Coconut in its best form: toasted coconut flakes, coconut cream and coconut extract make this cake so delicious!
Toasted coconut is folded into the crust and sprinkled on top of the baked cheesecake. Coconut cream makes this cheesecake so decadent and coconut extract gives it the extra amount of flavor!
Coconut cream makes this cheesecake extra creamy
Coconut cream is basically the rich fatty part of the coconut. Compared to coconut milk coconut cream has a higher amount of coconut oil. Often times when you open a can of coconut cream you find a hard layer of coconut oil on top and underneath a clear liquid. Once mixed together it looks like milk. You can substitute it with coconut milk
Read here how to get a perfectly smooth cheesecake!
In general this is a pretty easy cheesecake with an easy and forgiving decoration. In case you ended up getting cracks on your cheesecake you can cover them up with toasted coconut flakes!
The coconut cream cheese frosting is some of the best stuff I have had in a while! It is creamy, thick and has great flavor!
These are the cheesecake pans that I always use in my recipe videos: Springform pan and Removable bottom pan
A 8 inch springform pan is the traditional choice to make most cheesecake recipes. I usually use it for no bake cheesecakes. For baked cheesecakes I prefer the removable bottom pan. It has the advantage of fitting a water bath snuggly around it.
Coconut Cheesecake
Ingredients:
24 oz (680 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) sugar
3 tbsp flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp coconut extract
1 cup coconut cream, or milk
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream
For the Graham coconut crust:
1 1/2 cups (180 g) graham cracker crumbs (14 crackers)
3/4 cup (72 g) toasted coconut flakes
6 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp sugar
For the coconut cream cheese frosting:
8 oz (226 g) cream cheese
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp coconut extract
1/3 cup of toasted coconut for decoration
Check out my almond coconut cheesecake tutorial while this one is in the making
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spread out sweetened coconut flakes on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 5 to 8 minutes. Check after 5 minutes to stir coconut flakes. When it has browned enough, set it aside to cool. Crush up Graham cracker in a food processor or use a zip lock bag and a rolling pin to make cookie crumbs. Also shred the toasted coconut flakes if they are too long. Mix the fine crumbs with melted butter and sugar. Press the mixture in a lined and oiled spring form pan and bake it for about 10 to 12 minutes. Let it come to room temperature. Reduce the oven temperature to 310 °F.
Step 2:
To make the cheesecake filling, start off with a large bowl or use a food processor. Add the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, coconut extract and flour to a big mixing bowl and mix it until smooth for about 4 minutes. Scrape it down after each mixing step to ensure no lumps are left. Add in sour cream and eggs. Mix until smooth for about 2 minutes.
Step 3:
Fill the cheesecake batter on top of the cooled cookie crust. To bake the cake cover the spring form pan in aluminum foil or a silicon baking pan to make sure no water can enter. Place it in a slightly bigger baking pan and fill it 1 inch high with water. Bake the cake in this water bath at 310 °F for about 80 minutes until the top turns golden brown. Turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven for about 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and water bath and cut around the edge to prevent cracking. Let it come to room temperature for another 30 minutes. Then let it cool over night or for at least 6 hours in the fridge.
Step 4:
To decorate the cake make a coconut cream cheese frosting. Into a medium sized mixing bowl add cream cheese, butter and coconut oil. Mix it until it is fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and mix again to make sure there are no lumps. Add coconut extract and vanilla and mix it in. Add powdered sugar little by little. Mix it on a low speed and do not over mix it as it tends to get runny. If it is too soft place it in the fridge for a few minutes. Fill it in a piping bag with a big star tip.
Step 5:
Decorate the cake with toasted coconut flakes and pipe some swirls of coconut frosting around the edge. Place a Raffaelo coconut candy on top of each swirl and it is ready to be served.
Enjoy!
**PRO-TIPS**
Serve cheesecake directly from the fridge! The longer the cheesecake stays at room temperature the softer it gets!
Don’t overbake the cheesecake as it will continue baking while cooling down. When the cake has a slightly jiggly texture in the center it is done baking.
To ensure a crack free cheesecake I recommend to read this cheesecake recipe.
Use one more cream cheese package for a taller cheesecake
