Pièce de Résistance

I don’t have many

Pièce de résistance

DSC_0739 1

moments in my life. Then again, I suppose if I did, or if anyone did for that matter, the French wouldn’t have bothered coining such a beautiful phrase for them. It would be too, ‘ow you say, ‘common.’ 😉

DSC_0671 1

In case anyone out there reading is not familiar with this French phrase, which has happily been adopted into the English phrase book, a ‘Pièce de résistance’ refers to the best feature or a highlight, in a long scheme of things.

Anyhow, it seems like with baking at least, I have one PdR (so much easier!) every year. Some year it may be an incredible meringue, other years, a superbly pretty cake.

DSC_0765 1

Seems like I have stumbled upon my PdR quite early in 2014.

This cake. It works for the camera, trust me, I know.

IMG_3977

Except here when it is all cut up in blue, glowing lighting. But it will be devoured soon anyway right? But at least you can see the creaminess of the cake in this photo *breathes a sigh of relief*

IMG_4034I don’t have much more to say about this PdR. You know how last post, I was stuck for words? This post, I don’t want to say much. It is a totally deliberate bombardment of photos.

Now I bet you are thinking either of the following things:

DSC_0670 1

  1. Oh. my, god. She is so snooty, showing off her photos of her cake. – to those thinking this, not going to lie, I am quite proud of this PdR moment, so definitely prefer not to wordy up this post and focus on the cake 😛
  2. Oh my god. She is so lazy, never writing a good post anymore. – ugh. No. I love writing posts I promise. Cross my heart, hope to die, put a dagger in my eye. Yeah. Serious. I just had writers block last post, and for this post, want it to be cake-based 🙂

DSC_0754 1

Ummm… racking my brains… pretty sure that is all I had to say.

Oh wait! What is a PdR moment without sharing it with friends right? I guess that means I owe you all the recipe 😉

DSC_0751 1

This cheesecake is tropical heaven. Majority of you wonderful readers told me my macarons last post were uber tropical. This cheesecake is triple that 😀

You are so welcome 😛

Start with a dense, refreshing lemony cheesecake filling, offset by a buttery cookie crust.

DSC_0747 1

Top with leftover mango ganache not used in the buttercream of the aforementioned macarons.

Top with a passionfruit jelly curd.

DSC_0670 1

Then top with refreshing mint leaves, fresh from my [grandparents’] garden, macarons and mango ganache buttercream.

Then take a bite of this Mango Passionfruit Cheesecake and smile. Smile like its your birthday. Because if you are eating this cake, it may as well be. 😀

A Super Tropical Cheesecake
Adapted from: Taste.com

Ingredients:

Cheesecake:

  • 350g biscuits (I used Arnott’s Nice biscuits – sweet, sugared, plain tea biscuits)
  • 175 butter, melted
  • 500g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 170g caster sugar
  • 1 tbs orange rind
  • 3 tbs lemon juice
  • 2 tbs plain flour
  • 5 eggs, large
  • 130ml thickened cream

Passionfruit Topping:

  • 1 tbs cornflour
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 170g passionfruit pulp (sieve out some seeds – I found there were a bit too many in my can – it will be especially prominent if you choose not to decorate the cake with the buttercream) – or 140g passionfruit pulp w/ 1/3 cup mango juice
  • 1/3 cup caster sugar
  • 1 tbs lemon juice

Assembly Decorations:

  • Mango ganache – see passionfruit macaron recipe
  • Mango ganache buttercream – see passionfruit macaron recipe
  • Passionfruit macarons
  • Fresh mint, washed and dried lightly

Method:

Cheesecake:

  1. Melt some extra butter and set aside. Release the base of a 20cm springform cake tin. Using a pastry brush, grease the sides and base with butter and line the sides with baking paper. Place a large piece of baking paper on the base and secure the side back on, letting the paper overhang.
  2. Place biscuits in a food processor and process till finely crushed. Pour into a large bowl.
  3. Pour in the melted butter and mix till well combined.
  4. Using a spoon, transfer the mixture to the cake tin.Using your fingers, press down the mixture over the base and sides of the pan (the sides are difficult to get even, so it takes time and patience, because the mixture can be quite crumbly because it is still warm from the butter).
  5. Loosely place plastic wrap on top and transfer it to a fridge to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hr.
  6. Preheat oven to 150 degrees C.
  7. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, orange zest and sugar until creamy and smooth.
    IMG_3912
  8. Add in the lemon juice and flour and beat in.
    IMG_3916
  9. Add in one egg at a time, beating after each, till the mixture is smooth.
  10. Pour in the thickened cream and stir by hand till just combined.
  11. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the hardened biscuit base. Tap the cake tin gently on the surface to bring any bubbles to the surface of the cake (avoiding cracks).
  12. Place the tin on top of a larger baking tray and place in the oven, middle rack – this stops your oven from getting dirty, as often, excess butter drips from under the cheesecake as the cookie crumbles heats to become a crust.
  13. Place a large, deep baking tray of water on the lower rack, directly under the cake – this keeps for even baking and is also to avoid cracks 😀
  14. Bake for 1 hour and then let cool in the turned-off oven, with the door slightly ajar, for 2 hours, so it does not crack while cooling. (oh what we do to stop cracks)
    DSC_0594 1
  15. Place in the fridge, loosely covered by aluminium foil, overnight to set completely.

