No-bake chia cheesecake with raspberries

This no-bake chia cheesecake with raspberries was inspired by my favourite chia seed pudding. It’s a light, refreshing cheesecake with a simple biscuit base, plenty of fresh raspberries and a delicate hint of coconut. To complement the flavours, I topped it with a clear coconut water jelly, which pairs beautifully with the creamy filling. Highly recommended!

Note: The night before making the cheesecake, soak the chia seeds in canned coconut milk.

Ingredients for the biscuit base:

• 160 g digestive biscuits
• 40 g unsalted butter, melted

Place the biscuits and melted butter into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles wet sand. Alternatively, crush the biscuits in a sturdy food bag using a rolling pin, then mix with the melted butter.

Line the base of a 23 cm deep springform tin (or a standard 25 cm springform tin) with baking paper. Do not grease the sides of the tin. Press the biscuit mixture firmly into the base using your hands or the bottom of a glass. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Ingredients for the chia cheesecake filling:

• 400 g canned coconut milk (at least 10% fat)
• 55 g chia seeds
• 250 g full-fat or semi-fat curd cheese, finely ground three times
• 100 g icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 300 ml double cream, chilled
• 12 g powdered gelatine + 60 ml cold water

Pour the coconut milk into a bowl. Stir in the chia seeds and leave for 15–20 minutes until they begin to gel. Stir again, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight. The following day, remove the mixture from the fridge 1 hour before making the cheesecake.

Sprinkle the gelatine over the cold water, stir and leave to bloom for 10 minutes. Gently heat, stirring, until completely dissolved (or microwave briefly). Do not allow it to boil. Leave to cool slightly.

Place the curd cheese, icing sugar, maple syrup and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add the soaked chia mixture and mix briefly, just until combined. To temper the gelatine, stir in 1 tablespoon of the cheesecake mixture, then another 2 tablespoons until smooth. Pour the tempered gelatine into the cheesecake mixture and mix immediately until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whip the chilled double cream until stiff peaks form. Fold it gently into the cheesecake mixture in two additions.

Spread the filling over the chilled biscuit base and smooth the top with a spatula. Refrigerate for several hours, preferably overnight.

Ingredients for the raspberry jelly topping:

• 2 packets coconut water jelly (each intended for 375 ml water)*
• 500 g fresh raspberries

Dissolve both packets of jelly in 600 ml of hot water (instead of the amount recommended on the packet). Leave to cool, then refrigerate until it begins to thicken but is still pourable.

Arrange the raspberries over the set cheesecake. Carefully pour over as much of the partially set jelly as needed to cover the fruit. Refrigerate for several hours until the jelly has fully set.

* You can also use raspberry or clear jelly, but coconut water jelly complements the flavour of the cheesecake particularly well.

Enjoy!