Healthy Option – Coconut Matcha Cheesecake
Looking for a healthy and refreshing dessert option? This Coconut Matcha Cheesecake is guaranteed to fit the bill. Wait ’til you see the list of ingredients!
Once in a while I’ll come up with a recipe that I love so much and am so crazy happy with, I’d easily rate it 6 stars out of 5 if I could. Well, this Coconut Matcha Cheesecake would be one of those recipes.
I’m telling you, if you’re looking for a truly healthy and incredibly refreshing dessert option to serve to just about anyone, on just about any occasion, this one is guaranteed to fit the bill.
And just you wait ’til you see the list of ingredients!
I don’t normally share my healthy desserts with “normal” people because their palate isn’t typically acclimated to these kinds of less sweet treats; I’m always afraid that they aren’t going to be all that impressed with my creations and, as the creator, I prefer to avoid any potential awkwardness. But this guy I decided to bring to my favorite local micro-brewery for the lovely staff to share, warning some but not all of them that this was a “granola” cake (I mean, it literally does have granola in the crust!)
To be honest, I was especially wary of the presence of chia seeds in the crust, of the avocado in the filling and also too, of the fact that the cake contains no refined sugar at all… only a mere tablespoon of honey is responsible for sweetening each serving. To the untrained palate, that really isn’t much…
Much to my surprise, the feedback has been extremely and unanimously positive! They ALL loved it. And some had NO idea that it was a healthy cake! They were shocked when I told them what was in it! Oh! I love when that happens.
This cake, it’s creamy, velvety, unctuous, it melts in your mouth… it explodes with all kinds of just the right amounts of just the right combination of just the right flavors: the matcha, honey and coconut are like a match made somewhere even better than heaven! And the crust! Whoa! Why I never thought of making crust out of granola and coconut oil before is beyond me! As for the chia seeds, they add this super agreeable little pop to the whole equation.
And the real kicker is that this cake is SUPER easy to make!
I’m telling you, this is a cake I will be making again, and again, and again, and then again, and again again!
And so should you…
TO MAKE THE CRUST — First course of action would be to line the bottom of a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper. To do that, remove the ring and cover the bottom with parchment paper; Fold the excess paper back under the plate and, while holding it in place with one hand, put the ring back in its position with the other hand. Bring the excess paper back from under the pan but do not cut it off.
Then, combine the granola, coconut, chia seeds and melted coconut oil in the bowl of your food processor and process until reduced to fine crumbs.
Transfer and press the mixture firmly at the bottom and slightly up the side of the prepared pan.
A flat bottomed glass is the tool of choice to get this job done! Once you’re all done, simply set the crust aside while you work on the filling.
Once your gelatin has been dealt with, combine some ricotta cheese, sour cream (you could also use plain Greek yogurt if you preferred), ripe avocados, honey, matcha powder, vanilla extract and salt in the bowl of your food processor.
Process all those ingredients until they turn into a super smooth, creamy and completely lump free mixture, about 3 minutes. Be sure to stop the motor to scrape the sides once or twice during processing time to make sure that every last bit gets incorporated.
Now warm the coconut milk slightly in the microwave or over low heat until it’s barely just warm to the touch; Remove the sheet gelatin from the water bath and squeeze it between your hands to remove as much water from it as possible, then add it to the warm coconut milk and stir until every last bit is fully dissolved.
IF you have to, return the whole thing to the microwave but only for a few seconds at a time. You cannot let that mixture get hot or it would render the gelatin useless and inoperative.
Now pour this into the cheese mixture and resume processing until it’s well incorporated.
Pour that beautiful cheese filling right into the prepared crust…
…and spread it evenly and all the way to the edge.
Now put your cake in the refrigerator until it’s completely set — at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
THE FINISHING TOUCH — Once your cake is completely set, put about 2 to 3 tablespoons of matcha powder in a small fine meshed sieve.
Dust the entire surface of the cake.
Be sure to not to go overboard here: Matcha powder can be a bit on the bitter side when enjoyed on its own, so if you used too much, it might throw off the final flavor or your precious creation. A few tablespoons are all it takes!
Now carefully remove the cake from the pan — I find the best way to do this is by delicately heating the side of the pan with a propane torch or warm cloth. If using a propane torch, make sure to always keep that flame moving and to not let it get too close to the pan or you’ll risk melting the cake!
Finally, all that’s left to do is place your cake on a cake plate and sprinkle a little bit of shredded coconut around the edge, if you feel like it.
Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Any potential leftovers will keep in the fridge for about a week.
IF leftovers you have…
Healthy Option - Coconut Matcha Cheesecake
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST
- 2-1/4 cups Nature's Path Coconut Chia Granola
- 1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
FOR THE CHEESE FILLING
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup sour cream , or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 medium ripe avocados
- 3/4 cup unpasteurized honey
- 3 tbsp matcha powder
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, storebought or homemade
- 1/2 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
- ---
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 8 full gelatin sheets
THE FINISHING TOUCH
- 2-3 tbsp matcha powder
- 1 tbsp finely shredded unsweetened coconut
Instructions
FOR THE CRUST
- Line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment paper. To do that, remove the ring and cover the bottom with parchment paper; Fold the excess paper back under the plate and, while holding it in place with one hand, put the ring back in its position with the other hand. Bring the excess paper back from under the pan but do not cut it off.
- Combine the granola, coconut, chia seeds and melted coconut oil in the bowl of your food processor. Process until reduced to fine crumbs and press firmly at the bottom and slightly up the side of the prepared pan. Set aside.
FOR THE CHEESE FILLING
- Start by placing the sheet gelatin to soak in a large bowl filled with icy cold water.
- Combine the ricotta cheese, sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), avocados, honey, matcha powder, vanilla extract and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Process until the mixture is super smooth and creamy and completely lump free, about 3 minutes. Stop the motor to scrape the sides once or twice to make sure that every last bit gets incorporated.
- Warm the coconut milk in the microwave or over low heat until barely just warm to the touch. Remove the sheet gelatin from the water bath and squeeze between your hands to remove as much water as possible. Add gelatin to the warm coconut milk and stir until fully dissolved.Pour this into the cheese mixture and resume mixing until it's well incorporated.
- Pour into the prepared crust, spread evenly and all the way to the edge then put the cake in the refrigerator until completely set, at least 6 hours but preferrably overnight.
THE FINISHING TOUCH
- Once set, put 2-3 tablespoons of matcha powder in a small fine meshed sieve and dust the entire surface of the cake with it.
- Carefully remove the cake from the pan and place it on a cake plate, then sprinkle a little bit of shredded coconut around the edge, if desired.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about a week.
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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4 Comments on “Healthy Option – Coconut Matcha Cheesecake”
Wow, your recipes are so incredibly unique! I I love this!
Thank you so much Kiara, this is one amazing compliment! 🙂
My printer doesn’t print colored inked words. Please just use black.
Check your settings and try printing in pure black and white. This should do the trick.