Alfajores are my top favorite cookie in the whole world. I love the combination of Dulce de Leche and coconut inside two melt-in-your-mouth vanilla cookies.

This cheesecake combines coconut, Dulce de Leche and vanilla, and therefore got the name Alfajores Cheesecake. It’s simply delicious and very easy to make.

Photo: Natalie Levin

4.25 from 12 votes

Alfajores Cheesecake

Servings 24 cm round cake pan

Author Natalie

Ingredients

For the crust:

150 grams plain vanilla biscuits or Graham Crackers
50 grams (1/2 cup) ground coconut
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
100 grams melted butter

For cheese and coconut filling:

400 grams (1 can) coconut cream (at least 17% fat)
250 ml. (1 cup) white cheese or ricotta cheese
200 grams (1 pack) cream cheese
200 grams (1 cup) sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 large eggs
35 grams (1/4 cup) cornstarch

For coating:

200 grams Dulce de Leche

For the cream:

250 ml. (1 cup) whipping cream
20 grams (2 tbsp.) sugar powder
10 grams (1 tbsp.) instant vanilla pudding powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:

Alfajores cookies

Instructions

Crust: in a food processor with a steel blade, grind biscuits, coconut and brown sugar into a fine powder.
Add melted butter and mix until you get a crumb mixture in the texture of wet sand.
Transfer the crumbs to a lightly oiled cake pan and firmly press down to the bottom to form a crust.
Cool the crust for 15 minutes in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 170c degrees.
Bake for 10 minutes until golden. Cool at room temperature.
Cheese and coconut filling: in a large bowl, mix coconut cream, white cheese, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla into a smooth mixture.
Add the eggs one at a time, while mixing between additions.
Add the cornstarch and mix until it is assimilated in the mixture. The mixture is sparse and it's okay.
Pour the mixture over the crust.
Lower oven temperature to 140c degrees.
Bake for 60-90 minutes or until the cake sets at the edges, swells slightly but still vibrates in the center lightly.
Turn off the oven and let the cake cool inside until cooled to room temperature.
Refrigerate the cake for 1 night in the refrigerator, well wrapped.
Coating: heat the Dulce de Leche until it becomes a little liquid and easy to apply.
Pour the Dulce de Leche over the top of the cake and spread in a thin layer using a spatula.
Cool for 15 minutes in the refrigerator until set.
Whipped cream: in a mixer bowl whip cream, sugar powder, instant pudding and vanilla until you get a very firm whipped cream.
Transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with 2 cm round piping tip and drizzle dense mounds of cream on top of the cake.
Garnish with alfajores cookies and serve.

Recipe Notes

Instead of light brown sugar in the base, you can use plain white sugar the same amount.
You can use any kind of cookies or biscuits you like as a base. If you use sweet cookies, it is recommended to omit the sugar from the base.
It is important to use coconut cream with at least 17% fat. Make sure you use all the contents of the can, including the liquid.
Keep the cake in a closed container for up to a week.
The alfajores cookies and whipped cream should be added before serving.