Chocolate Coconut Cheesecake

One of my all-time favorite desserts is cheesecake. All that delicious sweetened cream cheese…how can you resist? I surely can’t!

I’m pretty sure I’ve never met a cheesecake I didn’t like. American style, New York style, topped with fruit, scented with citrus, I love them all. But my favorite is chocolate. Luscious, rich, decadent chocolate. Yum.

I was recently asked to create a recipe to pair with a variety of Liberté yogurt. Now, if you’ve never tried Liberté, you should treat yourself to some on your next grocery shopping trip. It’s luscious, rich, and decadent…sound familiar? Yes, the very same words I use to describe this cheesecake apply equally to the paired yogurt.

For this special Chocolate Coconut Cheesecake, I created a chocolate cookie crust that contains coconut and cinnamon. That chocolate-coconut-cinnamon combination is really divine. And I also added cinnamon into the cheesecake batter as well. Then for the crowning touch, I added a chocolate ganache and toasted coconut to the top. And if that wasn’t enough, I paired this glorious cheesecake with Liberté‘s coconut yogurt. Luscious, rich, decadent.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground. Add butter, coconut, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Pulse again to combine.

Transfer the cookie mixture to a 9-inch springform pan. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Wipe out the bowl and blade of the food processor. Add cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Process until smooth. With the motor running, add eggs, then sour cream, then melted chocolate. Blend the filling until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl if needed (Note: you need a large food processor for this. A stand or handheld mixer works just as well.)

Pour the filling onto the crust and bake just until set, 1 hour. Turn oven off and let the cheesecake sit 1 hour in the oven without opening the door (helps prevent cracking).

Remove the cheesecake and run a knife around the edge of the pan (also helps prevent cracking). As you can plainly see, all these anti-cracking measures don’t always work. No worries! The chocolate ganache is going to cover that anyway! Leave the cheesecake in the pan and cool completely on wire rack. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Prepare the toasted coconut: Spread coconut on a sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully since coconut burns easily. When you start to smell the coconut, remove it from the oven immediately.

Prepare the chocolate ganache. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted. Set aside until thickened – about 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove sides of the springform pan. Spread ganache in the center of the cheesecake. Top with toasted coconut. Let the ganache set before serving.

Cut with a sharp knife run under hot water.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Cheesecake

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

A decadent chocolate cheesecake on a chocolate cookie and coconut base, topped with chocolate ganache and toasted coconut.

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Ingredients

• 1 9 oz. package chocolate wafer cookies
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 cup flaked coconut
• 6 tblsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted

For the Chocolate Ganache:

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate

For the Toasted Coconut:

• 1/2 cup coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground. Add butter, coconut, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Pulse again to combine.
3. Transfer the cookie mixture to a 9-inch springform pan. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside.
4. Wipe out the bowl and blade of the food processor. Add cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Process until smooth. With motor running, add eggs, then sour cream, then melted chocolate. Blend filling until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl if needed (Note: you need a large food processor for this. A stand or handheld mixer works just as well.)
5. Pour the filling onto the crust and bake just until set, 1 hour. Turn oven off and let the cheesecake sit 1 hour in the oven without opening the door (helps prevent cracking).
6. Remove the cheesecake and run a knife around the edge of the pan (also helps prevent cracking). Leave in pan and cool completely on wire rack. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
7. Prepare toasted coconut: Spread coconut on a sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully since coconut burns easily. When you start to smell the coconut, remove it from the oven immediately.
8. Prepare the chocolate ganache. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted. Set aside until thickened - about 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Remove sides of the springform pan. Spread ganache in the center of the cheesecake. Top with toasted coconut. Let the ganache set before serving.
10. Cut with a sharp knife run under hot water.

Notes

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 727 Total Fat: 53g Saturated Fat: 30g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 18g Cholesterol: 171mg Sodium: 517mg Carbohydrates: 61g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 47g Protein: 10g

Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritonix and may not always be perfectly accurate. Use your own judgment.

 I’m required by FTC rules to disclose to my readers that I am being compensated for my work on this post. A girl has to pay the bills, you know. But anything I say here is 100% my own opinion. Always has been, always will be.

Other cheesecake recipes you might enjoy from around the internet:

• Turtle Cheesecake from Brown Eyed Baker
• Simple Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifles from My Baking Addiction
• Kit Kat Cheesecake Brownies from Chocolate Moosey
• Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie from Joy the Baker
• Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles from She Wears Many Hats

What I was up to…

• One year ago: Butternut Squash with Pecans and Blue Cheese
• Two years ago: Apple-Pear Salad
• Three years ago: Caesar Salad Pizza
• Four years ago: Chicken and Dumplings