A bright and fresh tasting raspberry, lime and coconut allergy-friendly vegan cheesecake on a raw seed and cacao base.
We are very fortunate that all of the food choices we make in our home are exactly that, choices. I am acutely aware of how limiting and all encompassing living with allergies can be. Growing up, my brother’s food allergies were so severe that as a young child he wore a badge saying “Please don’t feed me”. As a parent now, I can only imagine how that constant threat of an unexpected reaction in your allergic child must feel. Scary, really scary.
A while ago one of my readers asked how in the world she could make a cheesecake for her son, who is allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts and soy. Well that question sure got me thinking and I’ve been pondering the question ever since. There is always a way.
For a healthier cheesecake, I’d usually make a raw base with almonds and dates as the main ingredients. In this case I’ve swapped the nuts for a range of seeds, which work with coconut, dates, cacao and coconut oil to form a textured and richly chocolatey base. One of the seeds is buckwheat – if you’re not familiar with it, rest assured it’s not wheat and is totally safe to eat if wheat is one of your allergies. Buckwheat is a seed, related to rhubarb.
For the topping I went with a simple combination of lightly sweetened coconut cream, raspberries and lime, set with a little agar and coconut oil. The fat of the coconut cream and oil ensure there’s a rich and creamy mouthfeel, and the raspberry and lime keep the whole thing light and actually quite refreshing in flavour.
Agar may sound like an exotic or difficult ingredient, and I’d agree it’s certainly not standard in most pantries. Bear with me though. Agar, also known as agar-agar (or kanten, in Japan) is an algae-based alternative to gelatin (an animal byproduct). It works in a similar way to ‘set’ a liquid, but its consistency is a little different in that it doesn’t have that plastic, jelly mouthfeel of gelatin. Agar is a colourless powder which has no taste or odour, and it’s inexpensive to get hold of from Asian supermarkets or your local whole foods store (go to Bin Inn if you’re in New Zealand).
The internet tells me there are a few simple rules to follow to have success with agar, #1 make sure you start by adding it to cold liquid, and #2 the liquid it’s dissolved in must be brought to boiling point to activate agar’s setting properties. Well that’s not too hard is it?
I have to say I’m ecstatic with the result of this kitchen experiment. Removing the springform tin and seeing how perfectly set the cheesecake was, and how beautifully it sliced, made me a very happy girl! Free from the big five common food allergens (dairy, egg, wheat, soy and nuts), vegan and refined sugar free, this could well be the ultimate allergy friendly dessert.
You’ll need a food processor to make this recipe.
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
- 1/2 cup cacao powder or substitute cocoa
- 1/4 cup buckwheat groats
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted if solid
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 cans lite coconut cream (totalling 800ml)
- 2 cups raspberries (I used frozen, there's no need to defrost)
- Zest and juice of one lime (approximately 2 tbsp lime juice)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or sweetener of your choice
- 3 1/2 tsp powdered agar
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend for 5-10 minutes, until the texture has small crumbs, and will hold together when pressed with your fingers. Some of the buckwheat will remain whole, and that's fine, they provide a welcome crunch.
- Tip the mixture into a 22cm diameter non-stick springform cake tin. It's not essential to line your tin as the topping and base will both release easily, but lining at least the base will make it a bit easier to lift the cheesecake out when it comes to serving time.
- Use the back of a spoon, or a drinking glass, to press the mixture down firmly and evenly.
- Put the base in the the freezer to set for at least half an hour. You can make the base ahead of time and leave it in the freezer until you're ready too, if that suits you.
- Put coconut cream, raspberries, lime zest, lime juice and maple syrup into a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.
- Tip the topping mixture into a saucepan and stir in the powdered agar.
- Bring to a boil, stirring often. Once the mixture has come to boiling point, turn the heat down and simmer for five minutes.
- Add coconut oil and stir through. I then returned the mixture to my blender and gave it a quick blast to make sure the coconut oil was properly combined.
