Chocolate & Caramel Cheesecake

This gorgeous German Chocolate and Caramel Cheesecake is rich, indulgent, and genuinely heavenly. A chocolate cookie crust, a chocolate cheesecake center, and a caramel-pecan-coconut topping that makes it a real special-occasion showstopper.

Ingredients

Crust

• 300g chocolate cookies (Oreos work great)
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt

Topping

• 200g sweetened shredded coconut
• 200g pecans
• 200g unsalted butter
• 4 large egg yolks
• 250g sugar
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Cheesecake

• 250g dark chocolate, chopped
• 675g cream cheese (3 packages), room temperature
• 200g sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 80g cocoa powder
• 200g sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil.
2. Pulse chocolate cookies, butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor into fine, moist crumbs. Press into the base and up the sides of the pan. Bake 15 minutes, then cool.
3. Toast coconut and pecans separately on lined baking sheets for 12-15 minutes. Chop the pecans coarsely once cooled.
4. Combine butter, egg yolks, sugar, evaporated milk, and vanilla in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until caramelized and reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped pecans and half the coconut (reserve the rest for topping). Cool.
5. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts.
6. Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and cocoa powder together, then add melted chocolate, sour cream, and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
7. Fill a roasting pan halfway with water and place on the lower oven rack.
8. Pour half the cheesecake batter into the crust, spoon two-thirds of the caramel mixture over it, then top with the remaining batter.
9. Bake on the middle rack (directly above the water pan) for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until set at the edges with a slight jiggle in the center.
10. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight.
11. Release from the pan, warm the remaining caramel briefly, and spread over the top. Finish with reserved coconut and pecans.

Hugs, Alla xox

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