German Chocolate Cheesecake
This rich and creamy german chocolate cheesecake will bring any chocolate lover to their knees. I’ll show you how to make this decadent dessert with lots of step-by-step photos.
2 years ago today, Garrat and I sneaked into the courthouse with our immediate family to say our “I do”s. It was a major secret that we barely could contain, but we did it. None of our friends and extended family had any idea about it. You see, we didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, we just wanted to be married! ❤️
It might have been selfish to just sneak out like that, but it’s so us to be low-key and surprise everyone with big news. Our friends joke that it’s surprising that we even shared the big news about our upcoming addition.
Anyhow, the reason I’m sharing this is because my husband is a huge chocoholic and he loves german chocolate anything. And I created this recipe for him. Tall, creamy and rich chocolate cheesecake topped with sweet gooey frosting and more chocolate, just the way he likes it!
Before I move forward, let me get one thing straight. The name of the dessert!!
German chocolate cake, or, in this case, cheesecake, has nothing to do with Germany. In fact, this cake is named after an American chocolate maker, Samuel German, who created the dark chocolate that’s used in this cake. So, it actually should be German’s chocolate cake. But anyway, I don’t really care what we call it, as long as it involves good rich chocolate cake, sweet and gooey pecan-coconut frosting.
Onto the recipe…
You might already know that I like my cheesecake tall and, most importantly, creamy. To achieve that, I had to work on this chocolate cheesecake a few times. No regrets though, every trial was delicious and I did came up with perfect recipe.
For extra creaminess, we’re using sweetened condensed milk (my addiction!) and Greek yogurt. Condensed milk alone didn’t provide the creaminess I was looking for, the cheesecake was a bit too dry and way too rich. Greek yogurt added that perfect creamy texture and cuts down the richness. Don’t skip it!
For pecan-coconut frosting, I used the same recipe as for my German chocolate brownies. It’s sweet, it’s gooey, and it’s easy!
As usual, this step-by-step photo collage gives you a quick visual guidance.
Oh my, look at that tall chocolate goodness!! Did I mention it’s rich? A small slice goes a long way.
So, are you going to make this cheesecake? Tempting, isn’t it? I sure hope you try it, it’s so worth it!
German Chocolate Cheesecake
This rich and creamy german chocolate cheesecake will bring any chocolate lover to their knees. I’ll show you how to make this decadent dessert with lots of step-by-step photos.
Yield: 12-16 servings
Ingredients:
For crust:
- 8 full sheets (140gr) graham crackers
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup (75gr) unsalted butter, melted
For cheesecake filling:
- 8oz (225gr) bittersweet chocolate
- 24oz (700gr) cream cheese, softened
- 14oz (400gr) sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup (130gr) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
For coconut-pecan topping:
- ½ cup (65gr) chopped pecans
- ¼ cup (30gr) sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ cup (50gr) brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon (30gr) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- To make the crust, in a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until fine crumbs. Add sugar, cocoa powder and melted butter and pulse until combined. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom and slightly up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch spring form pan. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- To make the filling, break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium heatproof bowl. Slowly melt the chocolate over simmering water, aka double boiler. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. If desired, reserve a small amount (about 3 tablespoons) of melted chocolate for drizzling.
- In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until fluffy on medium speed, about a minute. (Or you can also use electric hand mixer.) Add condensed milk and Greek yogurt, and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, or until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl once. Stir in melted chocolate, vanilla extract and salt. Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix just until combined on low speed. (Don’t beat the mixture too long and too fast after you add the eggs. Otherwise too much air will incorporate to the batter, which might cause a crack in the cooked cheesecake.) Pour the batter into the prepared crust.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake is set, but the center is slightly wobbly. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of the pan to loosen; cool for another hour. Then refrigerate for at least an hour to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, place the pecans and coconut flakes in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolk, brown sugar and salt until combined. Stir in butter. Then whisk in heavy cream and vanilla extract and cook over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, whisking occasionally. The mixture will be thickened, but still runny. Pour it over the pecans and coconut flakes and mix until well combined. The mixture will be slightly runny. Cool to room temperature, then place it in a fridge to cool completely, until ready to use. At this point, the frosting will be thick and spreadable. Spread the frosting evenly on the cooled cheesecake. If reserved, re-melt the reserved chocolate and drizzle over the cheesecake. Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
For step-by-step photos and additional notes, read the post above.
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Any ideas on how to make this recipe into mini cheesecakes or cupcakes?
Hi, Tiffany! I haven’t tested this recipe in cupcake pans, so can’t give you any pointers.
Great to have you back.
Thank you, Marvina!
I make my Boss a cheesecake every year for her Birthday. I chose this one this year because she likes chocolate, coconut and pecans. She came in the next morning and said that she woke up thinking about this cheesecake. It is an amazing cheesecake. I brought my husband a piece home and he wants to know when I am going to make another one. Love it.
