Pineapple cheesecake with pineapple curd, an origin story
So, funny story. I planned on making a cheesecake post and video for National Cheesecake Day, as did every other food blogger.
I made the mistake of asking my husband if he wanted a particular flavor. He responded with marshmallow, raspberry and pineapple. Note, he didn’t say either or, he said all of them. Together. Mind you, he loves weird food combinations but I suspect he’s just testing my culinary resolve.
Me: What kind of cheesecake should I make?
Him: Marshmallow, raspberry and pineapple.
Me: All of them?
Him: Yes.
Me: Together in one cheesecake?
Him: Yes.
Me: Yuck.
Shaking off my initial disgust and bewilderment at breaking all kinds of culinary laws, I considered each flavor individually. Marshmallow cheesecake? What, are we in kindergarten? Raspberry? Again? Pineapple? Hmmm….I’d usually do lemon cheesecake (which I luurv) but what if I do pineapple cheesecake with pineapple curd? That, my hubs agreed, would be fantastic! Off I went for ingredients.
Trust me, this is going somewhere…
I got home, spread everything out, ready to go and my DH struck up a new conversation:
Him: What day is it tomorrow again?
Me: National Cheesecake Day.
Him: Ummm…(glances at his computer screen) Look again.
Me: !*&!%!*… CheeseSTEAK DAY!!!!! I’m making a cheescake on cheesesteak day! (apparently, just like every other food blogger)(SMH).
I personally think he purposefully withheld this information in order to get a cheesecake outta me and it worked.
Undaunted, I completely ignored National CheeseSteak Day and went on my merry way to make my pineapple cheesecake with pineapple curd. I think I made the right choice. 😉
Let’s proceed, shall we?
Pineapple cheesecake with pineapple curd, something a little different
Putting It Together
This pineapple cheesecake with pineapple curd is not a New York style cheesecake. It’s not as dense and firm, nor as tall as New York style. This is also NOT an Italian cheesecake. The texture of that dessert is just too much for me: dry and grainy ricotta cheesecake is a piece of my Italian heritage that I can’t embrace. No disrespect to mia famiglia or fans, but it’s a big No in my book.
My cheesecake is luxuriously creamy and smooth. It is pleasantly sweet, but has a nice tang to it. And, while cheesecake is not “light” by any means, this is weirdly lighter tasting than most.
Trying A Different Crust
Traditional cheesecakes are generally made with a graham cracker crust.
I’ve gotta tell you…not a fan. It is my personal opinion that the overly “wheaty” nature of graham crackers interferes with the creamy yumminess of cheesecake. I remember tasting it as a kid and loving the creamy part and picking off the crust. Blasphemy, I know.
I made the jump to a tea biscuit crust. My favorite cookies to use are Social Teas , but they aren’t easy to find, so I used these Kedem Original Tea Biscuits (original or plain…not flavored and get 2 packages because you need 5 1/2 ounces total), which worked just as nicely. I think that once you try this crust, you’ll be a convert and never go back to graham crackers again. However, if you have your heart set on graham crackers, just use them instead of the tea biscuits and use the same ratios. Don’t worry, I won’t judge you. 😉
The Pineapple Curd
When making the curd, be sure to use canned or boxed juice from concentrate. DO NOT use juice from fresh pineapple because it contains an enzyme called Bromelain that will inhibit the thickening of the curd. “Processed” pineapple juice is heated and breaks down the Bromelain so thickening will not be a problem. In fact, I have a perfect pineapple curd recipe here!
Tips for Cheesecake Success:
1. In order to bake a great cheesecake, you should use a water bath. This is called a Bain-Marie.
“Put a cheesecake in a water bath?? Well, that seems ridiculous!”, you say. ”Why on earth would I want to do that??”
Cheesecakes need humidity while baking. Placing the cheesecake in a pan with hot water and putting the whole thing in the oven helps the cake to rise evenly and prevents cracking. Although it sounds a little unwieldy and dangerous, it’s way easier than you think. It takes just a few minutes and it helps the cheesecake to come out great. You do have to wrap the cake pan in foil to prevent leaks, but that’ss not difficult to do either and I’ll show you how.
Nerd fact: A Bain Marie means Mary’s bath and it stems from the 1st century AD. This was the invention of Mary the Prophetess, who was an alchemist, and the name survived all these years.
2. You need to cool the cheesecake down properly.
- You must leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool for an hour in the water bath. Again, this prevents cracking and falling of the cake. Nobody likes a deflated cake.
