Samoa Cheesecake
User Reviews
5
12 reviews
Excellent
Samoa Cheesecake
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Samoa Cheesecake combines a rich cream cheese filling with Oreo cookie crust and a topping of sweetened shredded coconut, caramel sauce, and melted milk chocolate chips. The layered textures and flavors evoke the popular Samoa cookie, delivering a creamy, sweet, and slightly tangy dessert with a crunchy crust and caramel-coconut topping.
Description
This Samoa Cheesecake starts with an Oreo cookie crust made by blending Oreos with melted butter to create a crumbly base pressed into a 9-inch springform pan. The filling blends softened cream cheese with granulated and brown sugars, heavy cream, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), vanilla extract, lime juice, salt, egg yolks, and cornstarch to provide structure and flavor.
The cheesecake is baked in a multi-stage process: initially at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes, then lowered to 250°F (120°C) to bake longer, followed by resting in a water bath inside a powered-off oven, which helps prevent cracking and ensures a smooth texture. After baking, the cheesecake is topped with a mixture of sweetened shredded coconut, caramel sauce divided into portions, and melted milk chocolate chips to replicate the flavors of the Samoa cookie.
The lime juice subtly enhances the cream cheese flavor without increasing tartness, distinguishing it from lemon juice, which is more noticeable in the final taste. The caramel sauce quantity totals about 2 1/2 cups, which can be homemade or store-bought, requiring adjustments based on jar sizes for purchasing.
Once assembled and chilled, the cheesecake offers a balance of creamy, tangy, sweet, and crunchy elements reminiscent of the Samoa cookie. Proper preparation and baking technique are important for the ideal texture and flavor.
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Ingredients
Crust
- 3 cups oreo cookie crumbs about 33 whole Oreo cookies, whites and all, blended in a food processor, crushed
- 8 tablespoons butter unsalted; 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon; melted
Cheesecake
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened very well to room temp (brick-style, full-fat)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, do not use regular yogurt it's too thin
- 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract pure
- 2 teaspoons lime juice lemon juice may be substituted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg save the whites for another use, large yolks
- 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour may be substituted
Topping
- 2 ½ cups coconut sweetened shredded
- 1 ¾ cups caramel sauce divided
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips melted, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Please read over the recipe at least once in entirety before beginning so you know what the overall roadmap is. Pay special attention to the baking process, including lowering the oven temp from 400F to 250F after 15 minutes, and then allowing the cheesecake to stay in the water bath in a powered-off oven with the door shut for 30 minutes, and then out of the water bath but in the oven with the door open for 30 more minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line the base of a 9-inch springform pan (do not use a regular 9-inch round cake pan, it's not deep enough) with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit it, and spray very well with cooking spray; set aside.
- Crust - To a medium bowl, add the Oreos, melted butter, and whisk the mixture together until it resembles wet sand. Tip - I recommend just blending the Oreos in a food processor until you have 3 cups. There are about 11 cookies per 1 cup of cookie crumbs, so you'll need about 33 cookies, give or take. Add them to your food processor whole - no need to separate or pick out the white filling - blend, and use the crumbs as directed. The other option is to purchase store bought Oreo crumbs but they're tricky to find.
- Press the mixture firmly into the base of the springform pan in an even flat layer with your hands and fingertips or a fork.
- Bake crust for 15 minutes and after baking, place the springform pan on a cooling rack to cool while you move onto making the filling.
- Cheesecake Filling - Increase the oven temp to 400F and to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, both sugars, and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl down intermittently. Tips - The smoother the batter is at the beginning of the process, the better the final result will be. If cream cheese lumps do remain at the end of making the batter, simply press them against the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula to disperse and flatten them as best as possible.
- Add the heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla, lemon or lime juice, salt, and beat together until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg yolks and mix just for 15 seconds to incorporate. Tip - Do not mix for extra time because this will add air which will cause the cheesecake to crack while it bakes.
- Add the cornstarch and beat for a couple seconds to incorporate.
- Pour the batter into the crust.
