By Daniella De Windt
~ Easter Cheesecake ~
Fellow dessert lovers, unite! Calling everyone with a sweet tooth to a DIY dessert edition of our island-wide hunt for St. Maarten’s best dessert!
It’s official: we are all cooped up at home for the next two weeks due to the current state of emergency. During these uncertain times, Sugar and Spice can no longer review the island’s best desserts. But, look on the sweet side - with nowhere to go and not much to do, you might have more time to try and create your own sweet treats. And with Easter weekend right around the corner, why not create a festive no-bake cheesecake to lift up your spirits and enjoy the holiday in the comfort of your own home?
Of course, the Out ‘n About is aware that the current measures may affect your access to certain ingredients. Please know that this article was already planned and the items were already purchased before the state of emergency was declared. It would be a waste not to use them, but we understand you might not be able to recreate recipes at home. Either way, we hope to bring you some sweet distraction and maybe some DIY dessert inspiration.
But if circumstances permit and you happen to have the ingredients or are willing to get a little creative with whatever you might have on hand – this cheesecake is sure to brighten up your weekend. In my opinion, that is the best part of baking or cooking – you can take a recipe as inspiration and experiment with it. Because remember, if you don’t have Oreos, use other cookies; if you don’t have cream cheese use sour cream; and if you don’t have gelatin, use cornstarch ;)
Easter Cheesecake
* 3 cups of crumbled Oreo cookies (modify: any other cookie or biscuit will do)
* 100 gr or 0.5 cups melted butter (modify: use oil)
* 0.5 cups mango puree (modify: any mashed fruit)
* 100 gr white chocolate (modify: leave out)
* 600 gr cream cheese, room temperature (modify: sour cream, yoghurt, ricotta, cottage cheese)
* 200 ml or 0.8 cup whipped cream (modify: milk and butter, table cream, coconut milk, evaporated milk etc.)
* 200 gr or 1 cup sugar
* 2 lemons/limes (juice and zest)
* 6 gelatin leaves (modify: cornstarch)
Chocolate topping (optional)
* 100 gr chocolate
* 50 ml whipped cream (modify: table cream, evaporated milk, etc.)
* 1 tsp sunflower oil
- Melt the butter. Crumble the cookies in a food processor. Or get creative - I put the Oreos in a ZipLock bag and used a wine bottle to smash them.
- Pour the melted butter over the cookie crumbles and stir until combined. Line your baking tray with parchment paper (or just pray it will come out alright if you are as forgetful as me). Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into the bottom of the spring form (or any other baking tray). Wet the spoon if the mixture sticks to it. Place the crust in fridge to cool and harden.
- Use a blender or food processor to puree the mango. Melt the white chocolate in microwave or bain marie (place bowl over a pot of simmering water and allow to melt).
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, melted white chocolate, and mango puree and stir/beat until smooth.
- In a different bowl, whisk the whipped cream with the sugar until the cream reaches stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until the filling is well combined.
- Soak the gelatin in cold water for at least 5 minutes. Warm the lemon juice in a pan – but do not let it boil! Wring the gelatin gently to remove excess water and add to warm lemon juice to dissolve. Add this to the filling together with the lemon zest and stir until smooth.
- Remove crust from the fridge and spread filling into the crust. Use a spatula or spoon to smooth down the top. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but preferably chill overnight.
- Put the chocolate in a metal bowl and melt it slowly by using the bain marie technique, add the cream and sunflower oil and stir occasionally until smooth. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
- Carefully take cheesecake out of spring form (side note: if you forgot the parchment paper you can use a knife to loosen it first). Evenly spread the chocolate ganache over the cake. Decorate the cake however you like – I used Easter chocolates and Oreos but feel free to let out your inner Willy Wonka.
Sugar and Spice wishes you all a happy Easter despite these trying times and hope we can all find some sweet comfort within the current situation. Stay safe and sweet out there!
