Remember that Lick the Bowl Good Cookbook baking group that I joined?

Well it is still going strong!

And I am still happily baking away (although a little behind the rest of the group)!

For the month of April the group baked Pina Colada Mini Cheesecakes (page 59 Lick the Bowl Good: Classic Home-Style Desserts with a Twist).

I made this recipe for one of the desserts for our Easter dinner. Although it was a cheesecake, which tends to be heavy, these perfectly portioned cheesecakes with a refreshing coconut and pineapple flavor, were light and springy! Everyone at our Easter dinner loved them and raved about them!

The recipe in the cookbook says it makes 16 mini cheesecakes but I got 20 cheesecakes from the amount of cheesecake batter made exactly according to the recipe. Because of the amount of batter, I had to double the graham cracker crust and whipped cream in the original recipe.

Here are the exact changes I made:

Double the graham cracker crust to make 21 mini cheesecakes.
Double the coconut whipped cream topping. This was the only part of the recipe I had trouble with. Making homemade whipped cream is extremely easy, and something I do all the time. But if one little thing is off, then well you might run into a bit of trouble. The recipe in the cookbook was a basic whipped cream recipe (heavy cream, flavoring extract, and powdered sugar) but also included some of the cream of coconut. I tried making the coconut whipped cream according to the recipe twice and could not get it to set up. So I omitted the cream of coconut and doubled the coconut extract called for in the recipe and then I had homemade whipped cream dreaminess!

I would definitely make these cheesecakes again with the changes I mentioned above, especially since they were the first dessert to go at our Easter dinner!

Mini Pina Colada Cheesecakes

Yield: 20 mini cheesecakes

Bite sized mini cheesecakes that taste like a popular tropical drink.

Ingredients

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
-
PINA COLADA CHEESECAKE:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup cream of coconut*
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
-
COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM:
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
-
GARNISH:
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
20 fresh raspberries

Instructions

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a standard muffin tin with 20 paper liners. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter, stirring until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
Spoon approximately one heaping tablespoon of graham cracker crumbs in each of the muffin cups. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of each cupcake liner.
Bake crust in preheated oven for 5 minutes, then cool completely.

PINEAPPLE CHEESECAKE:

In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until creamy and no lumps remain.
Slowly add the sugar and mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat just until combined. Beat in the cream of coconut, crushed pineapple, coconut and rum extracts, beating until well combined.
Using a large cookie scoop, scoop and divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, in a preheated 325°F. Cheesecakes may puff slightly in the oven and the center may be a little jiggly, but they will firm up as they set.
Cool to room temperature, then place the cheesecakes, still in the pans, in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM:

In a medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, coconut extract and the powdered sugar. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the ingredients together until the mixture has doubled in volume and soft peaks form.
Right before serving, pipe the coconut whipped cream over the tops of the chilled cheesecakes.
Garnish with shredded coconut and fresh raspberries, if desired.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.