A pressed chocolate cookie crust, and a filling of cream cheese, powdered sugar and cocoa lightened with a cup of whipped cream and enriched with melted chocolate chips.
Four hours in the fridge, then the German chocolate finish: whipped cream, sweetened coconut, toasted pecans and caramel sauce.
Why This Recipe Works
- Coconut, pecans and caramel are what make this German chocolate. Without those three it is simply a chocolate cheesecake, which is why all three go on rather than in.
- The filling is set by whipped cream alone. A cup beaten to stiff peaks and folded in gives it the body a baked cheesecake gets from eggs — which is also why the folding has to be gentle.
- Powdered sugar, not granulated. Nothing in this recipe reaches a temperature that would dissolve sugar crystals, so granulated would leave the filling gritty.
- The melted chocolate is cooled slightly before it goes in. Hot chocolate hitting cold whipped cream seizes into flecks and knocks the air out at the same time.
- The toppings all go on after the chill. Coconut and pecans left on the surface for four hours in the fridge go soft; added at serving they stay crisp against a dense filling.
The Cheesecake, Bottom Up
Nothing here is baked, so every layer is set by temperature and by air rather than by heat. Read it from the base of the tin upward.
The German chocolate finish
Soft-peak whipped cream, a cup of sweetened coconut, three quarters of a cup of toasted pecans and half a cup of caramel — all after the chill, all at serving. This is the layer the cake is named for.
Four hours in the fridge
The cocoa, the melted chocolate and the cold cream set together. Cut it short and the slice slumps.
The lift
A cup of cream whipped to stiff peaks and folded in with the melted chocolate. This is the only structure the filling gets — no gelatin, no eggs, no oven. Folded, not beaten, or the air goes straight back out.
The cheesecake base
Sixteen ounces of softened cream cheese beaten with powdered sugar, a third of a cup of cocoa and vanilla until smooth. Powdered rather than granulated: there is no heat to dissolve sugar crystals in a no-bake filling.
The crust
Two cups of chocolate cookie crumbs bound with six tablespoons of melted butter, pressed firmly into a 9-inch springform and chilled fifteen minutes. That quarter hour is what sets the butter so the crust holds when the filling lands on it.
Ingredient Notes
- Heavy whipping cream, divided
- A cup and a half in two unequal parts: one cup to stiff peaks for the filling, half a cup to soft peaks for the top. Two different textures, one ingredient.
- Sweetened shredded coconut and toasted pecans
- A cup and three quarters of a cup, both on top at serving. They are the German chocolate half of the recipe rather than a garnish.
- Cream cheese, softened
- Sixteen ounces of full-fat block, properly soft. Cold cream cheese will not beat smooth with cocoa, and lumps in a no-bake filling never disappear.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- A third of a cup. Unsweetened, because three quarters of a cup of powdered sugar and half a cup of caramel are already doing the sweetening.
- Semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly
- Half a cup. Cooled slightly is load-bearing: hot chocolate seizes on contact with cold whipped cream.
How to Make It
Press and chill the crust
Mix the cookie crumbs with melted butter and press firmly into a 9-inch springform pan. Chill for 15 minutes.
Beat the filling base
Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla until smooth.
Whip and fold
Beat 1 cup heavy cream to stiff peaks in a separate bowl and fold it into the cream-cheese mixture with the melted chocolate.
Fill and chill
Spread the filling over the crust and chill for at least 4 hours.
Whip the topping cream
Whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream to soft peaks.
Finish and serve
Top the cheesecake with whipped cream, coconut, toasted pecans and caramel sauce before serving.
Success Tips
- Take the cream cheese out an hour ahead so it beats genuinely smooth.
- Whip only one cup of the cream at step 3 and leave the rest in the fridge.
- Fold the cream in with a spatula rather than the mixer.
- Let the melted chocolate cool until it is barely warm to the touch.
- Give it the full four hours; a short chill slumps at the first slice.
Serving Ideas
It is finished as it is. Extra caramel at the table and strong coffee alongside are the only additions it needs.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days, and do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours — it is uncooked dairy.
Freeze
Freeze the undecorated cheesecake for up to 1 month, wrapped well. Add the cream, coconut, pecans and caramel after thawing overnight in the fridge.
Reheat
None — it is served cold. Ten minutes out of the fridge makes it easier to slice cleanly.
Frequently Asked Questions
The filling did not set firm.
Either the cream was not whipped to stiff peaks or it was beaten in rather than folded. That cup of cream is the only structure the filling has.
The filling tasted gritty.
Granulated sugar instead of powdered. Nothing here gets hot enough to dissolve sugar crystals, so the recipe specifies powdered.
Can I add the coconut and pecans before chilling?
They soften over four hours in the fridge. Added at serving they stay crisp, which is the contrast the topping is there for.
The melted chocolate went into flecks.
It was too hot when it met the cold cream. Cool it until it is barely warm before it goes into the fold.
