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Baked Banana and Coconut Cheesecake

This cake has no processed sugar and is gluten free. It comes from Vegetarian Cooking Without by Barbara Cousins. The bananas should be nice and ripe.

base
3 oz (90g) chopped dates
6 fl oz (180ml) water
2 oz (60g) rice cakes or puffed rice cereal
3 oz (90g) dessicated coconut
4 tsp sunflower oil

topping
8 oz (250g) creamed coconut
1 lb 4 oz (580g) silken tofu
1 lb 2 oz (500g) banana flesh
1 tsp lemon rind
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Prepare the base. Stew the dates in the water until soft and thick. Break the rice cakes up and process in a food processor until finely ground.

2. Add the desiccated coconut, rice cakes and oil to the dates and mix. Press into the base of a large flan dish.

3. Prepare the topping. Cut up the coconut block and place in a food processor with the silken tofu, banana flesh, lemon rind and vanilla extract. Process until smooth. If you do not have a food processor, melt the coconut over a gentle heat, mash the banans and silken tofu, then mix all the ingredients together.

4. Pour the cheesecake mixture on to the base and bake in a preheated 170C/325F/ gas mark 3 oven for 35-45 minutes or until just set. The mixture will still be quite soft so do not overcook. It will set firmer on cooling. Serve hot or cold.