Coconut Cream Cheesecake sweetened with maple syrup and topped with berry jelly, a guilt-free no-bake dessert that has no refined-sugar added. The ideal kid-friendly birthday cake that grown-ups will also adore. It's so easy to make, it's creamy, and silky, a real treat!
If you are looking for a healthier birthday cake for toddlers or even older kids, or a nice cake for any occasion, this fantastic coconut cheesecake is all you need. Not only it looks spectacular, but it's made with absolutely no refined-sugar added, and it's still sweet and yummy.
With little ones, full-fat diary products are the best, no need to fill their tummies with non-fat stuff, their bodies need the fat that grown-ups try their best to avoid.
And if you have to choose the lesser of the two evils, I would happily choose to sweeten any dessert with maple syrup or honey, rather than refined sugar.
Careful though with honey if the child is under one, as it's very dangerous. Maple syrup, on the other hand is considered safe for that age. Even so, I wouldn't go crazy with too much syrup either, no need for that.
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How to make the biscuit base
Like any traditional cheesecake, we start with a biscuit/cracker base. This is super easy to make, all you have to keep in mind is that the biscuit butter ratio is 2:1, so the butter will be half of the amount of the biscuits used.
- once the biscuits have been crushed, either will a rolling pin or in a kitchen aid, add the melted butter and mix well
- then add the mixture to a cake tin with detachable walls, and press it down well
- refrigerate for at least half an hour so that the base can be compact, keeping the cheesecake together.
How to make the coconut cream filling
- to make the coconut filling, beat the whipped cream until it holds stiff peaks
- add the coconut cream, cream cheese, desiccated coconut and maple syrup and mix well.
With cheesecakes, gelatine is not always compulsory. In fact, once refrigerated, the cheesecake will settle nicely anyway, but I decided to use the gelatine to make sure the cake looks perfect.
If you use gelatine granules, you have to hydrate it first with cold water, then leave to rest for about 10 minutes, and after melt it in the microwave, before adding it to the cream. Top the biscuit base with the coconut filling before adding the berry jelly.
How to make a berry jelly
For the jelly, either fresh or frozen fruit can be used. The frozen ones are just as good, and even cheaper, especially when the berries are not in season.
Just cook them on the stove top with water until they thicken into a sauce, pass through a sieve to discard of any bits in there, then mix with the gelatine, and that's it.
All you need to do after is top the cheesecake, and let it set in the fridge for a few hours, although ideally would be overnight. It settles a lot quicker, but it's best to let the cake in the fridge to be nice and cool before serving.
Tips and tricks
If you'd rather not use the jelly topping for this cake, that's absolutely fine, you can have it as it is just with the coconut cream filling.
You can still decorate it nicely with more whipped cream, if you have a piping bag and some nice nozzles, you can make more nice swirls to make the cheesecake proper stand out.
Or if you have any other fruit around, they can be made into a jelly too, following the exact same steps if you have frozen fruit.
With fresh fruit, I would just blitz them in the food processor or a hand blender, bring to a boil to reduce the puree to half the amount, then add the gelatine as required.
Other cheesecake recipes
Raspberry Mousse Cheesecake - this one has no refined sugar added either
Triple Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake
If you’ve liked the COCONUT CHEESECAKE WITH BERRY JELLY or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Coconut Cream Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the base
- 240 g digestive biscuits / Graham crackers
- 120 g unsalted butter
For the filling
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 240 g soft cream cheese
- 300 ml whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon desiccated coconut
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon gelatine granules
For the jelly topping
- 250 g frozen berries
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoon gelatine granules
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- To make the base, place the biscuits into a bag, and use a rolling pin to bash them until they resemble breadcrumbs.
- Melt the butter, then add it to a bowl together with the crushed biscuits, and mix well.
- Place the mixture into a round baking tin that has either detachable walls or removable bottom, and press down firmly making sure it is spread into an even layer.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- To make the filling, beat the whipping cream until it holds stiff peaks.
- Add the coconut cream, soft cream cheese, desiccated coconut and maple syrup and mix well to get a smooth cream.
- Add the gelatine granules to a small bowl, add 5 tablespoons of water to it, then leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes until the granules are completely hydrated.
- Place the gelatine in the microwave for about 20 seconds until it becomes liquid.
- Mix it with the cream, then top the biscuit base with it, and refrigerate again.
- To make the jelly, add the frozen berries to a pan together with the water, and leave to cook for about 20 minutes, until it thickens into a sauce.
- Follow the steps above to make the gelatine.
- When the sauce is ready, pass it through a sieve to discard of any bits from the fruit, then mix it with the gelatine.
- Top the cheesecake with the jelly mixture, then refrigerated once again for about 4-6 hours, ideally overnight.
- Serve cold from the fridge.
Notes
- If you'd like to see the ingredients listed in cups and ounces, please check the US Customary Link.
- Also, the amount of ingredients changes depending on the servings, so click on the number listed to change it to the number you prefer.
- If you'd rather not use the jelly topping for this cake, that's absolutely fine, you can have it as it is just with the coconut cream filling.
- You can still decorate it nicely with more whipped cream, if you have a piping bag and some nice nozzles, you can make more nice swirls to make the cheesecake proper stand out
- Or if you have any other fruit around, they can be made into a jelly too, following the exact same steps if you have frozen fruit.
- With fresh fruit, I would just blitz them in the food processor or a hand blender, bring to a boil to reduce the puree to half the amount, then add the gelatine as required.
Nutrition
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marcepanowy kÄ…cik
Ciasto pyszne i orzeźwiające. W sam raz na upały 🙂
marcepanowy kÄ…cik
Piękne ciacho 🙂
Mira Edorra
Hi Daniela,
I made your recipe to take to a family who needs to eat gluten-free. I can’t wait for them to taste it! Yummmmmy Delicious! Definitely keeping this recipe so I can make it for my own family. The masa is what helps it to have that Mexican taste that we love. I didn’t change even one little thing and it was perfect! Thanks again!
Daniela Anderson
Hi Mira,
I am glad you liked the recipe, it's very tasty, I made it for my daughter's first birthdday and it was a big hit at the party.