This deconstructed Mango and Passion Fruit Cheesecake  a modern take on the classic dessert, beautifully balancing the richness of cheesecake with the bright, clean flavors of mango and passion fruit. Served with oat-honey crumble, a silky passion fruit curd, and exotic mango-passion fruit sorbet, this plated dessert is elegant, refreshing, and surprisingly simple to prepare in stages. Ideal for dinner parties or upscale occasions.

Full Recipe:

Ingredients

Mango & Passion Fruit Sorbet:

• 1½ lb mango purée

• 3½ oz concentrated passion fruit purée

• 7 oz sugar

• 1 oz glucose

• 5 oz water

Cheesecake Mixture:

• 8¾ oz cream cheese

• 8¾ oz double cream

• 3¼ oz icing sugar

• ½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped

Oat & Honey Crumble:

• 9⅓ oz butter

• 8⅛ oz plain flour

• 8⅛ oz sugar

• 8⅛ oz oats

• 5 oz runny honey

• Pinch of salt

Passion Fruit Curd:

• 7 oz egg yolk

• 4½ oz whole egg

• 7⅔ oz sugar

• 10⅔ oz concentrated passion fruit purée

• 2 gelatine leaves

• 8¾ oz cold butter, diced

Mango & Passion Fruit Compote:

• 1 mango, peeled and diced

• 2½ passion fruits, seeds scooped

Directions

1. Sorbet:
   Boil sugar, glucose, and water. Cool, stir in purées, strain, and churn in an ice cream maker. Freeze.

2. Cheesecake:
   Beat cream cheese, icing sugar, and vanilla. Add cream and whip until stiff. Pipe into desired shapes and chill.

3. Crumble:
   Mix butter, flour, sugar, and salt into crumbs. Stir in oats and honey. Chill, then bake at 170°C for 15 minutes until golden. Cool and blitz into coarse crumbs.

4. Curd:
   Whisk yolks, eggs, sugar, and purée over a bain-marie until thick. Stir in soaked gelatine, then cold butter. Strain and chill.

5. Compote:
   Mix mango cubes and passion fruit pulp. Chill.

6. Assemble:
   Pipe cheesecake onto plates. Add crumble, curd dollops, fresh compote, and a scoop of sorbet. Serve immediately.

Nutrients (estimated per serving, based on 6 servings)

• Calories: ~480–550 kcal

• Fat: ~30g

• Carbohydrates: ~50g

• Sugar: ~35g

• Protein: ~6g

• Fiber: ~3g

A Modern Approach to Cheesecake

At the heart of this dessert is the cheesecake component, transformed from a heavy baked slice into a light, airy mousse-like cream. Made with cream cheese, icing sugar, double cream, and fragrant vanilla, the cheesecake mixture is whipped to soft peaks and piped onto the plate. This preparation retains all the richness of traditional cheesecake but delivers it in a refined, airy texture that complements rather than overwhelms the fresh fruit elements.

The absence of a baked crust and dense structure allows this dessert to feel lighter and more dynamic. It’s also highly versatile—ideal for customizing in shape and serving style, whether piped into quenelles, spheres, or swirls across the plate.

Bright, Tropical Fruits as the Star Flavors

Mango and passion fruit are the tropical heroes of this dish, providing bold color, aroma, and a zesty counterpoint to the creamy base. These fruits appear in three distinct ways: a vibrant sorbet, a silky passion fruit curd, and a chunky mango-passion fruit compote.

The mango and passion fruit sorbet offers intense fruit flavor in a frozen form, made with real purée and churned to a smooth, scoopable consistency. It delivers a refreshing chill and clean acidity that acts as a palate cleanser between bites.

The passion fruit curd adds luxurious tartness and smoothness. Made with egg yolks, concentrated purée, sugar, and butter, it’s thickened to a glossy finish and enhanced with gelatin for stability. Its richness is balanced by the natural sharpness of passion fruit, making it both decadent and vibrant.

The compote, with its chunks of mango and seedy passion fruit pulp, provides fresh texture and natural fruit sweetness. It anchors the dish in real fruit and brings a juicy, succulent element that rounds out the plate with brightness and contrast.

