| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 10 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 35 min |
| Inactive: | 8 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr 55 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 9 chocolate graham cracker sheets
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the topping:
- 1 7-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut (about 2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups pecans
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- For the cheesecake:
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Position racks in the middle and lower third of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Make the crust: Wrap the outside (bottom and side) of a 9-inch springform pan with foil. Coat the inside of the pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pulse the graham crackers, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor until fine moist crumbs form, about 1 minute. Press evenly into the bottom and 1/4 inch up the side of the prepared pan. Bake until set, about 15 minutes; transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
- Make the topping: Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Spread the coconut on one and the pecans on the other. Bake, stirring the coconut once or twice, until the coconut and pecans are toasted, 12 to 15 minutes; let cool. Pulse the pecans in the food processer until coarsely chopped; transfer to a small bowl. Combine the butter, egg yolks, sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reduces and caramelizes slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped pecans and 1 1/2 cups coconut (reserve the remaining coconut for topping). Set aside to cool.
- Make the cheesecake: Fill a roasting pan halfway with water and set on the lower oven rack. Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted; let cool to lukewarm. Wipe out the food processor; add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder and salt and pulse until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides. Add the melted chocolate, sour cream and vanilla; pulse until combined.
- Transfer about half of the batter to the prepared crust; smooth with a spatula. Spoon about two-thirds of the topping evenly over the batter. Top with the remaining batter; smooth the top. Set on the middle oven rack (directly over the pan of water) and bake until set around the edge but the center still jiggles slightly, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Run a thin knife around the edge of the cheesecake and remove the springform ring. Microwave the remaining topping to soften, about 30 seconds (stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water to loosen, if necessary). Spread on top of the cheesecake; top with the reserved coconut.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 954 |
| Total Fat | 69 g |
| Saturated Fat | 36 g |
| Carbohydrates | 79 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 67 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 230 mg |
| Sodium | 482 mg |
Reviews
I made this excellent cheesecake for my husband’s birthday, and he loved it! It’s very rich, so we had small pieces, and I gave some to family members and froze some. I could not find chocolate graham crackers (at three stores), so I ground a box of Teddy Grahams and used 1 1/2 cups of the crumbs for the crust. Since Teddy Grahams have more sugar, I left the sugar out of the crust. It worked great. My topping was too thin even though I cooked it for longer than the recipe calls for, so after lightly spreading some in between the layers of cheesecake, I refrigerated the rest overnight to see if it would thicken more (it didn’t). The topping ingredients are similar to pudding, so I decided to use another pudding ingredient, cornstarch, as a thickener. In the morning, I heated up the topping and added 2 Tbs. of cornstarch, which worked like a charm. Once the topping thickened up on the stove, I let it cool and put it back in the fridge. I then topped the cake and added the extra coconut before serving.
Excellent cheesecake but a beast of a recipe. Definitely a project.
This is by far the best cheesecake I have ever had. It’s worth the time to make.
Made this for Thanksgiving. Takes awhile but everyone said it was the best dessert I ever made! Very rich and tasty. The 9 inch pan worked fine for me.
This is absolutely delicious! There are a number of steps so a bit time consuming, but worth it.The 9 inch springform pan worked just fine for me. This was part of the 12 months of chocolate recipes in the Food Network magazine and it was the best one. I know, because I made all 12 of them! 🙂
This needs a 10 inch springform pan. Mine overflowed like a soufflé and bits cracked off. Tastes great tho!
This is an amazingly delicious cheesecake. I’m not a big fan of different flavor cheesecakes (I like the traditional NY style dense cheesecake myself) but I have to say…this one is really very good. Make it for company because it goes a long way….it’s very rich.
Made for sister’s birthday. Looks amazing, haven’t tasted but directions also easy to follow.
Amazing!!
My hubby made this and in his words: “Tell them to hang on to their hats, because this is delicious! and I agree!