Rafaello Cheesecake – A White Delight

Cheesecake is one of the most popular desserts all around the world. There are so many variations of this creamy dessert. This time I combined it with one of my favorite non-keto sweets – rafaello. No, I am not using the famous pralines in this recipe, but I am creating a rafaello cheesecake. Or as a friend of my named it – “a white delight.”

People all over the world use coconut in all forms, so it is excellent news that it is keto friendly. It is high in saturated fats, which means it’s very satiating. Coconut oil is one of the staple foods in the ketogenic diet. Coconut milk and cream can be used in variety in recipes as a substitute for dairy products (though be careful not to go overboard and get kicked out of ketosis).

The main ingredients for this cheesecake resemble rafaello – coconut, cream, and hazelnuts. I used only hazelnuts for the crust since I want to be as close to the original as possible (and I love them), but you can use any nuts you like. My suggestion is to go for lower-carb options like pecans, macadamia nuts, walnuts, peanuts, almonds… Also, you can bake the crust or avoid the extra hustle and leave it “raw.” I will definitely avoid baking (next time) since the crust tends to crumble while cutting it.

I always try to use mascarpone cheese for all the deserts which call for cream cheese. It is more expensive, but it is incomparably more delicious. However, if you are on a budget, use any cream cheese you normally use for the desserts.

You can make rafaello cheesecake bigger, i.e., “taller” by doubling the amount of mascarpone. It would look far more elegant, but I always go for a lower calorie option.