Recipe courtesy of Asian Food Network
Inspired by the cocktail, this beautiful Pina Colada cheesecake features a coconut cookie crust and cream cheese filling. It's topped with pineapple curd, toasted coconut, rum-soaked pineapple and cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Serves 2 to 4
Crust:
- 105g Digestive biscuits
- 45g desiccated coconut
- 60g unsalted butter, melted
- 1.5 tbsp coconut sugar
- Small pinch of salt.
Filling:
- 500g cream cheese, softened
- 500ml coconut milk, refrigerated
- 3 tbsp condensed milk
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 0.25 cup fresh lime juice
- 100g caster sugar
- 90g icing sugar
- 8g unflavoured gelatin.
Pineapple curd:
- 250ml pineapple juice
- 190g fine white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
- 113g unsalted butter, cubed, cold.
Cream cheese frosting:
- 110g butter, slightly softened but not melted
- 90g cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp coconut milk/cream
- 90g icing sugar
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1 tsp lime juice.
Decoration:
- Toasted coconut flakes
- Fresh pineapple slices (soaked in rum for two hours then dried)
- Lime zest.
Directions
1. Make the crust
Put the desiccated coconut in a small, dry frying pan and stir over medium heat until toasted and golden. Remove from the heat.
Use a pestle to crush the biscuits into a fine powder.
Combine the coconut, crushed biscuit, coconut sugar, salt and butter into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Press the mixture into the bottom of an eight-inch springform pan and chill until needed.
2. Prepare the filling
In a microwave or on the stove, heat the lime juice until hot. Sprinkle it with the gelatine and allow it to sit for five minutes. Stir well.
Stir the condensed milk into the lime juice mixture and allow to fully cool.
Without shaking it, take the box of coconut milk out of the fridge, cut off the top, and scoop out the cream (which would have risen to the top) into a large bowl. The remaining liquid at the bottom of the box can be used for the frosting.
Beat the coconut cream and powdered sugar on high speed with a hand mixer until it forms smooth peaks and refrigerate until needed.
Place the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth.
Add the sour cream and lime juice mixture and mix until well combined.
Gently fold the whipped coconut cream into the cream cheese mixture in two to three batches.
Pour the mixture onto the biscuit crust and place in the fridge for a minimum of six hours to set.
3. Cook the curd
In a small pot, simmer the juice over low heat until reduced to 0.25 cup or 60ml and allow to cool in the pot.
Whisk together the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, then whisk in the eggs and egg yolks until well combined.
Add the cooled pineapple juice, stirring well, then return to the pot and heat the mixture over a low heat, always stirring - do not boil.
Once the sugar is all dissolved, add the butter cubes - two or three at a time - allowing the butter to fully absorb before adding more.
Cook, stirring for five to six minutes until thickened, shiny and coating the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and chill until needed.
4. Make the frosting
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed with a hand mixer until smooth.
Add the salt, lime juice and zest and mix well.
Mix in the icing sugar at a low speed, two to three tablespoons at a time.
Add the coconut cream in two to three batches, in between the icing sugar.
The frosting can now be piped over the cheesecake or chilled until ready to use.
The cheesecake needs to be thoroughly chilled for a minimum of six hours - ideally 24.
5. Assemble and serve
Unmold the cheesecake.
Smooth 0.75 cup of the pineapple curd into a circle on the cake and pipe or smooth the frosting around the rim.
Decorate with rum-soaked pineapple slices, toasted coconut flakes and additional lime zest.
Serve chilled.
Chef's tips
- Lime can be substituted with lemon.
- You can use any semi-sweet biscuit or cracker, such as Graham crackers or wholewheat biscuits.
- Omit the rum if that's your preference.
- If your pineapple curd does not set, continue stirring over a low heat until it does, but do not boil it.
- If the frosting is too thick, add a little bit more coconut cream. If it is too thin, add a bit more icing sugar.
Asian Food Network
