Honeycomb-shaped Pineapple Coconut Cheesecakes

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These cute little cheesecakes are such a fun take on the classic! The tropical mix of coconut cream cheese and pineapple jelly gives them such a bright, refreshing flavor. And with that honeycomb-style lemon jelly on top and the little fondant bees, they’re almost too adorable to eat.

“What’s a dessert that’s exciting, creative, and irresistibly tasty?” That’s the question I found myself obsessing over for an entire week! I wouldn’t exactly call myself the creative type – working in finance means my days are filled with Excel sheets, formulas, and very, very straight lines. Let’s just say my brain is more “square” than “abstract” 😅

But this time, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try something completely new: designing a recipe that was not only delicious but also inventive. Why, you ask? Because I was entering my very first cooking and photography contest! 🎉

This wasn’t just any contest – it was organized by Ixina, a well-known kitchen shop in Belgium. The challenge? Create a recipe that was fun and original, include “Ixina” somewhere in the photos, and submit the recipe alongside snapshots of both the final dish and the process.

Oh, and here’s the kicker: the first 50 participants were guaranteed a prize, but the real goal was to land in the top three for the biggest rewards.

Here’s the part where my practical side kicked in. Since we’re planning to move soon, we’ll probably need a brand-new kitchen in the not-so-distant future. So I thought “Why not give it a shot? Worst-case scenario, I’ll end up with some cool cooking tools!” And just like that, my first-ever creative culinary adventure began.

There were so many participants, and seeing all the incredible photos of dishes shared on Facebook by others, I never thought I’d end up as the first-place winner.

So, imagine my shock when I found out I’d won the FIRST PRIZE! 🤯 Especially knowing that the jury included two Michelin-starred chefs, David Martin and Filip Claeys.

Now, here I am, holding a whopping €7500 voucher to put towards a brand-new kitchen. I can’t wait to find the perfect place and start building the kitchen of my dreams. It’s going to be amazing! 😍

Oh, and I absolutely adore the collage they made featuring the top 3 winners and a glimpse of my recipe “in the making.”

Honeycomb-shaped pineapple coconut cheesecakes?

These little cheesecakes are a bit of a twist on the traditional kind. The cream cheese is made less compact so it’s perfectly pourable, letting you create smooth, flat layers in small containers – no bumpy surfaces here!

The base? It’s made with Biscoff for a lovely crunch when you reach the bottom of the pot. Then there’s the cream cheese layer, flavored with coconut water and desiccated coconut, followed by a pineapple juice jelly layer for a tropical zing.

Now, the top layer? Purely for the aesthetics! 🍯 It’s a lemon-flavored jelly with a single drop of orange food coloring to give it that gorgeous dark yellow, honeycomb-like tint.

I’ll be honest – this recipe takes hours to make. So, it’s not one to whip up in a hurry. This is a recipe for those clear-your-schedule kind of afternoons.

I’m usually not one for elaborate recipes that demand hours of work, but this was for a cooking contest! And let’s face it, complexity always earns points in competitions.

Which containers to use?

I used some adorable yogurt glass containers I picked up from the supermarket 😊

They looked just like little honey pots, which fit the whole honeycomb concept perfectly! Each container holds 125 ml / 4.4 oz. This recipe is designed for 4 x 125 ml (4.4 oz) servings.

If you’re using larger containers, just be sure to adjust the quantities accordingly.

Can I substitue Biscoff?

Absolutely! Just like in regular cheesecake, you can swap out speculoos for Graham crackers or any dry biscuits you prefer. That said, I’m partial to Biscoff – they have a distinct flavor that I love, and they’re everywhere here in Belgium (they’re made here, after all!). By the way, if you like Biscoff, check out my Banana Biscoff Overnight Oats and my Strawberry Cheesecake Mochi.

Preparation

Biscuit Base (Layer 1):

1. Crush the Biscoff cookies in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin until powdered.
2. Mix the melted butter with the crushed cookies. Divide the mixture evenly into 4 pots, filling each to about ½ cm (⅕ inch).
3. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Coconut Cream Cheese Filling (Layer 2):

4. Whisk the cream cheese until smooth.
5. Add sugar, coconut water, and coconut powder, and mix well.
6. Whip the whipping cream to 50% stiffness, then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.
7. Divide this filling evenly among the pots, filling each to 1/6th of its height.
8. Freeze for 20 minutes.

Pineapple Jelly (Layer 3):

9. Heat 100 ml / ⅓ cup pineapple juice, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 g / 0.035 oz agar agar over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring until dissolved (Note 1).
10. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
11. Pour the jelly into the pots, filling each to another 1/6th of its height.
12. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Assemble Layers 4 to 7:

13. Layer 4: Add another layer of coconut cream cheese filling, filling to 1/6th of the pot. Freeze for 20 minutes.
14. Layer 5: Repeat the pineapple jelly process and pour the second jelly layer. Freeze for 15 minutes.
15. Layer 6: Add a third layer of coconut cream cheese filling, filling to 1/6th of the pot. Cut bubble wrap to fit the pot size, place it on top, and gently press. Freeze for 30 minutes. Remove the bubble wrap.
16. Layer 7: Heat 125 ml / ½ cup water, lemon juice, orange coloring, sugar, and agar agar over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring until dissolved. Cool for 5 minutes, then pour the final layer to fill the pots to the top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make Fondant Bees:

17. Roll 4 x 3 g / 0.1 oz pieces of yellow fondant into chubby cylinders for bee bodies.
18. Roll black fondant thinly, cut into strips, and attach as stripes using a dab of water.
19. Shape white fondant into 2 wings for each bee and attach with water.
20. Let the bees rest for 30 minutes to harden.

More cute desserts

• Bunny Custard Steamed Buns
• Valentine’s Day Bear+Heart Macarons
• Bungeoppang (Korean Fish-Shaped Pastry)
• Christmas Tree Meringues