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Do you need a delicious, creamy, tropical tasting dessert for your next family dinner? This recipe for Pineapple Dream Cheesecake is all of the above. Featuring layers of cream cheese, whipped topping, and coconut all encased in a crunchy graham cracker crust, this dessert will have everyone asking for seconds.
Everyone loves eating a homemade dessert, but often, due to busy schedules, and the way that life happens, nobody has time to bake a cake or whip up a pie from scratch before a family dinner. In fact, many people are lucky to be able to squeeze in that time with loved ones. That is why every good cook should have a few delicious dessert recipes that come together quickly, giving everyone the taste of homemade treats in just a few minutes.
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Pineapple Dream Cheesecake Recipe
This dessert fits that bill perfectly. In just a few easy steps, you can create this dessert and everyone will enjoy it just as much as something that took a long time to bake. In fact, you may even be able to hand your teenager the recipe and have them create it for the family. This recipe for Pineapple Dream Cheesecake is that simple!
Equipment
- Oven
- Bowl
- Microwave
- stirrer
- Fork
- Baking Pan
- Metal Measuring Cup
- Paper Towel
- Electric Mixer
- Spatula
- lid aluminum foil
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Crust:
- 2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (2 sleeves)
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Ingredients for the Layers:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup softened butter
- 4 oz softened cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz whipped topping (one package, thawed)
- 20 oz crushed pineapple well drained
- 12 pieces maraschino cherries
- ¼ cup coconut
Instructions
- Turn your oven on to 300 degrees to preheat.
- Place the butter for the crust in a large bowl. Microwave the butter for about 20 to 30 seconds until it is completely melted. Stir the sugar and 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs into the melted butter with a fork, tossing the ingredients to coat them in butter. Reserve about a half cup of the graham cracker crumbs for later.
- Press the crumbs into the bottom of a nine by nine inch square baking pan, using a metal measuring cup to firmly press to create a layer of crumbs. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for eight to ten minutes.
- While the crust is baking, put the ¼ cup coconut into a shallow baking pan and scatter it to form a thin layer. Place the coconut into the oven as the crust is baking. Stir the coconut every three or four minutes and remove it from the oven when it is evenly golden brown. Set the coconut aside to cool.
- Take the crust out of the oven as well and set it aside to cool completely.
- Use a paper towel to wipe out the bowl in which you stirred together the ingredients for the crust. To this bowl, add the cream cheese and the butter. Beat these together with an electric mixer at low speed until they are creamy. Add the powdered sugar one half cup at a time, beating until it is fully incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and continue beating it for a full minute.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the pineapple and beat again, just until it is incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to spread the cream cheese over the crust in the pan. Scrape out the bowl well with the spatula.
- Add the whipped topping to the mixing bowl and use a rubber spatula to fold the pineapple into the whipped topping. Spread this mixture over the top of the cream cheese mixture in the baking pan.
- Place the maraschino cherries on the top of the dessert in an attractive pattern and sprinkle the toasted coconut on the top of the dessert as well. Finally, scatter the reserved graham cracker crumbs on the top of the pan.
- Cover the dessert with a lid or aluminum foil. Refrigerate for at least four hours.
- Cut the dessert into squares and scoop them out with a spatula. Refrigerate leftovers for up to five days, tightly covered with a lid.
Notes
First, you will create a basic graham cracker crust. It only takes a few minutes to crush some graham crackers, stir them up with melted butter and a bit of sugar and press them into a baking pan. As you bake the crust, you can toss the coconut in the oven as well to brown it.
Browning the coconut gives the top of the dessert a gorgeous touch! Next, you will whip up the cream cheese layer. This layer is super easy to create and only consists of a few ingredients.
Powdered sugar dissolves quickly in the cream cheese so there’s no need to beat it for very long. The filling will be light and fluffy with all of the goodness of cream cheese and a touch of pineapple. After you spread the filling in the pan, you will top it with a container of whipped topping mixed with pineapple.
The top of the dessert is studded with maraschino cherries just for looks. If you don’t like the cherries, feel free to leave them out. However, if you want to include more, that’s fine too! Sprinkle coconut and graham cracker crumbs on top and the dessert is assembled.
It only needs a few hours of refrigeration before it is ready to eat! Enjoy!
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