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This German chocolate cheesecake is a delicious combination of creamy vanilla cheesecake topped with creamy coconut, almonds, and chocolate. It is rich, delicious, and perfect for any occasion.
I don’t make a ton of cheesecake at home that requires baking. I know—lazy. But no-bake is usually the way to my heart, especially if it’s Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries.
However, when I crave cheesecake, I want something extravagant and packed with delicious, sweet flavor. That’s where this German chocolate cheesecake comes into play.
Now, I know the first thing you’re thinking is, “Brandy, there is very little chocolate in this cake.” you would be right. But I named this cheesecake because the topping resembles a traditional German chocolate cake. Maybe not the best idea for a recipe name, but I made this 15 years ago (I’m updating the post and photos) and wasn’t that great at naming recipes.
The topping to this cheesecake reminds me of the coconut pecan frosting you find on cakes. But I was out of pecans, so I used almonds instead. It’s sweet and sticky and makes for a beautiful cheesecake topping.
Then, I drizzled it with some rich dark chocolate and sprinkled it with nuts.
It’s so good. You’re going to love it!
Ingredients needed
- For crust:
- sliced almonds
- graham cracker crumbs
- granulated sugar
- unsalted butter
- For cheesecake:
- cream cheese
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- heavy cream
- lemon juice
- vanilla extract
- For coconut topping:
- sweetened condensed milk
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- egg yolks
- shredded sweetened coconut
- For chocolate:
- dark chocolate
- heavy cream
- For topping:
- sliced almonds
How to make a German chocolate cheesecake
Cheesecakes aren’t necessarily the fastest to whip up in the kitchen, but they are the tastiest!
- Make the crust, press into the pan, and bake until golden brown.
- While your crust cooks, start your cheesecake filling.
- Mix cream cheese and granulated sugar until thoroughly combined and whipped in texture.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into your pan, and add to a hot water bath.
- Bake and let cool, first in the oven and then on the counter.
- Melt together sweetened condensed milk, butter, and unsalted vanilla. Stir in coconut and cook until thick. Let it cool.
- Melt your chocolate and heavy cream and set aside.
- Top your cooled cheesecake with the coconut mixture, drizzle with chocolate, and sprinkle with toasted almonds.
My Pro Tips
Cheesecake Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature cream cheese and eggs. This will help the mixture stay super creamy.
- Use a springform pan wrapped in foil for an easy way to pop the cheesecake out of the pan.
- Please don’t skip the water bath because it helps gently cook the cheesecake and helps with cracking.
- Gradually cool down by leaving the cheesecake in the oven for 1 hour as directed in the recipe post.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to help combine the flavors and set the cheesecake.
Substitutions and Adaptations
- Instead of adding almonds to the crust, you could use pecans or another cup of graham cracker crumbs.
- Top the cake with pecans for a more traditional nut topping.
- If you don’t have a springform pan you can use a 9-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper.
- Use vanilla bean paste in place of vanilla extract.
More cheesecake recipes
German Chocolate Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
For crust:
- 1 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
- ⅔ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For cheesecake:
- 24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature, 3 (8-ounce) boxes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For topping:
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
For chocolate sauce:
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
For topping:
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put water in a kettle (or electric kettle), and set it to boil. This will be used for the water bath.
For crust:
- Add the almonds to a food processor and pulse a few times to help break them up.
- Add the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar to the processor and pulse a few more times until combined and fine in texture.
- Add the butter and process until moist crumbs form.
- Press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan – baker's choice.
- Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown and smell toasted, 10-12 minutes.
For cheesecake:
- Combine cream cheese and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer and cream together until smooth, 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg.
- Add heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy, 2 minutes.
- Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place the cheesecake pan into a larger pan (I used a large roasting dish) and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.
- If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.
- Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done – this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage.
- Turn the heat off and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won’t crack on the top.
- After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill for 4 hours.
For topping:
- To make the topping place the sweetened condensed milk, butter and vanilla in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and combined, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl, and, whisking constantly, add some of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks until combined.
- Whisk the mixture back into the saucepan, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens slightly, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in coconut.
- Cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 2 days.
For chocolate sauce:
- Melt the chocolate with the heavy cream either in a double boiler or the microwave. The chocolate should be a bit on the thin side so you can drizzle over coconut topping.
For topping:
- After the cheesecake has completely cooled remove from pan and top with coconut topping and drizzle with chocolate. Top with toasted almonds if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
That looks so scrumptious!! I love your toppings! So decadent! Congrats on your first Daring Baker!
Congratulations on your 1st fantastic challenge. The pictures are fabulous and I think you will remember this for a long time. The Daring Bakers’ are a very friendly group and will always welcome you with open arms. I hope you enjoyed this challenge. Bravo yours from Australia Audax
Mmm, your cheesecake looks amazing!! Congrats on your first challenge =D.
Your cheesecake looks fantastic!
Ahhh yes the perfect crust, I do agree!
Welcome to DB, you did a fabulous job!
Welcome to the Daring Bakers. I’m glad you weren’t intimidated by the recipe, and I like the idea of German chocolate cheesecake for sure!
Thanks for being a part of the April Daring Bakers Challenge!
Jenny of JennyBakes
Girl, this is some bangin’ cheesecake! Wow, what a great idea! I also love your new theme. I almost used Pilcrow but I didn’t know how to customize, this is great!