This recipe came about as I wanted to end the summer season with a light and airy tropical feeling dessert. I was actually wanting to make a Mango Cheesecake spiced with Arvinda's Chai Masala but I quickly realized I only had one brick of cream cheese in the refrigerator (most cheese cake recipes call for a minimum of at least two to three bricks of cream cheese, so I was obviously short!). I added a bit of sour cream to make up the filling and to my absolute delight, the result was a mousse-like mango (cheese) cake that was light and beautifully spiced!
This cake is deliberately moderately sweet as the mangoes when ripe, have a natural sweetness and I want to taste the full flavours of the chai masala. Note, this recipe makes a small cake that can serve six to eight people. Here is the recipe:
MANGO CHAI MOUSSE CAKE
Ingredients:
CRUST
1 CUP graham cracker crumbs or biscuit crumbs
1/4 CUP butter, melted
1 TBSP. sugar
1/2 TSP. ARVINDA'S CHAI MASALA
FILLING
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 CUP sugar
2 TSP. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 CUP sour cream
1 mango, cubed and pureed
1/2 TSP. ARVINDA'S CHAI MASALA
1 ripe mango, thinly sliced, to garnish
1 cherry, to garnish
Directions:
1) Line an 8-inch round cake tin with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C.
2) CRUST: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the butter, sugar and ARVINDA'S CHAI MASALA. Press the mixture firmly into the cake tin. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, then allow the crust to cool. Reduce the oven setting to 325°F / 163°C.
3) FILLING: In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and sugar and combine together until smooth. Add the vanilla and combine the egg. Fold in the sour cream, pureed mango and ARVINDA'S CHAI MASALA, and mix until smooth. Tip the mixture into the baked crust, scraping down the bowl to ensure all the mixture is added to the cake tin. Bake for 30 minutes.
4) Once the cake is cooled, garnish with sliced mangoes and a cherry on top!
