cheesecake in a jar •

Another month, another Joust over at The Leftover Queen’s forum! It is always a great event. Peter and his wife Christey at Fotocuisine won last month’s Joust and so they had the honor of picking this month’s ingredients. Instead of the usual food ingredients, they chose the colors red, green and white. I had something entirely different in mind until I saw Helen’s post. Now, my attempts will never come close to her creations, but who can resist the idea of Cheesecake in a jar?

Strawberry Kiwi Coconut Cheesecake •

I used the same cheesecake recipe as my previous post with the substitutions/additions in red. This recipe comes from Jenny over at Jenny Bakes.

crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup of sweetened flaked coconut

cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream (I used 1/2 cup heavy cream)
1 tbsp. lemon juice (I used 1 tablespoon lime juice)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake (I added 1 tablespoon of light rum)

Strawberry Layer:
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
Cook down until reduced by half. Cool.

Kiwi Layer:
1 cup sliced kiwi
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 c. sugar
Cook down until reduced by half. Cool.

I had enough filling for approximately 7 jars. I had enough batter and crust for a total of 10 jars. I made a mango/strawberry layer for the remaining jars. I baked the jars for 30 minutes at 275 degrees in a water bath, then let them cool down in the oven for an hour.