Baked coconut and lime cheesecake

There are a few piña colada vibes going on with this delicious baked cheesecake!

Baked lime and coconut cheesecake

Baked lime and coconut cheesecake

Baked lime and coconut cheesecake

Baked lime and coconut cheesecake

This is a great dessert for any occasion and is ideal making a day or two in advance.

The cheesecake’s creamy, slightly fudgy texture has that “just one more bite” factor!  I sometimes go fully piña colada-style and top with slices of fresh or grilled pineapple. To be honest, though, any sharp fruit hits the spot here: I am partial to passionfruit, which I used here.

The small amount of flour really makes a difference to the texture – as my GCSE Food students found out when we experimented with different ingredients. Crucially, you get a slightly firmer and even fudgier texture if using flour. The flour also ensures the eggs do not over-coagulate or scramble (although here, as the cheesecake is baked at a low temperature this is less likely to happen).

Baked lime and coconut cheesecake

For a more traditional baked vanilla cheesecake:

• use crème fraiche or soured cream instead of the coconut cream
• omit the coconut from the base
• omit the rum
• increase the vanilla bean extract to 2 teaspoons

Recipe: baked coconut and lime cheesecake – serves 6

Baked lime and coconut cheesecake

Base:

• 100g Digestive or Nice biscuits
• 30g desiccated coconut, ideally lightly toasted
• 50g unsalted butter, melted

Topping:

• 250ml full-fat cream cheese
• 150ml thick coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
• 60g caster sugar
• 15g plain flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk (you can freeze the white for meringues or macarons)
• 3 tablespoons rum of choice
• juice and finely grated zest of 2 limes

Topping (all optional!)

• fresh fruit of choice: passionfruit, pineapple, oranges….
• 1 tablespoon of rum
• toasted coconut flakes

you need to pre-heat the oven to 160°C(fan) and line a deep 6” round springform cake tin with greaseproof

(1) For the base: crush the biscuits finely. It is easiest to put them in a plastic bag, fold the top over and bash gently with a rolling pin.

(2) Mix the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter and the the coconut. Press into the base of the tin, patting down firmly to give a flat biscuit layer.

(3) For the filling: add the cream cheese, coconut cream, vanilla extract and sugar to a medium bowl. Lightly whisk with a ballon whisk to give a smooth mixture: this only takes a few seconds.

(4) Add the remaining ingredients and whisk for a few seconds – just to incorporate the ingredients to give a light, smooth mixture.

(5) Pour the filling onto the biscuit base and flatten out by giving the tin a gentle shake. Place onto a baking tray.

(6) Bake for 15 minutes before turning the oven down to 120°C(fan) and baking for 45 more minutes: there should still be a very light wobble in the middle.

(7) Remove from the oven to cool down and chill until needed: ideally overnight. Then remove carefully by placing the baking tin on a jar, for example, and lightly pulling the sides vertically downwards. Peel off the greaseproof.

(8) If topping, simply place your fruit of choice on top (perhaps mixed with a little rum if you wish) and/or toasted coconut before serving.

Baked lime and coconut cheesecake

Author: Philip

Finalist on Britain’s Best Home Cook (BBC Television 2018). Published recipe writer with a love of growing fruit & veg, cooking, teaching and eating good food. View all posts by Philip