- Tightly wrap the outside and sides of the springform pan with foil. Tips - It needs to be tightly and very well wrapped so that in the next steps water doesn't seep in. I suggest heavy duty foil.
- Water Bath - Place the springform pan into a larger pan (such as a larger roasting pan or bigger baking pan) and slowly add warm tap water so that the springform pan is resting in 1-inch of water. My roasting pan has a wire rack so I prop the springform pan on that, but a wire rack isn't necessary. Tips - Do not skip the water bath. It's essential to prevent the cheesecake from cracking during baking. While baking, add a bit more water so there's a steady supply of steam.
- Baking - Place the pans into the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 400F.
- Reduce the temp to 250F and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Once baked (after the 90 minutes total) turn the oven off. Let the cheesecake rest with the door closed for 30 minutes inside the water bath, inside the oven with the door closed.
- After 30 minutes, crack the over door open a few inches and allow the cheesecake to rest in the water bath, in the oven, with the door open slightly.
- Cooling - Remove the pans from the oven, take the springform pan out of the water bath, and unwrap the foil from around the springform pan.
- Place cheesecake on a wire rack to cool completely. Tip - Don't shortcut this step, make sure it's fully cooled to room temp before moving on.
- After it's completely cooled, cover the top tightly with foil, and place it into the fridge to chill for 8 hours, or overnight.
- Topping - Toast the shredded coconut in a skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown; stir very frequently. Tip - Keep a close eye on the coconut because it's prone to burning due to the high sugar content so don't turn your back on it.
- Add the toasted coconut to a large bowl, add 1 1/2 cups caramel sauce* (about 12 ounces), and stir to combine.
- Assembly - Turn the coconut and caramel mixture out over the top of the cheesecake in an even, flat layer. Smooth it very gently with a spatula as necessary.
- You can add the remaining 1 cup (about 8 ounces) caramel sauce to a small ziptop baggie with a tiny corner snipped off for a more precise drizzle and then drizzle it over the top of the cheesecake. Or, you can just drizzle it 'freehand' from a small spoon very lightly and carefully and skip the baggie. Tip - This is my vote as to not waste caramel that gets stuck to the baggie and just go with an easier and more 'artsy' approach to drizzling.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl by heating on high power in 15 second increments, stopping after each burst to stir, and heat again only until the chocolate can be stirred smooth; don't overheat or the chocolate will seize and you'll have to start over.
- The same as was the case with the caramel drizzle, you can either add it to a plastic baggie and drizzle, or drizzle it freehand with the back of a spoon. At this point you can slice and serve. Or, return to the fridge and continue to chill until you're ready to serve it.
- Cheesecake will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freezing Tips - The cheesecake freezes really well! For quick serving and thawing purposes, I like to slice the cheesecake, wrap each slice very well in saran wrap, then freeze the slices. It’s less bulky to store slices wrapped in plastic wrap in my freezer than in containers. When I’m ready for a slice, I take one out of the freezer, let it set on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes to thaw, and enjoy.
Notes
- Lime juice enhances the cream cheese flavor without adding extra tartness, unlike lemon juice which is more prominent in flavor.
- The recipe requires about 2 1/2 cups (approximately 20 ounces) of caramel sauce, which can be homemade or store bought; plan to purchase accordingly based on jar sizes.
- Use a 9-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper and cooking spray for best results.
- Follow the baking temperature changes and water bath method carefully to achieve a smooth cheesecake texture.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1
Calories
678kcal
(34%)
Carbohydrates
72g
(24%)
Protein
9g
(18%)
Fat
41g
(63%)
Saturated Fat
25g
(125%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
13g
(76%)
Cholesterol
159mg
(53%)
Sodium
690mg
(29%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
59g
(118%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 12Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 678 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 | |
| Calories | 678kcal | 34% |
| Carbohydrates | 72g | 24% |
| Protein | 9g | 18% |
| Fat | 41g | 63% |
| Saturated Fat | 25g | 125% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 13g | 76% |
| Cholesterol | 159mg | 53% |
| Sodium | 690mg | 29% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 59g | 118% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
12 reviews
Excellent
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