CRUNCHY NUT CHEESECAKE
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes COOKING TIME: 2 hours 30 minutes SERVES: 6-8
CAKE FILLING:
■ ■ 750g cream cheese, at room temperature ■ ■ 2 tablespoons yogurt or sour cream ■ ■ 3 tablespoons coconut cream ■ ■ 1/2 cup rice malt syrup, or to taste ■ ■ 1 egg ■ ■ Dash of vanilla powder ■ ■ Small handful of pistachios, or toasted coconut flakes, to serve
CAKE BASE:
■ 1 cup shelled pistachios or hazelnuts ■ 1 cup shredded or dessicated coconut ■ 1 cup almond meal, or other nut meal, or LSA ■ 120g unsalted butter, softened Preheat the oven to 160ºC / 325°F and line the sides and base of a 23cm spring-form tin with baking paper.To make the cheesecake base, grind the nuts in a food processor until semi-fine. Add the coconut, almond meal and butter and rub with your fingers to make a dough.The more you rub, the more you’ll release the oils in the nuts and achieve the right consistency. Add more butter if required. Press into the tin, covering the base and sides to an even thickness. Bake for 5–8 minutes until it starts to turn golden. Remove and cool.
Combine the cream cheese, yogurt, coconut cream, syrup, egg and vanilla powder in a large bowl. Don’t over-mix, and try to keep the aeration to a minimum while stirring. Spoon into the cooled base and bake for 20–30 minutes or until the mixture pulls away from the base a little and the centre is custard-like. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.