- Let the mixture sit and cool for about 20 minutes, then pour the mixture into the cold tin and refrigerate until set. Once the mixture is cool, it will be firm. Mine was well set and ready to serve six hours after going into the fridge.
- Garnish with fresh or freeze dried raspberries, if desired.
Preparation time does not include chilling time.
So so beautiful. that colour! Pinning 🙂
Looks spectacular!
It looks delicious! Do you know if coconut flour or almond flour can be used instead of buckwheat? We do gluten free and grain free, but this looks too good not to try!
It uses whole buckwheat so you’d lose a lot of texture by replacing with a flour. You could increase the quantity of sunflower seeds with no problem though. Good luck!
Hi. Would you suggest toasted or raw buckwheat?
Hi there. I used raw, but I’m sure toasted would be totally fine and maybe add a bit more depth to the flavour too.
Hi, when you say lite coconut cream, do you mean lite coconut milk?
Hi Joanne, I’m not sure if it’s the same where you’re from, but in New Zealand there are typically four kinds of coconut milk/cream. Drinking coconut milk comes in a tetrapak and is very thin and low in fat (around 2%), next is canned coconut milk which is still thin but a bit higher in fat, then canned lite coconut cream which is thick and creamy (but still liquid), then canned full fat coconut cream which is very thick and will set firm in cool conditions due to its very high fat content. The lite coconut cream I used in this recipe contains around 12.5% fat. I hope this helps you decide on the best equivalent. I haven’t tested the recipe with coconut milk. It may work, but would be less creamy in texture. If lite coconut cream isn’t available, I’d choose full fat coconut cream as an alternative for this recipe.
about buckwheat – http://www.celiac.com › Gluten-Free Grains and Flours Oct 18, 2013 – Derived from the seeds of a flowering plant, buckwheat is not considered a grain or a cereal (though it may be called a pseudo-cereal—don’t let that scare you). Buckwheat, in all of its gluten-free glory, is actually closely related to rhubarb. In addition, it is an excellent source of fiber and nutrients.
Hi 🙂 This looks absolutely stunning, and I can’t wait to try it out! I was just wondering if you think it would be possible to freeze this so it can be made in advance before a party? For how long do you think it would stay decent in the freezer, in that case? Or will it completely ruin the flavor? Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Agnes, I haven’t tried freezing it so I can’t be sure sorry. It does keep well in the fridge though, I’ve eaten it up to a week later and it’s still been fine in all respects (maybe just losing a touch of freshness from the flavour of the raspberries).
Hi , can you make this without the agar powder? Thanks.
Hi Danielle, agar powder is the setting agent so it’s quite important to the recipe. It may work if you leave it out and increase the amount of coconut oil (it will become the setting agent if there’s enough of it in there), I haven’t tried this myself though so can’t be sure. If you try it, let me know how you go.
Can I use regular gelatin powder in place of the agar? Can’t seem to find it here 🙁
You can, as long as you’re not vegetarian or vegan. I’m not sure what the correct ratio would be, but am sure Google will have the answer 😀
Beautiful pics! Beauty recipe! Can’t wait to share this on my berry recipes post!!!
Thanks Ashley!
Can I use xanthan gum instead of agar? 🙂
Hi Theresa, I’ve never used xantham gum but I don’t think it’s a substitute for agar. My understanding is that it’s a thickening agent, but not a setting agent like agar.
Okay thank you! I’ll go by some agar then 🙂
Your first picture is amazing and your creativity also :)! I’m allergic to gluten and dairy, but also sunflower seeds (also hazelnut and almond). Do you know a substitute for it? Maybe Walnut?
Hi there, yes walnuts would be a great substitute for the sunflower seeds if you’re allergic to them. The sunflower seeds were used in this recipe mainly to make it a nut-free cheesecake (although I do like them in their own right, too).
Gorgeous! Love this!
What a beautiful cake! Is it possible to exchange the buckwheat?
