Tapioca Cheesecake

By Tinkysmom55

from Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 2 c vanilla wafer cookie crums weighed after crushing
• 3/4 stick melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Tapioca:
• 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca
• Topping:
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Cheesecake batter:
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 (8 oz each) cream cheese at room tmperature
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp coconut extract

Preparation

Step 1

Crust: Pour melted butter and vanilla over cookie crumbs. Mix with fork until they are evenly moistened. Cut circle of parchment paper or wax paper to fit inside the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Spray the pan with cooking spray, set the paper circle in place, and spray with cooking spray again.

Place the moistened cookie crumbs in the bottom of the pan and press them down over the paper circle. Continue to press them until they reach one inch up the sides of the pan. Put the springform pan in the freezer for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the cheesecake.

Tapioca: In a medium sized saucepan, off the heat, whisk the coconut milk and eggs together unti they are uniform color. Add the sugar and the dry tapioca. Mix it all up and leave it on a cold burner for 5 minutes. You'll prepare the cheesecake topping next.

Topping: Mix the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle position.

Now cook the tapioca mixture over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Be careful it's easy to burn.
Bring it up to the boil and then pull it off the heat, give it a couple more stirs until it's no longer boiling, and let it cool while you make the cheesecake batter.

Cheesecake batter: Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the softened cream cheese and whip at medium speed until it's smooth. Add the tapioca mixture a spoonful at a time, mixing it into the batter. Make sure the mixture is not to hot so it cooks the eggs. If cool enough, add them, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and coconut extracts.

Take the crust out of the freezer and pour the batter on top of the chilled crust, set the pan on a cookie sheet to catch any drips and bake at 350 degrees for 70 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, but don't shut off the oven.

Starting in the center, spoon the sour cream topping over the top of the cheesecake, spreading it out to within a half-inch of the rim. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. When the pan is cool enough to pick up with your bare hands, chill uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. To serve, run a knife around the inside rim of the pan, release the springform catch and lift off the rim. Place a piece of waxed paper on a flat plate and tip it upside down over the top of the cheesecake. Invert the cheesecake so it rest on the paper. Carefully pry off the bottom of the springform pan and remove the paper from the bottom crust. Invert a serving platter over the bottom crust of your cheesecake. Flip the cheesecake right side up, take off the top plate, and remove the waxed paper.