We’re in a bit of a celebratory mood this evening, so it’s time to break out the cheesecake! I actually made this a couple of days ago, because cheesecakes tastes a lot better when they’re left to sit for a couple of days. It’s not always easy to do, but 24 hours is pretty much the minimum.

Nonna really likes cheesecake and she really likes coconut, so I thought  a combo of the two would be something fun. I was right. It’s fun. And really creamy and yummy, too!

I made it a bit differently than my usual cheesecake.  Since I put in a whole can of Coco Lopez, I added another egg and cut back on the sugar because the coconut cream is sweetened. The crust was pre-baked to make it crisper and the whole shebang was baked at a low temperature to keep it from cracking.

I have a nasty habit of over-mixing my cheesecake batter – whipping too much air into it – and having them rise too much and then fall. This one is made in a  food processor, so the extra air wasn’t incorporated.

I didn’t top it because I thought it would have enough flavor on its own, but just about any fruit from strawberries to papaya would work.

Coconut Cheesecake

Crust:

  • 2 cups coconut
  • 1 pkt graham crackers, broken (8-9 crackers)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 stick butter

Fillling:

  • 4 8 oz packages cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 15-ounce can Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp coconut extract
  • 5 large eggs
  • Pinch salt

For crust: 
Preheat oven to 350°. Blend all ingredients in processor until finely ground and sticking together, 1 to 2 minutes. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and sides of 9″ spring form pan. Bake crust until golden, 14 to 15 minutes. Cool crust on rack. Increase oven temperature to 425°.

For filling:
Blend cream cheese in processor until smooth. Add sugar and process to blend. Scrape bowl. Add cream of coconut, vanilla, coconut extract, and salt. Blend Add eggs 1 at a time, blending after each addition. Pour filling into cooled crust.

Bake cheesecake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 250°. Bake until center is softly set, about 1 1/2 hours longer. Turn off oven and let cheesecake cool in the oven 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.