strawberry- coconut cheesecake

strawberry- coconut cheesecake

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 40 min + chill time

Cook Time: 1 hr, 50 min

I prepared this cheesecake and entered it into the cheesecake contest at the San Diego County Fair. I got second place! The filling is a creamy coconut flavor with a touch of strawberry on top. Rich and delicious!!

Ingredients:

CRUST:
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted- divided
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup granulated white sugar

FILLING:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 Tablespoon cornstarch
4 large eggs
1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez)
1/4 cup coconut rum (such as Malibu)
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract

TOPPING:
1/4 cup seedless strawberry jam
2 Tablespoons water
3 (1-pint) containers strawberries, stemmed and sliced

Directions:

1. Prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2-inch sides with 1 Tablespoon melted butter. Blend crumbs, coconut, sugar, and remaining butter in medium bowl. Press mixture over bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust until lightly browned at edges, about 10 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

2. Prepare filling: Using electric mixer, beat 1st four ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in cream of coconut, rum and coconut extract. Pour batter over crust. Lay out 2 layers of heavy duty foil; set cake pan on top of the foil and lift into a large roasting pan. Fold sides up to create a "bowl" with the foil. Add enough water to the roasting pan to come 1 inch up the sides of the cake pan. Cover roasting pan with foil.

3. Bake cake in roasting pan for 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake until cake is pale brown, puffed and just set in the center, about 40 minutes. Set your pan on your cool stove and cool in the water bath for 2 hours. Remove from water; gently remove sides of springform pan. Chill cake for 3 hours. This part may be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

4. On the day of serving- prepare topping: Simmer jam and 2 Tablespoons water in small saucepan. Brush top of cake with warm jam. Overlap berries atop cake, covering completely. Brush remaining jam over berries; chill until ready to serve.

Tips:

*It's okay to use sweetened coconut if you are unable to find unsweetened.
*Cream of coconut can be found in the liquor department of your grocery store, or at liquor stores.