Auntie Lois' Pineapple Cheesecake

This recipe has been a feature of our family gatherings for many years. No one really knows where it came from, but is was usually made by Auntie Lois and so has become known as Lois' cheesecake. There is quite a long and involved story around the acquisition of the recipe; lets just say that some people are more willing to share than others, and its taken a good 10 years for me to get my hands on this one. The original was written in ounces, so I have modified it into metric measures.

Auntie Lois' Pineapple Cheesecake

250g wine biscuits
125g butter 

a 425g can of crushed pineapple divided into 1 cup of drained crushed pineapple and 1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1 x 85g packet of lemon jelly crystals
1 1/4 cups boiling water
250g cream cheese
rind of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup cream

Crush the biscuits in a food processor and combine with the melted butter. 

Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a couple of loose bottomed dishes.











Dissolve the jelly in the boiling water, add the pineapple juice and leave to cool.













Once the jelly is nearly set, beat together the cream cheese, rind and vanilla until it is light and fluffy. 

Combine half a cup of the jelly with the drained crushed pineapple and set aside. 

Blend the remainder of the jelly mixture with the beaten cream cheese until well mixed. 

Beat the cream then fold it into the cheesecake mixture. 

Pour the mixture over the chilled biscuit base and refrigerate until firm. 

Now gently spoon the reserved crushed pineapple and jelly mixture over the set cheesecake filling and return it to the fridge. 

The cheesecake is best left to set overnight before serving. 

When your ready to serve it, release the cheesecake from the mould by placing the base on an inverted mug and pulling the dish sides down. Place the whole thing base and all onto your serving plate and your ready to serve.

The recipe makes enough for a couple of shallow cheesecakes or one deeper version. This is a lovely light cheesecake that is perfect for serving as part of a more substantial meal. 

Dessert is a big deal for our family at Christmas time. We all contribute to the spread.
Merry Christmas !