Pina Colada Cheesecake

Found online; Adapted from the recipe Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake *Cook/Prep time does not include cooling time*

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• Crust

• 2  cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1⁄2 cup  shredded coconut, toasted
• 1⁄2 cup butter, melted
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract

• Filling

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1  cup sugar
• 3  large eggs
• 1  cup coconut milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1  vanilla bean
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  coconut extract (can omit if you don't want a stronger coconut flavor)
• 3  tablespoons dark rum

• Topping

• 1  cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄3 cup water
• 4  teaspoons cornstarch
• 1⁄8 cup rum
• 1⁄2 cup coconut, toasted
• 1⁄2 cup  macadamia nuts or 1⁄2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into bottom and up sides of a 8 or 9” springform pan. (Wrap heavy duty foil around bottom of pan, 2 layers, so the water bath doesn’t seep into the crust.) Set in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.
4. Combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer). Cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Be sure to scrape down the bowl between each egg. Add coconut milk, seeds scraped from the vanilla bean, lemon zest, coconut extract and rum. Blend until smooth and creamy, but do not overbeat.
5. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place the pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.
6. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done. This can be hard to judge, but you’re looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don’t want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won’t crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from the oven and carefully lift out of the water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and refrigerator until overnight.
7. Place pineapple in a small saucepan. Stir the cornstarch and sugar together and add to the pineapple. Heat to boiling. Cook and stir until clear and thick, about 2 minutes. Take off heat and cool. Add the rum and stir until combined.
8. When topping is cool, spread over top of cheesecake and sprinkle the toasted coconut and chopped nuts on top.