Tangy Lime, Coconut and Basil Cheesecake

I am a real sweet tooth and it’s no secret that I love myself a good dessert. Cheesecakes are amazing because they are versatile and they can take on many different flavours. Even though cheesecakes tend to be heavy, this one is quite light and has a fresh taste of lime and basil. Together with the coconut, it makes it a perfect cheesecake for the summer.

I chose for this recipe to be gluten free, so that my husband gets to enjoy it as well. Even though oats are naturally gluten free, be aware that they often come from an environment where wheat/barley/rye are also processed. If you don’t care about the gluten you can replace the ingredients for the base with 15 crushed digestive biscuits combined with the liquid coconut oil. Simply let it set in the fridge without baking the base in the oven first and then add the rest of the cheesecake mix to it.

Tip: don’t add all the lime juice and zest in one go. Start with 2 limes and have a taste along the way. Then decide if you want to add some more for a sharper, more tangy lime flavour.

Ingredients

For this recipe I used a 24cm springform cake tin. This should get you 8-10 slices.

For the base

• 60g almonds

• 50g desiccated coconut

• 50g (gluten free) rolled oats

• 2 tsp maple syrup

• 2.5 tbsp liquid coconut oil

• Pinch of salt

For the cheesecake mix

• 200g coconut milk

• 250g mascarpone

• 250g cream cheese

• 200g condensed milk

• Zest and juice of 2-3 limes

• 12 basil leaves

• Roasted desiccated coconut

Method

• Line your cake tin with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 180º C.

• For the cheesecake base add the nuts, desiccated coconut, oats and a pinch of salt to a food processor and blend to a fine crumb.

• Add the maple syrup and liquid coconut oil and combine until the crumbs are fully coated (if your coconut oil is solid, gently melt it in a pan on low heat).

• Pour the crumbs into your cake tin and cover the whole bottom evenly, pressing the crumbs down tightly with the back of a spoon.

• Bake the cake base in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. You are looking for a light brown color.

• Let the base cool down and then transfer it to the fridge while you move on to your cheesecake mixture. You want the base to be completely chilled before adding the cheesecake mix.

• Zest and juice 2 limes and finely chop the basil leaves.

• Put the mascarpone, cream cheese, condensed milk and the coconut milk in a bowl. Mix it all together until it forms a smooth mixture with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Lastly add in the lime zest, lime juice and chopped basil. Have a little taste. Do you like the cheesecake to be a bit more tangy? Then add the juice and zest of the third lime as well.

• Pour the cheesecake mixture onto your base and leave it in the fridge to set for at least 6 hours. Even better would be to prepare your cheesecake the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight.

• When your cheesecake is ready to serve sprinkle on some lightly roasted desiccated coconut on top.

Enjoy!