Creamy Coconut Cheesecake with Dulce de Leche
I’m so happy to start the week with this super creamy coconut cheesecake! It’s dense, very smooth and decadent thanks in part to the added coconut milk. I love to crown my cheesecakes with Italian meringue and this time I added a layer of dulce de leche for extra decadence. You have to trust me when I tell you that no one can resist to this creamy cheesecake. It’s literally the bomb!
If you make a search for“cheesecake”on my website you will find a lot of recipes. Probably it’s the thing I write about the most and some of my most popular recipes are a cheesecake of some sort. The whole cake, layered, in bars or no-bake cheesecakes, they are just so adored by you my friends. That is why I’m sharing with you today not only this simple recipe for a classic creamy cheesecake but also letting you know all my prep, steps and tips so you can swap the toppings and flavors and have a completely new cheesecake recipe every time you need one for a crowd (or crave one all for yourself, no judging in here!)
Making cheesecake from scratch is pretty simple, probably simpler than making a cake if you ask me. But, as when you are making a pie, understanding the why of some steps and prepping your ingredients and tools in advance really helps a lot. I’m going to tell you my steps when making a full cheesecake.
How to Make a Cheesecake from Scratch
1. I start by prepping all the ingredients, because once you start, everything runs pretty fast. In this recipe it’s super important that the ingredients are at room temperature, especially the cream cheese and the eggs. If you are in a hurry, heat the cream cheese in the microwave in 12-second intervals until soft. Don't let it get too warm! Fats will start to break down compromising the flavor and texture of the cheesecake. To get eggs to come down to room temperature fast, place them in a bowl with hot tap water for 5 to 7 minutes.
2. You can use a pie pan or a springform pan as I did here. If using a springform, remember to wrap it half way up with aluminum foil and pressing all the gaps. This is how you prevent water from getting inside your springform pan.
3. Next I make my super easy and simple graham cracker crust! You can omit the pistachios in here, just follow the recipe exactly without them.
4. You can make the crust of this cheesecake as thick or thin as you wish. For a thicker crust, just press the crumbs only on the bottom, creating a naked cheesecake. For a very thin crust, press the crumbs until the top of the pan. For something in between, press the crumbs until half way thru the pan as I did.
5. While the crust is baking I start working on that creamy cheesecake filling. When making the filling, remember to not over mix! This is a mixture that doesn’t like air at all. The small amount that you are going to incorporate when whipping the cream cheese is more than enough. Starting with very softened cream cheese is key in achieving a super smooth filling without incorporating too much air.
6. I strongly recommend using a 18” x 13”baking tray to make the bain-marie. I have used slightly smaller trays in the past and the result has been a slightly drier cheesecake. It’s not a super big deal, really. But if you can go bigger, do it!
7. In the meantime, I make room for the cheesecake on my fridge.
Removing your cheesecake from a springform pan
You can remove the band around your cheesecake and decorate it on the tray it was baked, just place it on a pretty large plate. But if you are feeling adventurous and want to release the cheesecake completely out of the pan, you can do so following a few steps. Take note that for this maneuver your cheesecake needs to be completely chilled so it is very firm.
1. After removing the band, place a plastic paper on top of the cheesecake.
2. Place a plate on top and turn the cheesecake upside down.
3. Place it in a counter or table and carefully remove the bottom metal tray of the springform pan, looking for any for tiny spots where the crust is a bit separated from the tray and using a small pairing knife to push the tray up form there. This is the part where you need a bit of patience gently working around those spots. But I promise this will only take a few minutes!
4. As soon as you remove the bottom tray, place your serving plate on top and turn the cheesecake over. Carefully remove the plastic paper. Don't sweat if a small spot is a bit damaged, no one will notice with the delicious toppings!
Flavor heaven is the limit!
Other possible ideas to serve this cheesecake are with just the dulce de leche, with berry compotes or lemon curd spread on top, a drizzle of warm salted caramel, chocolate ganache or simply with whipped cream and fresh fruits. Also you can swap the coconut extract for vanilla, lemon or almond extract as well.
