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CHOCO-COLADA CHEESECAKE RECIPE

The creamiest coconut cheesecake swirled with chocolate throughout sitting atop an intensely chocolate cookie base. An indulgent crowd-pleaser of a dessert.
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Ingredients
  

CRUST

  • 9 oz pkg Nabisco Famous chocolate wafer cookies
  • 7 Tbs unsalted butter melted

FILLING

  • 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
  • 4 8 oz packages cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tbsp whipping cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions
 

CRUST

  • Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. 
    Butter a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the outside with heavy duty aluminum foil making sure it will be watertight (no seams).  Have a deep-sided pan which is larger than the springform pan ready which will be used for a water bath. 
    Crush chocolate wafers into crumbs using either a food process or by hand.  Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter. 
    If you used a food processor to make the crumbs, just add the butter into the crumb and pulse a few times to combine. 
    Press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the springform pan and an inch up the sides.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Set aside on a rack to cool.

FILLING

  • Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler just until melted.  Set aside. 
    Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until smooth.  Add in sugar and beat until incorporated and smooth, stopping mixer to scrape down sides and beater.  Add in flour.  Beat to blend.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated.  Add cream and both extracts.  Scrape down sides of bowl and beaters.  Mix to combine. 
    Using a large spoon or spatula, stir the flaked coconut into the batter.  Pour the filling into the crust. 
    Using a clean spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the filling.  Use a sharp knife or chopstick (which works better) to swirl the chocolate through the top of the filling, leaving a marbled pattern.

TO BAKE

  • Put the cake pan into the larger pan and fill the larger pan with boiling or very hot tap water about 2 inches up the side of the pan.  This is generally more easily accomplished if you’ve sat the pans onto the oven rack first but you have to work fast. 
    Bake the cheesecake 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Check after one hour.  If it’s firm – no jiggle – remove then.  Otherwise, go the full time.  Remove from the oven and carefully from the water bath. 
    Remove the foil - keeping your oven mitts on - and set onto a cooling rack until completely cooled (a few hours if possible).  Once cooled to room temperature, wrap the cake (still in the springform pan) in plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours, preferably overnight.

TO SERVE

  • When you are ready to serve, loosen the sides of the springform pan and remove.  I leave the pan bottom and place the whole thing on a cake platter.  This cheesecake is rich so slices can be thin.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator.  It does freeze okay but needs to defrost overnight in the fridge.

Notes

CRUST:  Oreos with the creme removed can be used as a substitute if the Nabisco Famous Chocolate wafers cookies can't be found.
PLAN AHEAD:  This recipe works best if made the day before you plan on serving it.  In a pinch, you can start early the morning of but you really want the cake to have a chance to chill all the way through.