Oh Donna, you’ve done it again. I reckon that Ms Hay’s eponymous magazine is just getting better as time goes on. There’s a wider variety of recipes and they are all just so tempting that I every time a new edition appears in my letterbox I want to race to the kitchen and bake. That’s surely a sign of a fab mag.
The recent issue 68 had a cheesecake special, which totally had me drooling. The recipe that most caught my eye was dark chocolate coconut mini cheesecakes with pomegranate syrup. Not being a pomegranate fan I omitted this but don’t think mine were any the poorer for it.
In a rare critique of Donna Hay I will say that the quantities / servings for this recipe were all over the shop. The magazine stated it would serve 6 – I can’t tell you how many it made. Way, way more than 6. I made 6 in large size muffin tins [as per the recipe] and it didn’t make a dent in the mix. Then I made at least 8 in mini muffin tins and still I had ingredients left over. By then I was over lining muffing tins with crosses of paper so I made macaroons to use the leftover coconut mix, and little chocolate pots with the remaining choc cheesecake mix. The Hungry Dad made short work of those little choc pots, let me tell you.
GATHER:
Base:
3 ½ cups shredded coconut
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggwhites
50 gram butter, melted
filling
150g cream cheese, softened
100g ricotta
½ cup caster sugar
150g dark chocolate, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 150C.
Grease a mini muffin tin or standard size muffin tin with non-stick spray [depending on how many you want to make – the smaller ones would look tres chic at a tea party] and place strips of baking paper in a cross pattern to allow for easy removal of cakes.
Mix base ingredients together in a bowl then using a spoon gently press into base and sides of muffin tins.
Bake 15 mins for big size, 11 mins for small / until golden, then set aside to cool.
For filling: place all ingredients into food processor and process until smooth [you may need to scrape down sides a couple of times].
Pour into shells and bake 20-ish for big / 13-ish for small [you want them to be a little bit custard-like in centre].
Bring to room temperature then place in fridge for one hour.
Serve cold.
the hungry mum 
fwarrrrrrrr absolutely adore cheesecake!
hey Little Gumnut! Thanks, me too! I’m a bit picky and don’t like shop-bought cheescake, only homemade stuff!
Oh. My.
I think you have hit the jackpot with this recipe. That featured pic of yours is just calling my name. You are my go-to Ganache Girl.
I’m a fan of cheesecakes; haven’t used ricotta (pretty exy here in KL) but I can imagine how feathery light and creamy it is compared with the usual clunky Philly cheese.
PS: I really dig your cake stand ! 🙂
“Nat, Nat, bake me.’
Hey, I hear it, too – get thee to the kitchen! Shame that ricotta is dear over there as it does add a lightness.
ps – loooove the ‘go-to ganache girl’ tag! 🙂
Yum!!
I subscribe to Donna Hay too and have all her books.
Also subscribe to delicious which is also great.
Isn’t Donna the best? I also really enjoy delicious mag.
These look wonderful, I bet the coconutty base is sweet and delicious. It’s strange that the quantities should be so off, but I come across that often in magazine recipes but I’m surprised that a Donna Hay recipe would be inaccurate. Thanks for visiting my blog. GG
I know – it is most unlike Donna and her team. I guess everyone is allowed one mistake 🙂
I too love the Donna Hay. These little darlings look fabulous and yummilicious! I think I just made up a new word!
I also love Donna’s recipes a lot! These beauties look even spectacular & yummy too! 😉 I must make them soon! Really soon! x
Thanks. Even better – they are quick & easy [totally my style 🙂 ]
Wow these sound really amazing!
Cheers! And super simple, too.
Not a fan of coconut. But I am intrigued by the chocolate pots with the filling. How long did you cook them? The filling looks luscious!
Do you know, the Hungry Dad *hates* coconut. He ate so many of these tartlets & I do believe I converted him 🙂
I didn’t cook the choc pots – they were just like choc mousse.
Thanks! I will definitely be making the chocolate pots!
These sound delicious but I’d have to go out and buy more large muffin tins. Those really mini cheesecakes would just plain disappear. The bigger ones have a chance of making it to the next day, A chance, nothing more. 😉
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. Except in my case, I take baked goods into work each week and ask for donations to MSF [Doctors Without Borders]. So more cakes = more donations = more better 🙂
Heavens, yes! Wonderful that you do this for MSF. I wouldn’t eat a one if mine were, like yours, in support of this organization.
I would love a bite… or 10 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
That’s the great thing about mini bites – you can have more 🙂
I’ll gladly take the extras off your hand. Don’t you hate it when there’s too much of a good thing 😉 These look amazing!
hehehe! I often need someone to swoop over and take the excess – I’m not much a sweet eater and the Hungry Dad is on the paleo diet [eyeroll]. I take stuff to work but often I still have stuff sitting in Tupperware slowly going off…
both donna hay and you do a great job styling the food. i havent had much luck with her recipes tho, never turn out how i expect it to….hrrm…
Why have I just seen this comment?! Thanks so much 🙂 Bummer that you & Donna have yet to ‘click’ 😦
I love Donna Hay and your version of these cheesecakes look awesome!
Cheers! I can’t get enough of Donna – it seems an eternity between magazine editions 🙂
Coconut… Dark Chocolate… Cheesecake…
All together? Now that’s heavenly! Thanks for sharing.
Oh, thank you! It is, as they say in the classics, a winning ocmbination 🙂
adorable! Gotta wonder about yields sometimes as they can be so off. I’ll take your word over Donna’s 🙂
Yeah, I just don’t understand how the yields scan be *so* wrong. Oh well, more yummy things for everyone to eat, I guess!
YUM
cheers x
A delicious use of chocolate. & coconut if ever there was one! Love the use of the coconut in the base, definitely moreish indeed.
why, thank you 🙂 I think choc coconut is a marriage made in dessert heaven x
That looks delicious!
Thanks – they are pretty delish.
These are sooo cute and sound so delicious! I bet they wouldn’t last long in my house!
looking yummy
I like that this makes a lot. More for the cook 🙂 They should be on my plate now. 🙂 You did a great job.
yes, the more the merrier! Thanks for your sweet words.
Oh yum! These look so amazing. Good ol’ Donna Hay…her recipes are so divine! By the way, I adore your cake stand 😀
Thanks. Guess where the cake stand is from? The Donna Hay General Store. Yes, I am a Donna Hay tragic 🙂
Hehehe! Oh no, there is nothing tragic about being a Donna Hay fan 😀 You have very good taste!
I love mini desserts…you can have a few to eat and save the others for another day.
Or… you can have a whole heap at once coz they are so small! #greedy
I love coconut and chocolate….and cheesecakes of course1
they look amazing…
ciao
Silvia
Choc & coconut is sooo good! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Hmm, yummy!! ❤
Thanks 🙂
Omg..this is definitely on my “to do” list now 🙂
https://kitchensmittwn.wordpress.com
Oh yes……these sound and look fantastic. I wonder if custard filling would substitute well 🙂
Oooh, custard! Yum! I’ve not tried it but I would suggest making a really thick custard otherwise it might ooze out. Let me know if you try it.