Almond Joy Cheesecake

June. Turned twenty-nine. Next year is thirty. Thirty sounds impossible — thirty is what Mama was when I was learning to make pinto beans, thirty is what grown-ups were, thirty is an age that happens to people who have lived enough for the number to mean something. I'm almost thirty. I have three children, a husband, a dog, a house, a career, two cookbooks, a blog with 65,000 followers, and a kitchen with counter space. I'm almost thirty and I have everything I wished for at fourteen, standing at Mama's stove, making dinner in the dark.

Birthday dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs. The tradition doesn't age. Sunflowers (wilted, gas station, eternal). Mama's $20 (Mama's retirement $20, which means more now because it comes from a fixed income, and I tried to refuse it, and she looked at me like I'd insulted her ancestors, and I took the $20). Linda's cake. The wobbly table. The full family. The same. Always the same.

Dustin gave me a gift: a wooden sign for the kitchen. Not bought — made. He made it in the garage, from a piece of reclaimed barn wood, routed and sanded and stained. It says: "The Turners Feed People." Four words. The four truest words about this family. We feed people. We feed them casseroles and biscuits and chicken spaghetti and dump cake and pinto beans. We feed them from our kitchen and from the food bank and from the blog and from the books. We feed people. It's on the wall now. Above the stove. Above the cast iron skillet. Above everything. "The Turners Feed People." The family motto. The mission statement. The truth.

Linda always brings the cake — that’s her thing, and I would never take it from her — but some years I sneak a second dessert onto the table just because the birthday feels big enough to deserve two. Twenty-nine, with thirty looming like a door I haven’t decided how to open, felt like exactly that kind of year. This Almond Joy Cheesecake has all the things I love in one place: chocolate, coconut, a little crunch, and the kind of richness that says you made it this far, sit down and enjoy it. The Turners feed people, and on my birthday, I feed them this.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Total Time: 5 hours (includes chilling) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

Crust:
1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Topping:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/4 cup whole almonds, toasted

Instructions

Prep the pan. Preheat oven to 325°F. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan tightly in two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Lightly grease the inside of the pan.
Make the crust. In a medium bowl, stir together chocolate graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Beat the filling. In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until completely smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed.
Add eggs and base. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract and sour cream until smooth.
Fold in mix-ins. Gently fold in shredded coconut, melted chocolate, and toasted slivered almonds with a spatula until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Bake in a water bath. Pour filling over the cooled crust. Place the springform pan inside a larger roasting pan and add 1 inch of hot water to the outer pan. Bake at 325°F for 60–70 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle.
Cool gradually. Turn off the oven and crack the door open. Let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the water bath, run a thin knife around the edge, and let cool completely on a wire rack before refrigerating for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Make the ganache topping. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until just simmering. Pour over chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Let sit 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Spread evenly over the chilled cheesecake.
Garnish and serve. Sprinkle toasted coconut and whole almonds over the ganache. Release the springform collar, slice, and serve chilled.

Nutrition (per serving)

Almond Joy Cheesecake — Because Every Birthday Deserves Something Sweet Enough to Remember