Ackee cheesecake served on top a buttery toasted sesame and orange cookie. With raspberry preserves, dulce de leche and chocolate ganache as toppings. It’s all about the love of ackee!
Ackee Cheesecake? What? How?
Ok, so let’s talk about this. Now this website is called Amazing Ackee for a reason. It’s about exploring all the amazing and wonderful things that can be done with ackee. I exist in a space of, I wonder what would happen if I did ________? Now, I’ve come to realize that for many people some of these ideas bring pause. Especially persons who’ve always had ackee as a savory dish or those who in their minds ackee is completely inseparable from saltfish.
Though this is in fact the third cheesecake recipe I’ve shared. I’ve not explained why this works.
Ackee is a fatty fruit. For 100g of ackee, there are 15g of fat. Cheesecake is a custard typically made with cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and eggs. What I’ve done here is to swap the sour cream out and use ackee instead. 100g of sour cream has 20g of fat. So they are similar nutritionally, but the ackee has slightly less fat. It also has a few nutrients that sour cream does not. All that said, it’s still a dessert. So the role it will play in the recipe will be similar. Much like when one swaps oil for butter in a cake recipe.
Can you make cheesecake batter in the blender?
Yes! You can make cheesecake in your blender (or food processor). I love this method because it is easy and lightning fast.
Generally, when making cheesecake you:
- Have all your ingredients at room temperature.
- In a mixer, cream the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and flavorings together till completely smooth (this is the part that can take some time, especially if your cream cheese is on the colder side).
- Then add your eggs. Mix till combined then pour over prepared crust (or into prepared pan if not using a crust)
What can be frustrating is, as you’re pouring the cheesecake seeing that there are still little chunks of cream cheese! You mixed; you scraped the side of the bowl frequently and you were almost certainly sure it was completely smooth!
Why making cheesecake in the blender is a good idea
This is why using the blender or food processor is a good idea. It still is best practice to have your ingredients at room temperature. I blend all the ingredients except the eggs first. This is so I have a smooth batter before incorporating the eggs. Once the eggs go in, the batter becomes more liquid and chunks are harder to work out.
I baked these cheesecakes in heart-shaped silicone molds I found on clearance. But here is a similar kind from Kerekes (one of my favourite supply stores).
Silikomart Silicone Bakeware Heart 4.4 Oz, 2.56″ Dia x 1.57″ High, 6 Cavities – $18.95
from: Kerekes kitchen & Restaurant Supplies
Because I baked the cheesecake in this silicone mold, with the pattern at the bottom, it’s technically baked upside down. Meaning that a base for it would have to be baked separately.
What is the best crust for ackee cheesecake?
My starting point was pate sable. Pate sable is a traditional French pastry that is often used to make shells for fruit tarts. They are buttery and melt in your mouth, though they are a bit more delicate to work with. I used toasted sesame seeds and dried orange peel to flavour my sables. (The recipe is provided below). Sesame is actually not that unusual in dessert. They are nutty in flavour and add a bit of texture. I used plain hulled sesame seeds but black sesame seeds would also add a nice contrast.
You can use any base you like. Traditional graham cracker or vanilla wafer crusts are good bets. A brownie or a blondie would be great too. Or forgo the crust altogether if you’re all about the filling!
How to remove cheesecake from a silicone mold
Though the silicone mold won't require any special preparation for the cheesecake. You will have to freeze the cheesecakes to remove them with ease. After they are baked they will shrink away from the sides anyway and start to pull away from the mold. Once frozen they pop right out and you don't have to worry about squishing them.
What size pan to use
This recipe makes about 2 cups of batter. The mold I used had 6 cavities, each cavity was about a third of a cup and filled them all to the top. This amount can be baked in a 5 or 6 inch round pan. Alternately you could double the recipe and bake it in a 8 or 9 inch round pan.
What do you think?
As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. If you make this or any of the recipes from this site be sure to tag @amazingackee and #amazingackee so I can see your posts across social media.
Until next time, thanks for stopping by 😊
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Easy Ackee Cheesecake
This luxurious ackee cheesecake comes together in a snap. Made in the blender, baked in silicone molds and placed atop buttery toasted sesame and orange sables. It's a unique treat
Ingredients
- 1 pack (8oz/227g) Cream cheese
- 150 g Ackee parboiled or canned
- 70 g (about 1/3 cup) Sugar, granulated
- 1 egg
- Splash Vanilla Extract
- Splash Lemon Juice optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300F
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Place silicone mold on a rimmed baking tray (or in a rectangular baking dish large enough to fit the mold and still have space around it.
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Combine all ingredients except the egg in blender and process till smooth. Stop and scrape sides of blender with a rubber spatula if necessary.
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Add the egg and process briefly.
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Pour the batter into the mold*
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Place the tray into the oven and pour water onto the tray or baking dish until it comes up half way the sides of the mold.
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Bake cheesecakes for 30 to 40 minute till just set, they should still be a bit wobbly.
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Turn off the oven and prop a wooden spoon to keep the door slightly ajar.
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Let the cheesecakes cool completely in the oven then remove to the fridge.
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Once chilled, freeze cheesecakes to ease with de-molding.
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Serve cheesecakes on cookie/bar/cake base of your preference with whichever toppings you choose.
Recipe Notes
Notes:
*I like to pour the batter into a large piping bag then pipe it into the mold. It's a habit from working in pastry kitchens and I find that I have better control that way. If this is too finicky for you, do what works best for you.
Toasted Sesame & Orange Cookie
Ingredients
- 125 g All-purpose flour
- 100 g Unsalted butter soft
- 40 g Granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1 tsp Dried orange peel (alternately, you could use 2 tsps orange zest)
- 15 g Sesame seeds toasted and cooled
- 1 yolk
Instructions
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Combine flour, sugar, salt, orange peel (if using dry, if using zest add orange peel with yolk) and sesame seeds in a bowl* that seems slightly larger than you need.
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Rub in the butter using your fingertips and disperse it evenly.
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Add the yolk (and zest if using) and continue to gently work the dough together till its homogenous.
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Using the palm of your hand, push the dough away from you a couple of times till it is completely smooth (this is a more gentle motion that kneading)
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Pat into a square and wrap with plastic. Chill for about 15 minutes.
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Once the dough has firmed up. On a lightly dusted counter or between two sheets of parchment (or plastic) roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes.
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Gently move to baking trays and reroll the dough as necessary.
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Preheat the oven to 325**. Chill the cookies for at least 20 minutes or until the oven is ready
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They will take 6 to 10 minutes depending on how thick they are rolled.
Recipe Notes
Recipe notes:
*Traditional instructions for making sable will have you do this process on the counter. With the sugar and butter in the centre and the flour worked in. I like to create less mess and a more efficient process. So I divert from the tradition and make them in a bowl, and mix everything together in one go.
**Typically sablés (which these cookies are based on) are baked to a lighter finish. If you want darker cookies, bake at 350 instead.
