Recently we were lucky enough to get a visit from my Aunty Irene who lives in Mittagong in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. She doesn’t get to visit too often so we had a family get together celebrate and my contribution to the occasion was this Pineapple Cheesecake.
Last time she visited I made my Pavlova and being the ‘desserts girl’ it was time to try something different this time. Because I have had a can of crushed pineapple in the pantry for ever, I searched for a recipe to use it up. Hummingbird Cake was a close contender until I stumbled on this Pineapple Cheesecake recipe in the “Heavenly Moments” Cookbook from Kraft (a cookbook filled with all things cream cheese). That worked doubly well because I also had two blocks of cream cheese that had been sitting in the fridge for a while (since I did the ‘3 for 1’ deal to get the second Kraft cream cheese cookbook).
Anyway, the cheesecake was a breeze to make and tasted great. My picture doesn’t look quite as glamorous as that in the book (didn’t have any fresh rambutans or mangoes on hand), but it’s the taste that matters. Right?
Oh, and lastly, it’s a no bake cheesecake, so make sure to allow time for setting.
Pineapple Cheesecake
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups (155g) sweet biscuit crumbs
80g butter, melted
2/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 tbsp gelatine, dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water, cooled
2 x 250g blocks cream cheese, softened
450g can crushed pineapple in syrup, well drained
300ml thickened cream, lightly whipped
Fresh fruit to decorate
Method:
Line the base of a 24cm springform pan with baking paper. Combine the biscuit crumbs and butter and press into pan base. Refrigerate.
Add sugar and water to a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and keep at a rolling boil for 6 minutes. At this point it should be at the ‘softball’ stage. That is, when a bit of the syrup is dropped into cold water it will form a soft ball. This stage is at 118C if you have a candy thermometer. Turn off the heat.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Gradually pour in the hot sugar syrup and combine. Next pour in the gelatine mixture and continue beating for a few more minutes. The mixture should be pale, thick and lukewarm.
In a separate large bowl, beat the cream cheese with electric mixer until nice and smooth. Fold in the egg mixture, crushed pineapple and whipped cream. Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate until set – a couple of hours. Decorate top with fresh fruit before serving.
The Klutzy Cook Notes
- I used Arnotts Marie biscuits for the base – they are always good for cheesecakes – but any plain sweet biscuits will do.
- Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature for about an hour beforehand if possible to soften it. Otherwise, a quick burst in the microwave on medium will do the trick.
- Decorate with whatever seasonal fruits you have on hand. I used passionfruit which worked really well.
Hope you enjoy trying this recipe and if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Plus, tell your friends on Facebook (click the icon below) so they can try it too!
