Equipment
Ingredients
Caramelized Pineapple Jam
- 300 g fresh pineapple, finely diced
- 45 g brown sugar, packed
- 15 ml lime juice
- 1 g sea salt
Gingersnap Crust
- 250 g gingersnap cookies
- 90 g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 g ground ginger
Coconut Lime Filling
- 450 g full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 110 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 120 ml coconut cream, chilled
- 3 g lime zest
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 30 g toasted coconut flakes
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 286 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 27 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 16 g
- Sodium
- 202 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 41 mg
- Potassium
- 145 mg
- Calcium
- 57 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 21 mg
- Phosphorus
- 69 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 126 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 9 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.12 mg
- Niacin
- 0.7 mg
- Folate
- 22 mcg
- Water
- 38 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Prepare the pineapple jam: Combine diced pineapple, brown sugar, lime juice (15ml), and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the pineapple turns golden and sticky. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Line a 20cm (8-inch) square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal later.
Make the crust: Pulse gingersnaps and ground ginger in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Freeze for 10 minutes to set.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until completely smooth and free of lumps. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the thick coconut cream (solids only), lime zest, and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until the mixture is thickened and airy. Do not overbeat to the point of separation.
Spread half of the cheesecake mixture over the chilled crust. Dollop half of the cooled pineapple jam randomly over the surface. Swirl gently with a knife. Repeat with the remaining cheesecake and pineapple.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight) to set. Before serving, lift the bars out using the parchment overhang, garnish with toasted coconut, and slice into 16 squares.
Chef's Notes
- To get the thickest coconut cream, place a can of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge the night before. Open it carefully and scoop off only the hard white layer at the top.
- For the cleanest slices, wipe your knife with a warm, damp cloth between every single cut.
- If you cannot find gingersnaps, Biscoff cookies or graham crackers mixed with 1 tsp of ground ginger make excellent substitutes.
- Ensure the pineapple jam is completely cool (room temperature or colder) before adding to the cheese mixture, or it will melt the fat and ruin the structure.
- This recipe relies on the stiffness of full-fat brick cream cheese. Do not use 'spreadable' or 'whipped' tub varieties.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Keep tightly covered to prevent absorbing fridge odors.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze individual bars wrapped in parchment and foil. Thaw in fridge for 2 hours.
Troubleshooting
Cheesecake mixture is runny or won't set
Cause: Used liquid coconut milk instead of the solid cream, or cream cheese was too warm/soft
Fix: Freeze the bars for 2-3 hours and serve as a frozen treat instead of refrigerated bars
Prevention: Only use the solid white cream from a chilled can of full-fat coconut milk; ensure cream cheese is room temp but not melting
Pineapple mixture is watery and making the filling weep
Cause: Pineapple wasn't cooked down enough to evaporate natural juices
Fix: Cannot be fixed once assembled
Prevention: Cook pineapple until the pan is almost dry and the fruit is sticky
Cultural Context
This dessert bridges the gap between the mid-century American 'icebox cake' tradition and tropical flavor profiles often found in Tiki culture. The use of gingersnap crust nods to the European speculoos tradition while providing a spicy counterpoint to the Caribbean-inspired lime and coconut pairing.
