Cheesy story of the Cheese ckae

This being my first Cheese Cake, I was all excited and anxious...and when my anxiousness crosses paths with my attempts to try a new thing, they do fail :) So my first attempt to making the cheese cake was close to nothing more than making a different kind of shrikhand. Depressed, sad and too cowered to cry, I slept. I woke up in the morning like a solider who had lost the battle before it began. Nevertheless my mom like always nudged me and said that she would love to have more of the mango shrikhand she had yesterday and would like me to give it a try again. So I re-did the whole process and the outcome is in the photograph above. IT WORKED! So hoping it will work for you too, here is the receipe of a lovely mango cheese cake.
Ingredients:

Biscuit base

200gms Marie biscuits (1 packet); or digestives

2 tsps granular sugar

50 gms melted butter (add more if required)

Topping

400ms Curd Cheese (approx) – from 1kg of yogurt hung for 24 hours

250ml Cream (25% fat)

4-5 tbsps Castor sugar (to taste)

2 tbsp Gelatin

5 tbsp mango syrup (Put fresh mangos if you get them)

Decoration

1/2 cup Mango juice/syrup

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Method:

Biscuit base:

1. Run the granulated sugar & biscuits in the processor till fine crumbs for; or put into a thick bag & crush with a rolling pin.
2. Mix in melted butter, & press this mixture into the base of a spring form 8inch baking tin. Chill for 30 minutes.

• Tips to avoid disasters - For the Biscuit base, you may want to add more butter. As I noticed the first time that just 50 gms was not enough to bring the biscuit together.

Topping:

1. Sprinkle the gelatin on approx 1/4 cup of water, & then leave the bowl to stand in another bowl of hot water till the gelatin melts, & become a clear liquid. (about 10 minutes).
2. Mix and beat the curd cheese, mango syrup, and sugar till smooth.
3. Add the clear gelatin mix for a few seconds until mixed uniformly.
4. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold into the above. Taste & adjust sugar if required.Take the biscuit case out of fridge, and pour the filling in it. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.

Tips to avoid disasters like mine

• Make sure the quantity of gelatin is right. It is 2 table spoons not tea spoon. Do not be stingy or all you get is a big bowl of Shrikhand.
• If possible use a food processor or a hand mixer to mix the ingredients, unless you want to stronger shoulders and hand muscles. That’s my next big eccentric idea – Get-in shape while you bake!
• Ensure the cream is fresh. The cream I had used in the first one was not as fresh as I would have wanted. You can always use the option of Amul cream. (Believe me I do not get any money for this from Amul)
  

Decoration:

1. Heat the mango juice and the sugar in a hard-bottom pan (some words really sound funny) till it reduces and get a honey like glaze.
2. Add pieces of mango fruit if possible.
3. Once your cheese cake is set, pour this mixture gently over the cake and let it set for another 20 mins in the fridge.

• Tips to avoid disasters - ensure that you do not overcook the mixture, or may have mango candy instead :P

Notes to self - Adding a bit of custard powder would also help to bring the mixture to stand. But Such experiments can be postponed until later.