Pina Colada Cheesecake

Source: Michelle Stebleton

Ingredients

• Coconut crust, recipe to follow
• 2¼ pounds (1015 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¾ cup (180 ml) juice-packed unsweetened crushed canned pineapple, drained well, ½ c. juice reserved (125 ml)
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) Cocoribe, (coconut-rum liqueur)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) sour cream
• 1½ cups (375 ml) sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature, slightly beaten
• 2 slices (3/16 inch or 0.5 cm thick) fresh pineapple, if desired

Method

1. Prepare Coco-Nut Crust.

2. Place oven rack in center of oven, heat to 350 degrees (180 degrees C).

3. Cut cream cheese into 1-inch ( 2.5 cm) cubes; place in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until completely smooth. Continue beating while gradually adding crushed pineapple. Gradually beat in reserved pineapple juice and the liqueur until blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

4. Add sour cream to cheese mixture; beat at medium speed until blended. Continue beating while very slowly adding sugar, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; beat until sugar is absorbed. Add eggs, about ¼ cup (60 ml) at a time, beating well and scraping down sides etc. after each addition. (Batter will be thin).

5. Pour batter into baked cooled Coco-Nut Crust. Gently rotate pan several quarter-turns to settle batter. Bake until sides of cheesecake are set 2½″ in from edges and center is still pudding-like, 60 to 65 minutes for creamy center. For a firmer center, bake until center is just set, about 10 minutes longer (cake may crack at sides).

6. Transfer pan to wire rack away from drafts. Let cool undisturbed until sides and bottom of pan are completely cooled to room temperature.

7. Remove sides of pan. Refrigerate cake uncovered overnight or at least 8 hours. Cover cake loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate until serving time.

8. Make optional garnish just before serving. Pare and core pineapple slices; cut out eyes of pineapple making small notches in outer edge of slices. Cut slices into quarters. Place 6 to 8 pineapple quarters in border around top of cheesecake.

Coco-Nut Crust

1½ tbsp (22 to 30 ml) butter at room temperature 1 cup (250 ml) flaked coconut 1 cup (250 ml) ground toasted Brazil or filberts nuts ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar ¼ cup (60 ml) butter, melted, cooled to room temperature

1. Place oven rack in center of oven; heat to 350 degrees (180 C). Coat bottom and sides of 9-inch (23 cm)springform pan evenly with unmelted butter; reserve.

2. Stir coconut, Brazil nuts and sugar in medium bowl. Drizzle melted butter over nut mixture. Stir and toss mixture vigorously with fork until slightly darkened and uniform.

3. Press nut mixture evenly on sides and bottom of reserved pan; refrigerate 5 minutes. Bake crust 7 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature before filling, about 30 minutes.

Notes

To toast whole nuts, bake in ungreased shallow baking pan at 350 degrees shaking pan occasionally, until skins begin to crack, 5 to 8 minutes. Rub in coarse sieve to remove loose skins; cool.