Coconut Strawberry Cheesecake
Maybe this blog should be called The Epicurious Cake Blog, because this is the third post in a row featuring a cake recipe from the site.
It actually wouldn’t be such a bad idea–blogging through Epicurious’s cakes Julie Powell-style. In fact, I’m adding it to our list of future blogs, along with Stalking George Washington (in which Alex and I record our visits to George Washington sites across the nation) and Dinner Salads (self-explanatory).
This was yet another birthday cake, and yet another roaring success. The toasted coconut was just subtle enough and the texture was so creamy and soft. The fresh strawberries added both refreshment and flavor. And the crust? Oh my goodness! Adding coconut to a graham cracker crust is positively brilliant.
Speaking of brilliant, you may notice that the style of two of our photos today (the solo slice shots) are slightly different than what we usually post. This is because our (not-so) humble cheesecake had the honor of being photographed by renowned photojournalist Peter van Agtmael, who is also our roommate/my cousin. That puts our blog right up there with the New York Times Magazine for publications featuring Peter’s photos this weekend. TFA + NYT = sames.
So again, here’s the recipe, reposted with our baby modifications below.
Ingredients:
(crust)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted, cooled
1/4 cup sugar
(filling)
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 large eggs
1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (we used Coco López as recommended)
1/4 cup coconut rum (we used Malibu as recommended)
(topping)
1/4 cup seedless strawberry jam
2 tablespoons water
1-pint containers strawberries, stemmed, sliced
Day 1
Make the crust. Preheat oven to 350. Brush 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 1 tablespoon melted butter, line pan with parchment paper, and lightly brush paper with some of melted butter. Blend crumbs, coconut, sugar, and remaining butter in medium bowl. Press mixture over bottom of prepared pan, and up the edges slightly. Bake crust until lightly browned at edges, about 10 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300. Make filling. Using electric mixer, beat first cream cheese, sugar, softened butter and cornstarch in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in cream of coconut and rum. Pour batter over crust. Place cake pan in large roasting pan and enough water to roasting pan to come 1 inch up sides of cake pan. Cover roasting pan with foil and bake for one hour then remove foil, and bake another 40 minutes until cake is just set in center. Cool for two hours in the water bath, then knife around the edges to loosen cake and refrigerate overnight covered.
Day 2
Preheat oven to 350. Place cake in oven 2 minutes. Remove from oven. Place sheet of foil, then large plate on top of cake. Turn pan over. Shake gently, allowing cake to settle onto foil and round. Remove pan and parchment. Place platter atop cake and turn cake right side up onto platter. Remove plate and foil. Make topping. Simmer jam and 2 tablespoons water in small saucepan. Brush top of cake with warm jam. Overlap berries atop cake, covering completely. Brush remaining jam over berries, chill and serve!
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And finally finally, our menu for the week:
Monday:
Poached salmon
Cucumber dill Salad (something like this)
Cooked potato salad with rosemary and thyme
Tuesday:
Pan-roasted chicken sausage
Steamed artichokes
Rice pilaf
Wednesday:
Gnocchi with lemon, olive oil, peas and Parmesan cheese
Steamed green beans
Thursday:
Shrimp Caesar salad (like this extremely old post, with shrimp)
The last picture is beautiful and that piece of cheesecake have not lasted too long:-)
30 Mar 2010 at 2:10 am
this post made me extremely happy. i’m daydreaming about cheesecake now. my dad has baked me his secret recipe cheesecake for nearly every birthday i’ve ever had, and i feel like it holds a special place in my heart for that reason. and, of course, my stomach.
also, this feels very appropriate, since i just started a blog called Eat the Damn Cake.
fantastic photos!
06 Apr 2010 at 12:57 pm
I found your site in my search for a cinnamon scones recipe. I’m anxious to try the recipe that I found on your site – but better yet, I’m so happy to have found your blog. The recipes are inspiring and the photography is mouth-watering. It’s my first visit -but you can already count me as a return visitor! Oh, and I want to try the coconut strawberry cheesecake and the pumpkin cream cakes and the cinnamon swirl bread and the oatmeal bread with walnuts and … Do you deliver?
21 Apr 2010 at 12:16 am
[...] in conclusion, here’s some cake to eat, from the fantastic food bloggers Alanna and Alex. Apparently a friend of mine knows one of the Al’s from kindergarten. I feel kinda famous by [...]
26 Apr 2010 at 10:48 pm
[...] in conclusion, here’s some cake to eat, from the fantastic food bloggers Alanna and Alex. Apparently a friend of mine knows one of the Al’s from kindergarten. I feel kinda famous by [...]
19 May 2010 at 11:35 am
I want this cheesecake bad
16 Jun 2010 at 10:03 pm
me too
16 Jun 2010 at 10:04 pm
I don’t know why I am just now discovering this blog, but I’z glad I finally am. This cheesecake needs to be my ice pack. The photos are extra glam. You have a new fan.
01 Sep 2010 at 5:11 pm