I made this cake in a 13 x 9 pan because I was serving 25. If you'd like to prepare the cake in a spring-form pan, which may be somewhat easier, do 2/3 of each the recipe.
Coconut Macaroon Crust
The crust is a simple coconut macaroon recipe. Instead of separating into individual macaroons, I lined the bottom of the pan with the meringue-like batter. I adapted this recipe from here.
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups shredded coconut
Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the egg whites and salt until foamy. Then gradually add in sugar and vanilla, beating constantly until the whites are thick and glossy and form soft peaks.
Fold in the coconut until evenly mixed, then use a spatula to evenly coat the bottom of your pan, about 1 cm thick.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top begins to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven, cool for about 5 minutes, then use the edges of the parchment paper to help you lift the crust out of the pan, and place in the center of your cake board. I like to use a large wooden cutting board. Cover and refrigerate if not using right away.
Mango Swirl Cheesecake
This part was the most spoon-licking good, but requires the mangos to be at their peak. If you can't find ripe mangoes, or if you feel that baking with a perfect mango is heresy (I've heard it), I suggest using canned mango puree.
Ingredients
- 2-3 ripe mangoes
- 1 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbs coconut milk
- 6 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature
- 7 eggs
- 1 1/2 tbs gluten-free flour
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of the cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Skin the mangoes and remove the pits. Place the flesh into a blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup sugar and cocount milk and purée.
In a large bowl, slowly whisk the cream cheese until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly after each addition. Sprinkle the flour in and mix until just incorporated.
Add 1 cup of the mango puree into the mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan. Pour another 1 cup of mango puree on top of the cheesecake batter, then swirl it in with a fork.
Bake for 55 minutes, then turn off and crack open the door to the oven. Let the cake come gradually to room temperature over several hours, then chill in the refrigerator. Remove the chilled cake from the refrigerator and flip onto the crust. You may need to borrow a friend's hands for this part. Don't worry too much if it cracks - you will be covering it with mousse anyway.
Trim the edges to give a nice, straight edge. Wrap tightly with wax paper around all of the sides, leaving about 2 inches of paper sticking out of the top. Chill until ready for the next step.
Mango Mousse
This mousse recipe is light and flavorful, and lime adds a little extra acid which I think heightened the flavor. I basically used the exact recipe from Slate.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbs fresh lime juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 cups mango puree
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, lime juice, salt and water. Cook over medium-low heat without stirring until it forms a golden-brown syrupy liquid.
In the mean time, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, then pour in the syrup solution in a very thin stream while beating vigorously. Continue until the whites are thick and glossy.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft, fluffy peaks form. Stir about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the mango puree, and fold the rest into the egg whites. Fold the egg white mixture into the mango puree until just incorporated, then spoon over the top of the cheesecake to make a flat layer. Chill in the refrigerator while preparing the glaze.
Mango Glaze
The mango glaze is a must for this recipe! It ties the whole cake together visually, and it's so much easier than I expected it to be.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp gelatin
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups mango purée
- 1/2 cup mango, cubed
In a small saucepan, mix together the water, gelatin, and lime juice. Stir once and leave at room temperature about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, turn on low heat, and bring to a simmer while stirring. Bring to a boil while stirring, then remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature, then stir in the mango purée. Toss in the cubed mango to coat, then pour slowly over the cake starting in the center and circling out, dropping the mango cubes near the center. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Serve chilled.
As you can see, I decided to add a bit of decoration. I whipped up 1/2 cup of heavy cream and added a small amount of yellow food coloring while whipping, to give a pale yellow cream. If you prefer, you can add 1/4 cup of sugar to the cream. I spooned the cream into a piping bag with a large star tip and piped 1 cm diameter dollops around the bottom edge of the cake, at an angle. It look a little bit like sea shells when piped this way.
As you can see, I decided to add a bit of decoration. I whipped up 1/2 cup of heavy cream and added a small amount of yellow food coloring while whipping, to give a pale yellow cream. If you prefer, you can add 1/4 cup of sugar to the cream. I spooned the cream into a piping bag with a large star tip and piped 1 cm diameter dollops around the bottom edge of the cake, at an angle. It look a little bit like sea shells when piped this way.
Enjoy!
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