La Rocca Revisited Part 1—Mango Coconut Cheesecake 🥥

(Note—this post is the first in a series.)

The seasons change. The head chefs might change. But one thing that doesn’t change? La Rocca’s desserts remain breathtakingly beautiful, and their summer collection is no exception!

Avid readers may recall this previous post I wrote about La Rocca Creative Kitchen’s Christmas Collection.

With summer coming to a close, I decided to try some of their summer desserts before they’re gone.

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First up is the Mango Coconut Cheesecake.

I’ve definitely consumed my fair share of sweets. So, there are times where I’ll be eating one and immediately think back to a similarly tasting sweet. This Mango Coconut Cheesecake immediately conjured comparisons of zestier Chinese mango pudding. They both burst with magnificent mango flavour and are silky smooth. Although the mango is the main attraction, the cheesecake is a solid sidekick. It provides tanginess to complement the mango's sweetness.

The glaze atop adds even more mango goodness while supplying some sourness with its hint of lemon. I’m not a fan of lime and lemon, so I could’ve done without its inclusion. For those of you that do though, you’ll like it! 

A coconut white chocolate whipped ganache crowns the cheesecake. The coconut counterbalances the typical sweetness that comes with white chocolate. And it’s airy as expected.

Now, for the one part I haven’t mentioned yet—the coconut almond crust. The mango is the star of the show, but this was particularly impressive. Admittedly, the almond could’ve been a bit stronger. However, using almond, along with some desiccated coconut, gave the crust a memorable crunchiness. It provided a welcome textural contrast to the rest of the dessert's softness. 

Also, if I’m honest, standard cheesecake crust, made with graham cracker, is a bit plain to me. So like a cool summer breeze on a hot, humid day, this coconut almond crust was a breath of fresh air! 

Verdict:

The Mango Coconut Cheesecake was a very refreshing, tangy and tasty treat. Perfect for summer!

☀️☀️☀️☀️

(Since this series is about summer, we're swapping out stars for suns.)

A Different Kind of Blog Post 🔀

Colin Kaepernick was back in the news recently after Jay-Z struck a partnership with the NFL. I recently wrote a different kind of blog post, one about values-based marketing. I covered Kaepernick in it, so I thought I’d share it here with you. Here’s the excerpt:

Nike + Colin Kaepernick

Perhaps the most memorable values-based marketing campaign in recent memory was Nike’s “Just Do It” anniversary campaign in September 2018. This featured former NFL star Colin Kaepernick.

In case you’re not familiar with Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback infamously knelt for the national anthem before NFL games. He did this to protest social injustices such as police brutality and racial inequality. This drew incredible ire and ultimately led to him being blackballed from the NFL (he later settled a suit). Nike knew what it was doing when it decided to choose Kaepernick for this campaign. It sparked some severe opposition, with some customers calling for boycotts, while others even burned Nike merchandise to demonstrate their displeasure.

As you’ll learn later in this post, the campaign ended up being a success overall.

Click here to read the full post.