Well, that’s how you impress your boss! Thanks so much for your feedback, Nancy! So happy everyone enjoyed the cheesecake. 🙂
I’ve been asked to create a pumpkin German chocolate cheesecake. Can you offer any tips as to how I can incorporate pumpkin into your delicious cheesecake?
Thank you!
Hi, Robin! That sounds like an amazing idea!! I have this maple pumpkin cheesecake recipe, and I almost want to halve each cheesecake recipe and swirl the two in one pan. Or you can reduce the chocolate amount in this recipe, omit Greek yogurt and add about 2/3 cup of pumpkin puree. And by the way, I’m just throwing raw ideas here. Without testing, I can’t say for sure which will work the best. Let me know how it turns out if you end up making it. Have fun!
Made this tonight for my BFs birthday! It came out great! Thank you for sharing!
Yay, that’s awesome! Thanks for your feedback, Cheyenne!
Do you know how many cups would equal the 8 sheets of Graham crackers? Planning to make the cheesecake for a birthday party and have already made Graham cracker crumbs.
Thanks!
Hmm, good question, Joni. I think it’d be about 1 and 1/2 cups or so. Hope you’ll enjoy the cheesecake. Let me know how it turns out.
my husband is a chocoholic as well, and I’m sure would FLIP for this cheesecake 🙂 what a fun way to celebrate
Thanks, Heather! 🙂
What a sweet wedding story (no pun intended.) With so many over-the-top weddings in the news and among people I know, it’s lovely to hear of a couple who just wanted to be with each other. And to dedicate your cake to him – such a wonderful way to continue your love story.
Thanks so much, Laura. Many of our friends and family weren’t very happy with us for sneaking out like that, but it was wonderful to have an intimate celebration! 🙂
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing!! Delicious 🙂
Thanks, Olivia!
Unlike the other posters I made this recipe today for my bosses birthday. It is delicious! Easy to make and turned out great!
Hi, Jeanne! So happy to hear that you tried the recipe and loved it!! I bet your boss was happy too. 🙂 Thanks for your feedback!
Ooh this is deeeeluxe. Thanks for posting. Hello from Best of the Weekend.
Thanks, Melissa!
Looks absolutely amazing! 😉
Thanks, Kim!
Oh my! This looks so decadent! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Thanks, Karly!
This recipe looks so delicious! Hi, I’m Anita visiting from Creative Ways Link Party.
This looks amazing! I’m pretty sure I drooled a little on my keyboard. Pinned!
Haha it’s totally drool-worthy! 😉 Thanks, Kim!
I was wondering if I can bake it in a water bath?
Hi, Cathy! I’m sure you can, but it wasn’t necessary for me. There’s no harm in doing that though.
The cheesecake looks amazing but what are the ingredients in the crust? The directions call for things that aren’t listed.
Carla, I just checked the recipe and the ingredients for crust are listed at the top. Maybe click on “Print” and it’ll show you the whole list? Hope this helps.
Carla, I misread your comment earlier, and I just realized I had extra ingredients mentioned in the directions for crust. I’m sorry for confusion, but I update the recipe now.
I love German Chocolate cake, but on a cheesecake, this looks ridiculously good! Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Thanks, Kati!
This cheesecake looks delicious! I was wondering if you think I can use sour cream instead of greek yogurt? It’s what I have on hand! Beautiful wedding story!
Thanks, Gail. Honestly, I think it’d be fine. I didn’t try it myself, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. It’s worth the try.
What a wonderful story! 🙂 And a stunning cake! Those are two flavors I absolutely love!
Thanks, Michelle!! You’re so sweet!
What a beautiful bride you are Shinee! Congratulations, I love the pictures. This is one gorgeous cake and I was so interested to learn about the Greek yogurt in the recipe. Will definitely have to try this, it looks divine!!!
Aww, thank you for your sweet compliment, Allie! And yes, do try this cheesecake! It’s one of the best!
WOW you sure do beautiful work!!! YUM!!!! Love your story too. So special!!!
Thanks so much, Gina!
I have absolute clarity on this fact: this cheesecake needs to be a part of my life. Sweet wedding story!
I agree with you! Everyone needs this cheesecake in their life. Haha Thanks!
Wow this looks absolutely decadent! You and your hubby are so sweet. I think it’s so cool that you guys surprised everyone. Weddings can be so stressful anyways! You’re so thoughtful to make your husband a dessert tailored just to his liking, although I can’t see anyone not loving this cake!! <3
Yes, I can’t handle wedding-planning stress. I tend to obsess about little things, and it’d be miserable! haha Thanks, Beeta!
What a great way to celebrate a chocoholic! Love this German chocolate spin on a classic- pinning 🙂
Thank you, Medha!