So, I’m rarely asked for my Duncan Hines brownie mix, -uh-hum, I mean recipe, but in an inspirational moment after seeing a new blog called “Recipes I Need,” I realized I should write down some of our favorite recipes just so I don’t forget! I think I will share a recipe now and then and pretend like I still cook. In all fairness to this recipe, I have gotten more rave reviews on it than almost any other recipe I have. And if you use the Cuisinart with the graham crackers and just keep using that bowl, it is a quick thing to prepare, even without softened cream cheese. Okay, you’re starting to get the idea of why this recipe draws the cheers—who doesn’t love tons of cream cheese, sour cream, and Coco Lopez cream de coconut? I’m not going to pretend this isn’t zillions of calories, but I can promise if you make it, people think you’ve gone way out of your way—and the best part is that it is very easy!
Enough of the introduction. Here it is:
Southern Living’s Festive Pina Colada Cheesecake
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 tablespoon sugar
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup cream of coconut (I use Coco Lopez)
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup light rum or 1 tablespoon rum extract
4 teaspoons coconut extract
Glaze
Garnishes: whipped cream and toasted coconut
Preparation
Stir together first 4 ingredients, and press into bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a lightly greased 10-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pineapple and next 4 ingredients, beating until blended. Pour mixture into crust. Bake cheesecake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack.
Glaze
Ingredients
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water object
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preparation
Stir together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water until smooth. Combine cornstarch mixture, crushed pineapple, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
Spread Glaze over top of cheesecake. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Garnish, if desired.
Yield
Makes 1 (10-inch) cake
Southern Living, DECEMBER 2001
annette geffert 
I have some very quick recipes coming up on the blog – one is Salsa Chicken. It’s too easy – and so delicious!
Enjoyed your post tonight – My man is in bed so I read and compute a lot! Why, yes, I could be cleaning the house:)
I love Southern Living also. SL and Food and Wine and Mother Earth News are the only magazines I get. We are kindred spirits, except you actually achieve a beautiful garden and some of those delicious dishes they concoct. On a good day, I love to cook, but it is a gift to me to others, so I rarely cook unless we have more than two in the house. We eat at home some, but I don’t call what I do for thrown together meals cooking. I have picked up Cooking Light several times at the bookstore and enjoy it. Maybe that would inspire me to get back in the swing of things again in the kitchen;)Thanks for your comments!
Annie – we have to talk:) Southern Living is one of my favorite subscriptions! We live in a small place of 10,000 and when I renewed my sub. in July, they told me I’m their lone subscriber in our town.
Do you ever get Cooking Light? And thanks for this delicious recipe!Kind of makes my mouth water just reading it:)