I was perusing old issues of Chocolatier the other day…Wait, that
sounds pretty sad, doesn’t it?? Former editor, reliving halcyon days of dessert glory?…Ok,
let’s start again…At the risk of sounding
a bit pathetic, I was thumbing through old issues of Chocolatier the other day, and was somewhat startled by how great most
of those recipes
were, and how they still stand up as great desserts today.
Many talented people worked on that magazine over the years, including a steady
stream of interns, many of whom have gone on to do great things in and out of
the food world. One of them, Jules Rosenthal, went on to become a superstar
personal trainer, possibly motivated
by all the calories she ingested during
her time at the magazine. She’s a former caterer who is talented, funny, smart,
and, obviously, in great shape. While at Chocolatier,
Jules wrote an article on Coconut Cakes, developing some memorable cake
recipes, including an outstanding Coconut Cheesecake with a Chocolate
Crust.
It’s a rich cheesecake with a whipped cream topping and a chocolate wafer
crust. The topping is made by infusing sweetened coconut with heavy cream,
straining it, and then whipping it to soft peaks. This step makes this cake
extra-coconutty, but it would be equally delicious (and less rich) with plain
whipped cream on top.
One note on the baking: I baked this cheesecake in a
water bath, but instead of wrapping the springform pan in foil as I normally
do, I simply placed the 9 ½-inch springform pan into a 10-inch cake pan, and
then placed both pans in the water bath. That way the crust will not get soggy,
and the cake is still insulated from the direct heat of the oven. Thanks Jules,
for this wonderful recipe. And for all the guilt. Time to go work out, I guess… :(
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Chocolate
Wafer Crust:
1 ¼ cups Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer
crumbs
¾ cup sweetened flaked coconut
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Coconut
Cheesecake:
1 ½ pounds cream cheese, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
½ cup sour cream
½ cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons dark rum
Coconut
Cream Topping:
2 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Assembly:
1/3 cup sweetened coconut, toasted
Make
the crust:
1. Position a rack in the center of the
oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform
pan. Place the chocolate crumbs and coconut in a food processor and pulse until
the coconut is finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and toss the crumbs with the
melted butter until well coated. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the
pan. Using heavy-duty aluminum foil, double-wrap the outside of the pan.* Bake
the crust for 10 minutes, until fragrant and set. Cool on a wire rack. Leave
the oven on.
Make
the filling:
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer,
using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until
creamy. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and sugar until well
blended. Gradually add this to the cream cheese, mixing at low speed until
blended. Scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula and mix again to
blend. Add the sour cream, coconut milk and rum and mix well.
3. Scrape the batter into the cooled crust.
Place the pan in a roasting pan and pour enough hot water in the roasting pan
to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake the cheesecake for 60
to 70 minutes, until just set. Remove the pan from the water bath and cool
completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours.
Make
the topping:
4. In a medium saucepan, combine the
cream and coconut over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat
and allow the mixture to steep for 30 minutes.
5. Strain the mixture, extracting as much
liquid as possible from the coconut. Refrigerate the cream until well chilled,
about 1 hour.
6. In the bowl of an electric mixer,
using the whisk attachment, whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Scrape the
topping into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip (Ateco #6). Pipe
rosettes around the edge of the cake, and, working from the outside in,
continue until the entire top of the cake is sovered. Sprinkle with the toasted
coconut.
*Note: Alternatively, instead of
wrapping the pan, here’s a foolproof way to prevent water leaking into your
crust and making it soggy: Place the whole springform pan (unwrapped) in a
10-inch cake pan (assuming you have one; this can be either an aluminum or
silicone pan, both work), and then, once you’ve poured in the filling, place
the pan in the larger roasting pan and pour in the hot water. If you make
cheesecakes more than once a year, this method will change you life. Well….you
know….a little bit, anyway.