Passionfruit Topping:

  1. Combine cornflour and water in saucepan.
  2. Add in the passionfruit pulp (and mango juice if using) as well as the sugar
    DSC_0634 1
  3. Place over low-medium heat and cook, stirring for 4-5 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken
    IMG_3960
  4. Set aside to cool (around 10 minutes so it is pourable, but not too hot to slide off the top of the cheesecake)

Assembly:

  1. Remove the cake from the tin, and place it in a box on top of a fresh piece of baking paper.
  2. Before making the mango ganache buttercream, make sure to set aside some mango ganache.
    DSC_0629 1
  3. Take this remaining ganache and spread it over the chilled cheesecake.
    DSC_0631 1
  4. Pour the passionfruit topping carefully on top of the ganached cake, and unlike me, try not to get any pouring over the sides (though it does look super edible :P). – you can spoon it on top if you are more comfortable that way.
    IMG_3966
  5. Post filling the macarons, take the leftover mango ganache buttercream and put it into a piping bag.
  6. Pipe little cornets along the circumference of the glazed cheesecake (the passionfruit topping is very slippery, so try not to do the cornets too close to the edge, otherwise they will fall off the sides and become a mess)
  7. Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours, to let the buttercream set in place.
  8. Take the macarons and place them into the cornets, one in every second one.
    IMG_4026
  9. Take the mint leaves and place them in the cornet gaps remaining.

Breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the cake. 😀

Follow on Bloglovin

Blog Sig

71 Comments

  4. Choc Chip Uru says:

    From Alice @ Girl In A Food Frenzy: Love the new site and especially loved the PdR with your yummy passionfruit and macarons. Alas the comment form wouldn’t let me fill out my name and email etc, to reply. I had meant to write this “…This is the best term you’ve coined yet, the PdR. Love passionfruit and cheesecake, irony is I ate one this weekend. Added macaroons are a bonus addition…”

    Like

    « Reply
  13. Nancy @ gottagetbaked says:

    Lol, Uru, you brag as much as you want and post as many photos of this cake as you want! It truly is a PdR! It’s fabulous, gorgeous, and I’m loving the combination of flavours and textures. That passion fruit on top is making my mouth water and I’m so jealous of your perfect macarons. I have yet to make them (so intimidating!). And sometimes, no words are necessary. Cake is all we need 😉

    Like

    « Reply
  19. Bam's Kitchen' says:

    CCU this might have been one of your best cakes thus far. Very distinguished and classy! I double that this cheesecake is most certainly PdR!! I just pinned this lovely cake on to recipes I want to try.

    Like

    « Reply
  20. Ala says:

    This looks absolutely loverly! I stumbled across your blog after seeing your comment on Erika’s lovely blog. I was just trying to figure out this phrase, piece de resistance, a few days ago, so when I saw this it was like, flash! Yes, I love this phrase! A neat and awesome dessert, thanks for sharing!

    Like

    « Reply
  22. Nava Krishnan says:

    I don’t judge and make assumptions about people. Its a free world and each of us can write what we like, don’t like or don’t even anything as intro for the recipes.

    The cakes is stunning, the shades are gorgeous and yes, superb piece.

    Like

    « Reply
  42. mjskit says:

    Well, you are neither snooty nor lazy – you’re incredible! This cake is incredible! I just came from the macaroons and can’t believe they ended up on this cake. Love it and so creative!

    Like

    « Reply
  50. Susan says:

    Oh my, this is truly a Pièce de Résistance! I have to avert my eyes to I don’t gain 5 pounds 🙂 What a clever idea to top the cheesecake with macarons.

    By the way, if you’ve tried to come to my blog recently, it’s been locked by Blogger. Someone has been trying to embed malicious codes in blogs and mine was one of a few dozen hacked in the past couple of months. Hopefully, Blogger will clear my site soon and my friends will be able to join me once again!

    Like

    « Reply
  53. A_Boleyn says:

    Those macarons are gorgeous. One of these days I WILL make them again and they will work. Served on top of the cheesecake with the passion fruit underneath you have an amazing dessert that would be the centerpiece of any romantic Valentine’s day meal.

    I made besan ki barfi … I feel so inadequate.

    Like

    « Reply
  55. Kathleen Richardson says:

    CCU, when I saw the words passionfruit and mango on your FB post, I asked myself, where have I heard those words recently? AHA, your last post! Your Piece de Resistance is doubling the pleasure I got from the previous post. What fun, what goodness!

    Like

    « Reply
  62. Louise says:

    You are so funny Uru. My problem with Pièce de résistance is I never know how to spell it, lol…However, I sure do know when the recipe fits the words and this heavenly tropical cheesecake of yours certainly “takes the cake!” Thank you so much for sharing…

    Like

    « Reply
  63. Ramona says:

    You have truly outdone yourself here… it looks AMAZING! It is worthy of sitting in a pastry shop window as their most beautiful dessert! I adore passion fruit and I was just telling my son about passion fruit cordial that we get in Sri Lanka the other day. I wish we could get it here… so drooling over your masterpiece!

    Like

    « Reply

Sweet Comments Welcome!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.