Ambrosia Cheesecake

Recipe Categories : | Cheesecake | MAIN INDEX |

Ingredients :

• 1½ cups flaked coconut
• ¼ cup chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 24 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tspn grated orange peel
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
• ½ cup apricot nectar
• ½ cup cream of coconut
• 4 large eggs
• 8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
• sliced assorted fruits ( bananas, seedless green and red grapes, kiwifruit, canned mandarin-orange slices, strawberries)
• 2 teaspoons shortening, melted
• ¼ cup semisweet chocolate pieces, melted
• ¼ cup white chocolate pieces, melted

Preparation and Cooking Instructions :

1. Day before serving : Preheat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine coconut, almonds and butter; mix well. Press mixture into bottom of 9" springform pan. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool.

2. In large bowl of electric mixer, at high speed, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, orange peel and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in apricot nectar and cream of coconut. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended. Stir in pineapple; pour into prepared crust. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until set. Cool in pan on wire rack; refrigerate overnight.

3. Just before serving, arrange fruit over top of cake. Stir one teaspoon melted shortening into each of melted semisweet and white chocolates until blended. Place each mixture in a separate small pastry bag fitted with small plain tip; pipe over fruit.