Hi Stefanie, you could replace the buckwheat with almonds or other nuts (providing you’re not allergic). Or if you need it to be nut-free, you could use pumpkin seeds, or increase the quantity of sunflower seeds. Enjoy 🙂
Just wondering if you could substitute gelatin instead of agar agar, and how much if so, as I’m not sure if I have it at home or would be able to get it in time. Also are NZ cups the same as Australian?
Thank you ^.^
Hi Jacqueline, you should be able to substitute gelatin for the agar agar. It’ll have a bit of a different texture (agar agar sets firmer, without ‘jiggle’), but should still set the mixture. I haven’t tried it myself so can’t be sure of ratios, but according to this article gelatin powder and agar agar powder are interchangeable at a 1:1 ratio. Australian and NZ cups are the same.
What a fantastic dessert. I make this for a friend who couldn’t eat dairy or refined sugar, he ate two large slices!!!! I made a couple of tweaks….i used porridge oats instead of buckwheat, used 2 sachets of gelatin instead of agar agar powder, and used Splenda in the coulis, it was absolutely delicious, thanks for posting.
This looks delicious! Can you the raspberries with any fruit?
Yes I think any berry would work, and probably other fruit too 🙂
Just curious about the nutritional information as you do not denote the serving size. Are those numbers in relation to the whole pie or one slice? Asking for a friend.
Hi Kalani, nutritional info is per serve and this recipe makes 12 serves (listed above the ingredients in the recipe). Enjoy x
hi, looks delish 🙂 did you melt the coconut oil before adding it to the filling mixture at the end?
Hi Jemma, the coconut oil is added to the hot raspberry mixture and will melt straight away so it doesn’t really matter 🙂
Amber thank you so much for sharing!
This looks amazing, I will prepare it tomorrow! I´ve been experimenting with cashews and agar but haven´t been able to get the right consistency, I made one of cashew/mango/lime (with a little coconut oil and almond milk) and know that I read your recipe and blog seems like what works in the raspberry -lime-coconut is boiling it with agar agar and that theres a lot of liquid and fruit, do you know if I can do that with cashews? maybe boiling the coconut cream as well with mango and cashews? haha I´ve ruined so many baches and as you know….cashews are expensive. Thanks for reading !
Hi Gabriela, wow it sounds like you’ve been having fun experimenting in the kitchen! In my experience, cashew-based cheesecakes don’t need any agar agar to set them. I used agar agar in this one as a way of setting the filling without needing nuts or too much coconut oil. This grapefruit cheesecake recipe shows the ratios I’d use for a cashew-based cheesecake mixture. For an agar agar based mixture, you could use this recipe but change up the fruit (try replacing the raspberries with the same quantity of mango, for example) and you wouldn’t need cashews. Boiling the agar agar is essential for it to set properly. Hope this helps 🙂
This recipe looks delicious, but my foodie friend is allergic to coconut. Can you suggest an alternative?
Hi Teresa, this probably isn’t the right recipe for someone who is allergic to coconut – it’s a fundamental ingredient.
Hello, Amber! Are you sure about agar quantity – 3,5 tablespoons? The cake ended up being too firm(
Hi Dmitry, gosh yes it would be too firm, the recipe calls for 3.5 tsp (teaspoons) of agar powder 😊
OOPS)))))))
HI, just to be sure. I did not find info about baking time of cake base, so does’ it mean that base is not going thorough oven?
Thank you.
Hi Juris, yes that’s right. This base is chilled until firm (no baking required) 🙂
Thanks! Will go to make it tomorrow… 😉
Joanne, I found the coconut cream in the Aisian section.
This just made me feel so much better. Growing up I wore a homemade laminated pin that said please do not feed. Can’t believe I’m not alone! Any recommendations on what to substitute for the sesame seeds? That allergy is now my most severe. Beautiful looking desert by the way. This is the first nut free vegan cheesecake recipe I have found that actually looks good!
Hi Laura, I’m sure my brother felt like the only one too! The sesame seeds aren’t a critical ingredient, you could just leave them out or double the quantity of chia seeds perhaps. I’ve had great feedback on this cheesecake, I hope you enjoy it too 🙂