No-bake chocolate millet cheesecake with raspberries

This no-bake chocolate millet cheesecake is a variation on my almond and strawberry millet dessert. It tastes just like a traditional chocolate cheesecake, yet there isn’t a trace of curd cheese in it! The secret is cooked millet, blended until smooth and creamy, with plenty of chocolate for a rich, indulgent flavour. The texture is wonderfully silky, and you’d never guess there was any millet or coconut in it. A little unusual, perhaps, but absolutely delicious – especially if you’re a chocolate lover!

The butter in this recipe can be replaced with dairy-free margarine or coconut oil, while the natural yoghurt can be swapped for soya yoghurt or an extra amount of coconut cream. You can reduce the amount of sugar or replace it with another sweetener, such as honey, agave syrup, golden syrup, xylitol or stevia. You can also use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, adding a little more sweetener to taste. If necessary, you can make the base using different biscuits, such as gluten-free biscuits, mixed with a little melted chocolate and butter.

Ingredients for the biscuit base:

Place the biscuits and melted butter in a food processor and blitz until the biscuits are finely crushed and the mixture resembles wet sand. If you don’t have a food processor, place the biscuits in a sturdy bag (such as a resealable freezer bag) and crush thoroughly with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Finally, mix with the melted butter.

Line the base of a 20 cm springform tin with baking paper. Spread the biscuit mixture over the base and press it down evenly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Note: the biscuit base will be quite crumbly.

Ingredients for the millet filling:

Rinse the millet several times under warm running water, then drain thoroughly.

Place the millet and salt in a saucepan with the boiling water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes (I cooked mine with the lid on, leaving a small gap), until the millet is tender and all the water has evaporated. If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons of water towards the end of cooking. While still hot, blend the millet in a food processor or with a hand blender until completely smooth.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the powdered gelatine over the cold water, stir and leave to bloom for 10 minutes. After this time, heat gently and stir until completely dissolved (you can also do this in the microwave). Note: Do not allow the gelatine to boil, as this will affect its setting properties.

Add the coconut cream, natural yoghurt, caster sugar and vanilla extract to the warm, blended millet in the food processor. Blend until combined. Add the dissolved gelatine and blend again. Melt both types of chocolate, pour into the mixture and blend until perfectly smooth. The mixture will be quite runny. Leave the mixture to cool slightly, then carefully pour it over the chocolate biscuit base in the springform tin. Pour gently, especially at first, as the base is quite crumbly. Place in the fridge until the filling begins to set slightly. Once it starts to thicken, arrange some of the raspberries around the edge of the tin, pressing them in so that they stick out slightly. Refrigerate for several hours, until completely set. Before serving, arrange the remaining fresh raspberries on top.

*Instead of coconut cream, you can use tinned coconut milk. Chill two tins of coconut milk in the fridge for 24 hours. Carefully remove them from the fridge, turn the tins upside down and open them. Pour the coconut water into a separate container (you won’t need it for this recipe). Scoop out the thick coconut cream that remains in the tins. You’ll need two tins to obtain the required amount of coconut cream, although sometimes one and a half may be enough, depending on the brand.

Chocolate and orange variation: You can leave out the raspberries and add the finely grated zest of one large orange and 1 tsp orange extract (or a few drops of orange flavouring) to the dessert instead.

Enjoy!