Cheesecake is an awesome ‘go-to’ to have up your sleeve when guests are popping around. You can make a cheats’ base with just crushed biscuits and butter – but what if your guest are gluten free? Don’t worry Mama, I have you covered!

I’ve created a little bit of a cheats’ gluten free base for cheese cake. It’s delicious and chewy and oh so coconutty {because it is made with desiccated coconut}. And I also have a little life hack for you to help you get these babies out of the muffin tin easily, so read on my friend!

I got some new measuring cups the other day on sale in Myer and I just love them. They are practical and they are great to photograph {or so I think, I hope you don’t mind them popping up on my blog and in my instagram feed}. 

Here is my little baking hack for you – to help you raise different things out of your muffin tin easily. Instead of just lining your muffin tin with baking paper, cut the baking paper into two long strips and then cross the strips over. The ends should pop up high enough so that when the baking is finished you can use them to pull the baked good out of the muffin tin. 

GLUTEN FREE COCONUT AND DARK CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

2 cups of desiccated coconut

1/4 cup of melted butter

1/4 cup of rice malt syrup {you could try maple syrup if you don’t have any rice malt syrup}

1 egg white

1 cup of cream cheese

1 cup of ricotta cheese

1 cup of melted dark chocolate

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste

Line a muffin tray with crosses of baking paper {as shown above}. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

Mix the coconut, butter, rice malt syrup and egg white in a bowl and then push the mixture into the muffin tray to form the base of your cheesecake. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes {covering if they start to turn too brown}.

Place your cream cheese, ricotta, dark chocolate, eggs and vanilla in the food processor and blitz until smooth. Pour straight into the coconut bases and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until set.

Once your cheesecakes have cooled, they will need to be placed in the fridge for one hour to set before you enjoy them.