Creamy Coconut Cheesecake with Dulce de Leche
Ingredients
Crust
◯ Unsalted butter – 10 TBSP (1 ¼ stick)
◯ Pistachios – ½ cup
◯ Traditional graham crackers – 8 oz (15 whole rectangular cookies), broken in small pieces
◯ Raw sugar – 3 TBSP
Coconut Cheesecake filling
◯ Cream cheese, at room temperature – 5 (8 oz) packages
◯ Raw sugar – 1¾ cup
◯ Unbleached all purpose flour – 3 TBSP
◯ Freshly squeezed lemon juice (or fresh pineapple concentrate juice) – 1 TBSP
◯ Pure coconut milk, preferably full fat – ¼ cup
◯ Coconut extract – 1 ½ to 2 Tsps
◯ Eggs, at room temperature – 5, large
◯ Egg yolks, at room temperature – 2, from large eggs
Italian Meringue
◯ Egg whites, at room temperature – 2
◯ Cream of tartar – ¼ Tsp
◯ Water – ¼ cup
◯ Raw sugar – ½ cup
◯ Half of a lemon to rub the bowl and attachment
◯ Dulce de leche – about ¼ cup
◯ Fresh fruits to serve
Details
Yield:
a 9” Cheesecake
Total time:
2 hours plus 6 to 8 hour on the fridge
Active time: 30 minutes for making the cheesecake, 10 minutes for making the meringue
Baking time:
1 hour and 10 minutes
Equipment:
baking sheet, springform pan or pie dish, stand mixer or handheld electric mixer
Steps
Prepare your pan:
Spray the bottom of the pan with baking spray. If using a springform pan, cover the bottom of it with a few pieces aluminum foil until at least half of the pan from the bottom up is covered. Press it well, closing any gap towards the pan.
To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place the 10 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan and heat on medium-low level until just melted. Shake a bit the pan to melt the small pieces of butter. Retire from heat.
Place ½ cup of pistachios in the bowl of a food processor already attached to the base. Run until the pistachios are grounded. Add the 15 graham crackers, roughly breaking them in pieces with your hands before throwing them to the bowl and the 3 tablespoons of sugar and run the processor once more, until the crackers are pretty much grounded. With the processor running, pour in the melted butter until the crumbs look moist, about 10 to 15 seconds. Stop the processor and pull down any crumbs crawling up the walls of the bowl if necessary and pulse a few seconds more. Transfer the content to your baking pan. Press onto the bottom and up to the sides, until the crumbs are evenly distributed and have reached you desired height (see notes). You may use a small flat bottom measuring cup or utensil to help yourself press down and distribute the crumbs. Bake for 6 minutes. Take it out of the oven to let it cool down.
To make the cheesecake filling:
Increase temperature to 425°.
Either in the bowl of a stand up mixer and using the whisk attachment or in a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer with the beaters attached, beat the 5 boxes of cream cheese for 2 to 3 minutes in slow speed (#2 in the Kitchen Aid), until cream cheese is completely smooth without lumps. If there are some lumps, increase mixer speed one notch for 20 seconds and then return to the previous speed. Add the 1 ¾ cup of sugar and mix for 1 minute. Decrease speed to the lowest and add the 3 tablespoons of flour, the tablespoon of lemon juice, the ¼ cup of coconut milk and the 2 teaspoons of coconut extract. Add the 5 eggs and the 2 egg yolks, one at a time and waiting until one is incorporated before adding the next one. Stop the mixer and scrap the wall and bottom of your bowl to make sure all the cheese is incorporated to the mixture. Mix for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until mixture is smooth and everything seems well incorporated.
Pour mixture into already baked crust. Place pan in a baking tray and fill it with water until half way thru (see notes). Place cheesecake in oven and bake for 7 minutes, then decrease oven temperature to 275°. Bake for about one hour and 10 minutes, until it looks set and dry around the edges but still a little wobbly on the center. Turn the oven off and open the door half way thru. Wait about two minutes and then take it out of the oven.
Let it cool down a few minutes and place in the fridge after it has lost the steam. Chill for about 6 to 8 hours, preferably overnight. If using a springform pan, remove cheesecake from it (see notes). Top with Italian meringue (recipe follows), dulce de leche and fresh fruits if desired for the ultimate cheesecake experience.
To make the Italian Meringue:
Make sure your bowl and whisk attachment is well cleaned and not greasy. Any grease will prevent egg whites from rising.
Rub the bottom and walls of your bowl and whisk attachment with half a lemon. Put the 2 egg whites and the ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar in the bowl. Whisk in low speed for 30 seconds to distribute the cream of tartar and then increase the speed to medium (#4 in the Kitchen Aid), until soft peaks form.
In the meantime, combine ¼ cup of water and the ½ of sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over high heat and cook until a candy thermometer reaches 240°, about three to four minutes.
With the mixer running, pour over the syrup in a thin stream without pausing. Whisk until the meringue reaches room temperature, 3 to 5 minutes. As soon as the bowl feels cool on the outside the meringue is ready to go.