The Crumble: Rustic Meets Refined

Replacing the classic graham cracker crust, the oat and honey crumble in this dish brings crunch, warmth, and a touch of rustic charm. It’s a buttery, golden mixture made with flour, oats, sugar, salt, and honey, baked until crisp and then blitzed into coarse crumbs. The addition of honey not only deepens the flavor but also enhances browning and lends a soft floral note that complements the tropical fruit.

This crumble provides the essential texture contrast in the dessert. Its crunchy, caramelized bits counter the smooth cream, curd, and sorbet, creating that layered sensory experience that makes deconstructed desserts so satisfying.

Plated Presentation with Visual and Textural Balance

This dessert is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the palate. Its plated, deconstructed style allows each element to be showcased individually, turning the dessert into a composition of color, shape, and contrast. The golden crumble, bright yellow curd, creamy white cheesecake dollops, and vibrant sorbet create a vivid palette that immediately captures attention.

Assembly is where the magic happens: piped cheesecake forms the base, dabs of curd and spoonfuls of compote are artfully arranged around, and the crumble is scattered for crunch and structure. A scoop of the sorbet adds height and temperature contrast, creating a dish that’s dynamic from every angle.

While it looks refined, the components can be arranged as simply or artistically as desired, offering full creative freedom to the home cook or professional chef alike.

Make-Ahead Friendly and Ideal for Entertaining

Despite its complexity in flavor and appearance, this dessert is surprisingly manageable thanks to its modular structure. Each component can be made in advance, making it ideal for dinner parties or events where prep needs to be done ahead of time. Here’s how:

• The cheesecake cream can be piped and stored in the fridge for a day or two.

• The crumble stays crisp at room temperature for days in an airtight container.

• The curd keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week.

• The compote can be made a day or two in advance.

• The sorbet, once churned and frozen, is ready when you are.

This means all you need to do before serving is assemble the plate—no last-minute cooking or baking required.

Flavor Variations and Substitution Ideas

This deconstructed cheesecake is endlessly customizable. Here are a few ideas to adapt it to the season or your pantry:

• Swap mango and passion fruit for raspberries and blood orange in winter or peaches and basil in summer.

• Use mascarpone in place of cream cheese for a smoother, slightly sweeter base.

• Add citrus zest or a splash of liqueur (like Grand Marnier or coconut rum) to the cheesecake for extra depth.

• Replace the oat crumble with toasted nuts, crushed cookies, or a chocolate crumble for variation in flavor and texture.

• Make a plant-based version using coconut cream in the cheesecake and vegan butter substitutes in the crumble and curd.

This versatility ensures that the dessert can evolve with the seasons or suit different dietary needs without losing its appeal.

Nutritional Snapshot and Mindful Indulgence

At around 480–550 calories per serving, this deconstructed cheesecake is indulgent but portion-controlled. The richness of the cream cheese, butter, and curd is balanced by the fresh fruits, and the smaller plated portions help moderate intake while still delivering satisfaction.

The dessert offers approximately 30g of fat, 50g of carbohydrates, and 6g of protein, with around 3g of fiber from the oats and fruit. Its clean flavors and modular structure also allow for lighter substitutions or smaller serving sizes if desired.

Conclusion

This Deconstructed Mango and Passion Fruit Cheesecake is a masterclass in modern dessert design—sophisticated, refreshing, and perfectly balanced. By transforming familiar cheesecake components into individual elements, pastry chef Daniel Fletcher has created a dish that feels indulgent yet light, approachable yet elegant.

Each element—the airy cheesecake cream, the golden oat crumble, the tangy passion fruit curd, the juicy compote, and the icy sorbet—plays a distinct role in crafting a dessert that dazzles with flavor, color, and texture. Whether plated simply or with artistic flair, this dish offers the ultimate finale to any upscale meal, leaving a lasting impression without the heaviness of traditional cheesecake.

Ideal for dinner parties, special occasions, or anytime you want to elevate your dessert game, this recipe proves that modern plating and familiar flavors can coexist beautifully on one stunning plate.