Contest Winning Tropical Cheesecake Food

CONTEST-WINNING TROPICAL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine coconut and almonds; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. , In a bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add cornstarch and beat well. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Add sour cream, lemon juice and extract; beat just until blended. Pour over crust. , Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. , In a small saucepan, melt preserves, stirring to break up any apricot pieces. Arrange pineapple and kiwi on top of cheesecake. Brush preserves over fruit and on sides of cheese cake. Press coconut onto the sides of the cheesecake. Chill until serving.

TROPICAL CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the base and sides of a 20 x 30cm rectangular tin with baking parchment. Put the biscuits into a large food bag and bash with something heavy like a rolling pin, alternatively blitz in a food processor. Put the biscuit crumbs into a large bowl and pour over the melted butter, stir well to combine then tip into your prepared tin. Press the mixture down well with the back of a spoon to form a compressed layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 mins. Take it out of the oven to cool and turn the oven down to 120C/100C fan/gas ½.
• In another large bowl whisk together the remaining cheesecake ingredients until smooth, you can do this with electric beaters or with a balloon whisk. Pour onto the biscuit base then scatter over the mango pieces here and there, pushing some of them into the cheesecake and letting others sit proud on the surface. Bake for 1hr then prop the oven door open and leave to cool for a further 30 mins. Once cold, chill the whole cheesecake in the fridge overnight.
• When you're ready to serve, push the passion fruit flesh through a sieve to get rid of the seeds then mix the resulting pulp with the lemon curd. Drizzle the mixture over the cheesecake and decorate with fresh mango, pineapple and mint leaves.

TROPICAL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk or electric mixer until well blended.
• Add whipped topping; stir gently until well blended. Reserve 1/4 cup each kiwi, mango and coconut for garnish. Stir remaining kiwi, mango and coconut into cream cheese mixture. Spoon into crust.
• Refrigerate 3 hours or until set. Top with reserved mango, kiwi and coconut. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

ALMOST-FAMOUS PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Brush a 10-inch springform pan with some of the butter. Stir the remaining butter with the crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly and evenly. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack, then wrap the outside of the springform pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar and beat until just light, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the sour cream, then add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and the spices and beat until just combined. Pour into the cooled crust.
• Gently place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out) and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door briefly to let out some heat. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, then carefully remove from the roasting pan and cool on a rack. Run a knife around the edges, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Unlock and remove the springform ring. To finish, place a dollop of the whipped cream on each slice and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.

THE ULTIMATE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• For the Crust:
• In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup or the smooth bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.
• For the Filling:
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not over-beaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan; the foil will keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle (it will firm up after chilling), so be careful not to overcook. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to a cake plate. Using a spatula spread a layer of Warm Lemon Blueberry topping over the surface.
• Slice the cheesecake with a thin, non-serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water. Wipe dry after each cut.
• In a small saucepan add all the ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or so until the fruit begins to break down slightly. Leave to cool before spreading on cheesecake.

TROPICAL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Stir in pineapple. In another bowl, combine dessert topping mix with milk and vanilla; beat until stiff. Fold into pineapple mixture. Spread evenly into crust. Chill.

CONTEST-WINNING PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE DESSERT

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; set aside. , In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, cinnamon and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust; sprinkle with nutmeg., Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of baking dish to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. , Cut into squares; serve with syrup and, if desired, sweetened whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers.