Passion fruit mousse cheesecake

Phenomenal! This passion fruit mousse cheesecake is now definitely my favourite fruit mousse cheesecake. It is absolutely delicious! A creamy vanilla cheesecake topped with an aromatic passion fruit mousse made with passion fruit purée. You can use fresh passion fruit or ready-made purée from a tin or pouch; either way, the result will be wonderful. I can’t wait for you to try this recipe :).

Ingredients for the base:

• 160 g chocolate-coated wholegrain or oat biscuits (or plain)
• 30 g butter, melted

Place the biscuits and melted butter in a food processor and blitz until you have a biscuit mixture resembling wet sand. If you don’t have a food processor, place the biscuits in a sturdy bag (such as a resealable bag) and crush thoroughly with a rolling pin, then combine with the melted butter.

Line the base of a 23 cm springform tin with baking paper. Tip in the biscuit mixture, spread evenly and press firmly into the base of the tin.

Bake at 175°C for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

Ingredients for the cheesecake filling:

• 500 g full-fat or semi-fat curd cheese, finely ground three times
• 250 ml double cream
• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp plain flour

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place all the cheesecake ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix just until combined, or use a whisk. Do not overmix, as incorporating too much air will cause the cheesecake to rise considerably and then sink. We want the cheesecake to remain beautifully level after baking.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the biscuit base and bake at 150°C for about 50 minutes. The entire surface should be set and firm to the touch. If necessary, extend the baking time slightly. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Ingredients for the passion fruit mousse:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 60 g sugar
• 150 ml passion fruit purée, without seeds
• 6 g powdered gelatine (2 tsp) + 30 ml cold water
• 200 ml double cream, chilled

Pour the cold water over the gelatine, stir and leave to swell for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the passion fruit purée and mix well. Bring a small amount of water to the boil in a saucepan. Place the bowl containing the egg mixture over the saucepan, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk the mixture continuously over the steam for about 10 minutes. It should thicken slightly.

Add the bloomed gelatine to the hot mixture and mix until completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Whip the chilled double cream in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gently fold it into the cooled passion fruit mixture in two additions.

Pour the passion fruit mousse over the cooled cheesecake and smooth the surface. Place in the fridge. After a few minutes, once the mousse has started to set slightly, spread the pulp from two additional passion fruits over the top.

Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Additionally:

• 2 passion fruits

Cut the passion fruits in half and scoop out the pulp.

How to make passion fruit purée?

Cut the passion fruits in half and scoop out the pulp with a teaspoon. Pass it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds. The resulting purée will be very thin, almost watery, but intensely flavoured. One medium passion fruit contains approximately 2 tbsp (30 ml) pulp with seeds, or 1 tbsp (15 ml) seedless purée.

Store the passion fruit mousse cheesecake in the fridge.

Enjoy!