Hello Pink Papaya Fans, We are officially back! We were brainstorming on what to post that would allow us to come back with a Bang! During our time away from the kitchen. We spent a lot of time at the Kioskos in Luquillo. It was here we once again got inspired by the Piña Colada. They are tasty, refreshing and with the view of Luquillo Beach, How could we not get inspired. So without further ado….The Pink Papaya would like to introduce to you – The Piña Colada CheeseCake with a Coconut Macadamia Crust!

Piña Colada CheeseCake with a Coconut Macadamia Crust

The Piña Colada was invented by “Mochito” A Bartender at the Caribe Hilton in 1954. In his fruity concoction, He mixed up coconut cream and pineapple juice. Now fast forward to 2022, All of our rums here in Puerto Rico are infused with a variety of different fruity flavors such as Coconut, pineapple, banana, passion fruit, etc. just to name a few. Well as you know if you have been following us since day one. We like to take a food profile and put a Pink Papaya twist on it and just for those who are wondering…Yes, our recipe includes Bacardi Rum distilled in Puerto Rico that has been infused with Coconut and Pineapple so no wimpy cheese cake on this food blog!!! Ok, back to the recipe. Our crust is a coconut cookie crumb with macadamia nuts for some crunchy tropical goodness. The filling is made with fresh Puerto Rican Pineapples and Coco lopez cream of coconut “Because we all know what makes a good Piña Colado and we want that Authentic Piña Colada flavor that Mochito invented to really come through in this recipe!”. Now one thing you may or may not know about Puerto Ricans. We are huge fans of cheese and fruit. To be honest, We do not know many people that aren’t fans of this combo. So we decided to marry the cheese cake with coconut and pineapple throughout the filling. But to ensure you don’t go weak in the knees, we are creating a solid foundation and are giving you a coconut macadamia crust base and adding a perfectly smooth pineapple rum glaze and roasted coconut flakes up the sides. One bite of this tropical deliciousness and The Pink Papaya will whisk you away to a warm Puerto Rico beach sipping on a Piña Colada. Buen Provecho!!

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Course Dessert

Servings 1 10" Cheesecake

Ingredients

Macadamia Coconut Crust

1 ¾ cup coconut cookie crumbs
1 cup coconut flakes (toasted)
½ cup macadamia nuts (toasted)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter

Coconut/Pineapple Filling

4 8 oz Packages of Philadelphia cream cheese (Softened)
½ cup brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup Cream of Coconut (Coco Lopez or Similar)
¼ cup Coconut Rum (Bacardi or Similar)
3 Tbsp. Coconut Milk
1 Lemon (Zested)
4 tsp. Coconut extract
8 oz. crushed pineapple
1 Tbsp. Vanilla bean paste

Cheesecake Toppings

¼ cup Pineapple Rum (Bacardi or Similar)
½ cup pineapple juice
2 tsp. Corn starch
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup Pineapple Chunks

Garnishes

Coconut Flakes (Toasted)

Instructions

Gather your ingredients for your crust
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Lightly spray a 10 inch springform pan with Pam.
Place your baking rack on the middle level.
Wrap your pan with a Reynolds Roasting plastic bag so that water does not get into your batter when baking.
Place the wrapped pan on a sheet pan.
In the bowl of a food processor or a dry blender. (If you don't have either, use a gallon ziplock and crush to the consistency of wet sand.) Combine your cookies, coconut flakes and macadamia nuts.
Pulse until the consistency of sand.
Place your butter in the microwave until melted.
Pour your melted butter into your blender and blend until mixed. It should look like wet sand.
Once blended pour into your pan.
Press the crust mixture on the entire bottom and 1 inch up the sides. We use a measuring cup to make it easy
Place in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Once golden brown, Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Now gather the ingredients for your filling
Ensure you have your beater attachment on your mixer
In the mixing bowl place the room temperature cream cheese and sugar. Then beat on medium speed until fluffy. About 3 minutes.
Add in one egg at a time until fully incorporated. (Remember to never ever crack eggs on the side of your mixing bowl, doing this can contaminate your mixture if you have a bad egg or shells. For safety reasons, crack separately into small bowls.)
Add to your mixture the Cream of coconut, Coconut milk, Coconut Rum, lemon zest, vanilla bean paste and Coconut extract.
Blend until fully incorporated.
Into your cheesecake batter fold in your crushed pineapples
Then pour your batter onto your prepared crust.
Place your springform pan into a roasting pan (Make sure it is large enough to place your springform pan) and fill with hot water about one inch up the side of your springform pan and place in the oven. (This is what the wrap is for. It is a extra safety measure to prevent water from getting into springform pans)
Bake your cheesecake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the edge is set and the center is wiggley.
Turn off your oven and open the door. Leave your cheesecake in the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and the plastic wrap, then let cool on a rack for about 30 minutes.
After the 30 minutes. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or for a better result over night. Now lets move to our topping.
Gather your ingredients for your Pineapple rum glaze topping
Mix the cornstarch with your pineapple juice
Stir until the cornstarch is perfectly blended and lump free
To make your pineapple rum glaze you will need a medium saucepan. Place the saucepan on medium heat and add in your butter
Once the butter is melted add in the pineapple juice, pineapple rum and sugar.
Mix well and then add in your pineapple chunks.
Cook over medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly.
Once it comes to a boil. Let simmer for one minute until the sauce slightly thickens.
Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Once cooled, pour in a bowl and cover.
Place in the fridge next to your filling until the filling is ready.
When ready to serve, pull everything out of the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap from both the filling and the cake. Now loosen the spring form and carefully lift it so as not to damage the cheesecake.
Onto the sides of your cheesecake, gently press the roasted coconut shreds onto the cake. We also like to add some flakes to the top to create a border for the filling.
Now that the coconut flakes are on. Place your pineapple compote in the center forming a mound and bordering your coconut rim.
To give it an added flare. We decided to add some cherries because why not!
Enjoy!