Autoimmune Friendly Coconut-Berry “Cheesecake”

Many of my clients come to me with autoimmune conditions such as MS, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Hashimotos to name a few. It’s so rewarding watching their chronic long-term symptoms diminish over time and a large part of this improvement occurs through removing “gut irritating” foods which in turn help to reduce inflammation. Unfortunately the dietary protocol for these types of conditions is somewhat limiting. I usually recommend removal of all grains and legumes but an autoimmune protocol strictly eliminates eggs, dairy, nuts/seeds, potatoes, tomatoes, chillies and some other spices. Understandably, many of clients become disheartened, especially when it comes to sweet treats. Even in the Paleo Sphere, most desserts contain eggs, nuts or seeds. So it can be challenging to say the least.

That’s why I absolutely LOVE this recipe and felt I had to share it with you all. It’s adapted from a recipe provided on Autoimmune Paleo with a few tweaks here and there for my personal taste.

Last night I shared it with a group of friends, one of whom is Autoimmune and it was a success. This decadent cake is gluten, grain, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds and sugar free. Enjoy.

Ingredients
For the Crust
1 cup of dates, pitted and soaked in warm water for 5 minutes
1 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/8 teaspoon (good pinch) salt

For the Filling
1/2 cup of raw honey
1 1/2 cups of coconut butter (I like Artisana)
1 cup coconut oil
5 cups of organic mixed berries
6 Tablespoons of Tapioca Starch
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Fresh or frozen berries for garnish
Thick coconut flakes for garnish

To prepare the crust, preheat oven to 180 degrees. Strain the dates and place in a food processor with the melted coconut oil. Blend for 30 secs or until a chunky paste is formed. Combine coconut flour, shredded coconut and salt in a bowl. Add date paste and mix thoroughly. Place the mixture in the bottom of an 8″ spring form pan pressing it down evenly. Bake for 30-35 mins, until the crust browns and hardens a little. The texture will still be soft until it finishes cooling. Set aside while you make the filling.
To make the filling, combine the raw honey, coconut butter, coconut oil and frozen berries in a saucepan on a low heat. Stir until the berries are no longer frozen and the mixture is warm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor, add tapioca starch, vanilla extract and salt. Blend on high for about a minute until completely mixed. Pour carefully into the spring-form pan on top of (cooled) crust.
Set in the refrigerator undisturbed for at least 12 hours to allow the cake to set fully.
When it is solid, carefully remove the spring-form pan. Decorate the top of the cake with thick flake coconut chips and berries, fresh or frozen.