Lime Coconut Cheesecake -- The Cake That Carries the "Good Girl" Forward

Carrie turns twenty-three on September 12th — twenty-three, at Emory, her senior year, the last year of the academic life that will lead to the teaching life that will lead to wherever Carrie goes next. The wherever is Carrie's to decide, and the deciding is the freedom, and the freedom is the gift that the parsonage kitchen gave her: the ability to go anywhere because she carries the food with her.

I baked the coconut cake at four AM — the ritual, the three layers, the cream cheese frosting. I sent a photograph. Carrie sent a photograph of her birthday celebration in Atlanta — a dinner with friends, ramen and Southern food, the fusion that is Carrie's identity. The two photographs were the two kitchens: the mother's and the daughter's, the Lowcountry and the everywhere-else, the same love in different containers.

Mama said "Good girl" from wherever she is. I heard it in the kitchen, at four AM, while the mixer ran and the butter softened and the cake became the cake. The hearing was not auditory. It was cellular. The cells that Mama made and that Mama's recipes fed carry the review in their DNA, and the DNA does not forget, and the not-forgetting is the "Good girl" that I hear every September 12th, every March 28th, every time I bake the cake, every time the oven opens and the heat touches my face and the face is Mama's face reflected in the glass.

I made the coconut cake. Twenty-three. Good girl.

The coconut cake is always the ritual — but some years the ritual asks to be carried into a new form, the same love in a different container, just as Carrie’s Atlanta dinner was ramen and Southern food at once. This lime coconut cheesecake holds the same tropical sweetness I reach for every September 12th, the coconut that is memory and the brightness that is Carrie moving forward into her own everywhere-else. If Mama’s "Good girl" lives in the cells, then this recipe is how I pass it on: same DNA, new shape, the frosting traded for a graham cracker crust and the cream cheese still present, still doing its quiet work.

Lime Coconut Cheesecake

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (plus chilling) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Filling:
• 3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 3–4 limes)
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• Topping:
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• Thin lime slices or zest curls, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat oven to 325°F. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prepare for a water bath.
2. Make the crust. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, toasted coconut, sugar, and melted butter until evenly combined. Press firmly into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool slightly.
3. Make the filling. Beat softened cream cheese and sugar together on medium speed until completely smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl well.
4. Add eggs and dairy. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low after each addition just until incorporated. Mix in sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla extract until smooth. Fold in the 1/2 cup shredded coconut.
5. Bake in a water bath. Pour filling into the cooled crust. Place the foil-wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan and add enough hot water to reach 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake at 325°F for 50–55 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle.
6. Cool slowly. Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour. This prevents cracking. Remove from the water bath, discard foil, and run a thin knife around the edge of the pan.
7. Chill. Cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight before releasing from the pan.
8. Finish and serve. Top with toasted coconut and garnish with lime slices or zest curls before serving. Slice with a clean, hot knife for neat cuts.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 430 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 29g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 290mg