- After that, you’ll need to cool it at room temperature before chilling. If you put it in the fridge straight out of the water bath, condensation will form on the surface of the cheesecake.
- Finally, you’ll need to chill it in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
“UGH! All of this cooling down and chilling seems to take a really long time!”, you say. It is true that cheesecake is not a quick dessert and you need to plan ahead for a 10 hour timeframe, but most of this time is hands off, so you can totally go do something else.
If you are looking for a classic cheesecake with an interesting spin, I think you’ll enjoy this. Just follow the tips above (and in the recipe) and you’re sure to be successful. Give it a try!
Have a great dessert!
Tracy at Real Not Perfect
Pineapple Cheesecake with Pineapple Curd
Equipment
- 9 or 10 inch springform pan
- roasting pan for water bath large enough to fit the springform pan and fill halfway with water
- heavy duty aluminum foil 2- 18 inch sheets
- stand mixer or hand held mixer
Ingredients
- 1 full recipe of pineapple curd *click link for Pineapple Curd post
Tea Biscuit Crust
- 5 1/2 ounces tea biscuit cookies
- 3 tbsp granulated white sugar
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake filling
- 1 1/4 cups granulated white sugar (250 grams)
- 1 1/2 lbs cream cheese – full fat (3 – 8 ounce packages), at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream – full fat
- 1 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
Pineapple curd:
- Make 1 full recipe of pineapple curd first so it has time to cool. Store in the refrigerator until needed. Can be made days in advance and stored in an airtight container.
Tea Biscuit Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C- gas mark 3) and place the oven rack to low-middle.
- In a food processor, process the tea biscuit cookies to a fine crumb.
- While the processor is on, pour the sugar in and then pulse 2-3 more times until combined.
- Add the melted butter in a steady steam while the processor is on. Pulse several times more until the crumbs are evenly moistened. You may have to remove the top and scrape the bottom with a silicone spatula to make sure the butter is spread evenly through the crumbs. Mixture will look sandy.
- Pour the cookie crumbs into the springform pan and press them firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan, taking care not to get them on the sides of the pan. Take a flat bottomed glass and press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake the crust until light golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on rack for 20-30 minutes.
- After the crust is cooled down completely wrap the outside of the springform pan in 2 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil to make it watertight.
Cheesecake filling:
- While the tea biscuit crust is baking, make the pineapple reduction. In a small saucepan, simmer the pineapple juice on medium low heat until it's reduced to 1/3 of a cup. Approximately 12-15 minutes. It will be thicker and darker in color. Don't boil it. Set it aside to cool.
- While the crust is cooling, boil 8 cups of water for the water bath (bain-marie). I like to do this in a tea kettle so it’s easy to pour the water into the roasting pan. Keep it warm until we are ready to pour it in the roasting pan for the water bath.
- While the crust is cooling, in a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or a hand-mixer), beat the cream cheese to break it up for 10 seconds. On low speed, slowly add the sugar then increase to medium and beat until well combined, smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl down with a silicone spatula. Add the sour cream, pineapple reduction, lemon juice, vanilla and salt and beat on medium speed until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl down again.
- On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time until just blended in. Don't overmix. After the eggs are completely blended, scrape the bowl down once more.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the cooled springform pan with the foil wrapped around it.
- Put the springform pan into a large roasting pan and place the roasting pan into the oven. Carefully, pour boiling water into the roasting pan, taking care to not splash water into the cake. Fill the roasting pan so the water comes halfway up the outside of the springform pan. Please be careful to not burn yourself.
- Bake the cheesecake for 55-70 minutes. When the cheesecake is done, it will tighten at the edges and the center will have a slight jiggle when you shake the pan. The temperature of the cake should be 150-155 degrees F/ 65.5 – 68.3 degrees C.
- When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and slightly prop open the oven door. Leave the cake in the cooling oven for an hour in order to gradually cool the cheesecake. This prevents the cake from cracking and keeping the top smooth and even.
- After an hour, take the cheesecake out of the water bath and remove the aluminum foil from the outside of the springform pan. Set it on a cooling rack on the counter and let it cool down to room temperature, approximately 2 hours more.
- When the cheesecake is completely cooled, keep the cake in the springform pan. Top with the pineapple curd on the cheesecake. Spread it in an even layer all over the top with an offset spatula or a silicone spatula.
- Cover the springform pan tightly and refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Carefully release the springform pan rim. Cut the cheesecake into wedges and serve.
