German Chocolate Cheesecake

The second cheesecake that my sister and her fiance chose was a German Chocolate Cheesecake. My brother-in-law loves German Chocolate cakes so much that he and my sister chose this cheesecake to hold their wedding topper and cut into at their reception.



German Chocolate Cheesecake (adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2001)

Crust:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 tbsp. ice water

Filling:
1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 cup hot fudge topping (room temperature)
1/4 cup milk

3 1/2 (8-ounce) blocks full-fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. coconut extract
2 large egg whites
2 large eggs

Topping:
2/3 cup caramel sundae topping
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut, toasted

To make the crust, combine the first three ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the ice water and pulse again.



Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch spring form pan coated well with cooking spray. Gently press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in a 400 degree oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Place on a cooling rack and decrease your oven temperature to 325 degrees.


In a small bowl, combine the cocoa, fudge topping and milk, mixing well. (Sorry this looks like a face- creepy...)

Set the chocolate batter aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the cream cheese well until smooth. Add the sugar, flour, two extracts and eggs, beating well after each addition.


Scrape down the sides and beat again. Now, add the chocolate batter and beat well. Scrape down the sides, beat again.


Pour the batter into the pan on top of the baked crust. Tap the pan gently on the counter to even out the batter.


Place it your 325 degree oven on the center rack. It will take a little over an hour to bake. Set your timer initially for 50 minutes. Check it then and notice that the center is still shaky. Set the timer for another 15 minutes, checking it again. Once the whole top moves (just a little) as one when you shake the pan, it will be ready to come out. Set it on a cooling rack to cool and set your timer for 20 minutes (you can turn your oven off).


After it's cooled for 20 minutes, take a long-bladed, sharp knife and run it carefully around the edge, as close to the pan as you can. Run the knife down deep enough that you are skimming the bottom of the pan. Go all the way around, making sure you haven't stopped before getting all the way around. Gently open the spring form sides and lift the pan off the cheesecake. If it resists, run your knife around again until it lets loose.

Now, let it cool completely and then place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. You can store it there a day or two before serving, just make sure it's in a cake carrier or gently wrapped in plastic wrap to keep it from absorbing other fridge smells. Read below for topping instructions.


If you would like to remove it from it's pan and transfer it to a plate or cake board OR if you would like instructions on freezing it, click here and scroll down to "Tutorial on Transferring a Cheesecake From the Bottom of a Spring Form Pan onto a Dish or Cake Board".

Do not place the topping on the cheesecake until you are ready to serve it. You can make it ahead and store it in the fridge in a plastic container.

To make the topping, toast the pecans and coconut in a pan coated with a bit of melted butter. Stir it constantly until the coconut turns light brown. Once it does, remove it from the heat immediately and continue stirring it for another 30 seconds or so to keep it from toasting too much. Set it aside to cool.

Once cooled, combine the toasted pecan and coconut with the caramel topping, then spoon it into the center of the cheesecake, spreading it out to within an inch of the edge. Since I'm not serving mine yet (they are chilling nicely in the freezer), I haven't put the topping on yet. Here is a photo of a photo of another one I had made.

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