cream, and sugar when we bake, so we knew that turning a “healthy” dessert into something spectacular would be of the utmost importance. What we finally decided to bake was a cheesecake … admittedly a challenge given that most are made with lots and lots of full-fat cream cheese for the filling and lots and lots of butter for the crust.

It took us three tries in the Meal Makeover Moms’ test kitchen (AKA Janice’s home kitchen that seriously needs a makeover) to get the recipe just right (lower down in the post,you’ll find a photo of one of our failures). For our Mango Almond Cheesecake, the creamy filling relies on 30%-reduced-fat cream cheese, part-skim ricotta cheese, agave nectar versus sugar for sweetness, and a perfectly ripe and super flavorful mango. The crust uses just 2 tablespoons of butter.

With just 5 grams of saturated fat per slice — a lot less than 99.9% of the cheesecakes you’ll find in cookbooks and on the web, you will definitely enjoy every creamy and sublime bite without even a sliver of guilt.

Mango Almond Cheesecake

Makes 16 Servings

For the Crust:

  • 1 ¼ cups crushed Graham Crackers (about 16 squares)
  • 2 tablespoons wheat germ
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar
  • 1 egg white, beaten (save the yolk for the filling)

For the Filling:

  • 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
  • Two 8-ounce packages 30%-reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • One 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup agave nectar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • Zest of one lemon, about 2 teaspoons
  • 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature

For the Garnish:

  • 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, stir together the Graham Cracker crumbs, wheat germ, butter, agave, and egg white until well combined.

2. Butter the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  Press the crumb mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan and bake for 12 minutes.  Remove and cool completely on a wire rack before filling (you can turn the oven off while the pan cools and while you prepare the filling). Butter the sides well once cooled.

3. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. To make the filling, place the mango in a food processor and pulse until completely pureed, scraping the sides as necessary. Add the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, agave nectar, flour, lemon zest, almond extract, and salt and process until well combined and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, and process 5 to 10 seconds for each egg until completely incorporated.

4. Bring the oven back to 325°F. Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with aluminum foil (come almost all the way up the sides). Wrap it well with several pieces of foil. Pour the filling into the pan and then place inside a large roasting pan. Place both pans on the center rack of the oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan so it comes halfway up the side of the springform.

5. Bake for 50 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake stand in the oven for an additional 1 hour (do not open the oven door).  Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and remove the foil. Run a pairing knife around the edge (this will help to prevent cracking as the cheesecake cools). Cool completely on a wire rack.  Chill overnight, uncovered.

6. Before serving, prepare the garnish by mixing together the mango, agave nectar, and mint in a large bowl.  Remove the cake from the springform pan (run a pairing knife around the outer edge again). Place on a cake plate. Arrange the almonds on top of the cake, around the outer edge (the cake will look like a wreath). If serving right away, place the fruit in the center of the cake, otherwise, slice and serve with the fruit on the side.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 230 calories, 11g fat (5g saturated), 230mg sodium, 26g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 17g sugar, 8g protein, 10% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 15% calcium

Print Recipe

After two cheesecakes that were overcooked with Grand Canyon-sized cracks, we decided that the water bath method, also known as a bain-marie, was the way to go. It may seem a bit fussy but it’s well worth it if you want a perfectly crater-free result. The bottom line: Cheesecakes can be persnickity but boy are they good.

If you like our recipe, we invite you to vote for us (starting November 30th) on the Bon Appétit site. For more photos, visit our Flickr page.

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6 Comments | Filed Under Desserts, Fruits, Holidays 

6 Responses to “Mango Almond Cheesecake – Bon Appetit Blog Envy Holiday Bake-Off”

  1. Tara @ Go Green St. on November 30th, 2009

    I would have never thought about a Mango Almond Cheesecake, until now! It looks yummy! Thanks for the recipe, I am going to try my luck at it tomorrow.!-

  2. Janel (Dine Dish Delish) on November 30th, 2009

    That is the prettiest cheesecake I’ve ever seen!

  3. Mandy on November 30th, 2009

    voted for you! good luck!

  4. Elle on December 1st, 2009

    Oh my gosh, what a gorgeous cheesecake! It looks like the experimenting was well worth it. I love that you were able to replace the sugar with agave–a great way to wipe out some of those calories.

    Thanks for stopping by at my blog!

  5. Lindsey Toth (Healthy Blog Snack) on December 2nd, 2009

    This looks absolutely delicious! The water method is pure genius – I hate those cracks! I cannot wait to try this with my Pomegranate Cheesecake recipe next time around. Good luck in the contest – you deserve to win with this beauty!

  6. Podcast 91: Rancho La Puerta Adventure | Meal Makeover Moms' Kitchen on February 4th, 2010

    [...] > Shrimp Quesadillas with Pineapple Salsa > Skinny Fish Chowder > Bibb & Arugula Salad with Grapefruit, Avocado & Goat Cheese > Braised Kale & Cranberries > Lemony Red Quinoa with Butternut Squash > Grilled Salmon with Avocado Cilantro Sauce > Almond Agave Cheesecake [...]

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