Pinkglow® Pineapple Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the crust

  • 12 sheets of graham crackers (finely crushed)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons butter (melted)

For the lemon cheesecake

  • 32 ounces cream cheese (4 bricks, softened)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about two lemons)
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs (room temperature)

For the Pinkglow® Pineapple jam topping

  • 1 Pinkglow® Pineapple (crushed, about 2 cups)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

To make the crust

  1. Use a food processor to finely crush 12 graham cracker sheets, then pour them into a medium-sized bowl.
  2. Add melted butter and sugar. Mix until well-combined.
  3. Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan. Use the back of a measuring cup or your fingers to press the graham cracker mixture evenly throughout the bottom of the pan.
  4. Set aside.

To make the lemon cheesecake

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, cream the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Scrape down the bowl once complete.
  3. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, flour and salt. Mix until well combined, then scrape down the bowl.
  4. Add the eggs and mix until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and fold together until well combined.
  5. Pour the mixture over the prepared crust and bake using a water bath for 50-60 minutes, or until the center only jiggles slightly.
  6. Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. Then remove it from the oven and the water bath and allow it to cool to room temperature.
  7. Place the cheesecake in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).

To make the Pinkglow® Pineapple jam

  1. Chop up an entire Pinkglow® Pineapple and use a food processor to crush the pineapple.
  2. Pour the crushed pineapple into a medium-sized saucepan and add the sugar, water and cornstarch. Mix well and place it on the stove on medium heat.
  3. Cook for 3-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened.
  4. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
  5. Spread the jam evenly over the chilled lemon cheesecake and serve!