June 19, 2006

Chocolate Coconut Almond Cheesecake

cheesecakes, chocolate  // 
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For Father’s Day, my father said he wanted cheesecake. Flipping through my very favorite cheesecake book, I Love Cheesecake by Mary Crownover, I found what I had to make for him. Chocolate Coconut Almond Cheesecake. Essentially, it’s an Almond Joy cheesecake. This I knew he would love. His aunt used to make him a cake very similar to this every year for his birthday. I actually found her recipe for that cake the other day, but I’ll save that one for another day.

Before I go any further, I want to emphasize how good this cookbook is. No, there aren’t many pictures, as some like to have in their cookbook, but I have yet to make a recipe from this book that didn’t work perfectly. So, do yourself a favor. If you like cheesecakes, buy this book.


The original recipe is for a 9-inch pan, but I used a 10-inch and it was fine. I did add a few more cookies and some extra butter for the crust.

The cheesecake turned out beautifully, without a crack in sight. It did, indeed, taste very much like an Almond Joy candy bar. The consistency was wonderful – very creamy. The topping was rich and complemented the cheesecake nicely.

Chocolate Coconut Almond Cheesecake

Yield: 12-16 servings

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

For the crust:

  • 18 Oreos, crushed
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons toasted almonds

For the filling:

  • 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup cream of coconut
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 & 1/4 teaspoons almond extract
  • 2/3 cup flaked or freshly grated coconut
  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

For the topping:

  • 6 ounces (1 cup) milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • flaked or freshly grated coconut, for garnish
  • chopped toasted almonds, for garnish

Directions:

To make the crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
  2. Mix together crushed Oreos and melted butter. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan.

To make the filling:

  1. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, sugar, and corn starch until well-blended. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in coconut milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir in coconut and almonds.
  2. Pour filling onto crust. If necessary tilt pan gently or use a spatula to spread evenly.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes.
  4. Reduce oven temperature to 200°. Bake for 2 hours or until cheesecake is set.
  5. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan. Turn off the oven and return the cheesecake to the oven. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 2 hours.
  6. Then, remove cheesecake from oven, cover cheesecake, and chill overnight.

To make the topping:

  1. Combine chocolate chips, sour cream, and confectioners’ sugar in a medium saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly. Once mixture is melted and smooth, spread over chilled cheesecake. Garnish with coconut and chopped almonds.
  2. Chill cheesecake until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from I Love Cheesecake.

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