Nutella Cheesecake (Hazelnut Chocolate Cheesecake)

Nutella Cheesecake is an opulently decadent, creamy dessert that mixes a hazelnut chocolate unfold with the sleek texture of New York-style cheesecake. This baked cheesecake’s chocolatey, nutty taste makes it a favourite for Nutella® lovers! 

*This recipe was initially revealed in January 2020. I’ve up to date the article and the photographs, however the recipe stays unchanged.*

What Is Nutella?

Nutella® is a sweetened cocoa and hazelnut unfold. I like to explain it as a chocolatey nut butter, much like chocolate peanut butter. Nutella’s taste is wealthy and earthy, due to the hazelnuts. 

My husband and son are diehard followers of Nutella and I can usually discover them sneaking spoonfuls of the stuff straight from the jar. I determined to create this hazelnut chocolate cheesecake only for the heck of it. I’m not the most important fan of Nutella, however this cheesecake will have a spot on my plate eternally.

What Do I Want To Make The Cheesecake Crust?

You’ll want melted unsalted butter and chocolate animal cracker crumbs to make the crust for this Nutella cheesecake dessert. You in all probability can’t discover boxed chocolate cookie crumbs as you possibly can with graham crackers, nevertheless it’s pretty easy to do it your self. 

You want 2 packing containers of chocolate animal crackers or these bear crackers you used to eat in elementary college. You may as well use chocolate graham crackers, common graham crackers, or Biscoff cookies to make the crust. Make sure that no matter cookie you employ is crunchy as a substitute of soft-baked. You want cookies with a crispy texture to distinction the creamy texture of the batter. 

How Do I Make Cheesecake Crust?

To make the crust, you’ll want to show the cookies into crumbs.

Pulse the animal crackers for 30 seconds to at least one minute utilizing your meals processor fitted with the blade attachment. Stir the melted unsalted butter into the cookie crumbs to create a combination that binds. Seize a handful of the crust combination and squeeze it in your fist. If the crumbs maintain collectively tightly, the crust is able to use. Crust mixtures that ooze butter should be dried out, so add extra cookie crumbs. Alternatively, if the combination falls aside after you end squeezing, you have to to combine in slightly extra melted butter.

Dump the contents of the bowl right into a 9-inch springform pan. Use your knuckles or the underside of a measuring cup to press the crumb into the underside and slightly up the edges of the pan. This varieties the cheesecake crust.

How Far Forward Can I Bake Cheesecake Crust?

Nutella cheesecake batter is made with cream cheese, giant eggs, granulated sugar, Dutch course of cocoa powder, kosher salt, Nutella®, bitter cream, and vanilla extract.

I like to recommend utilizing Nutella on this recipe, however a store-brand hazelnut chocolate unfold will work simply positive. You may as well change the bitter cream with plain Greek yogurt. You do want one thing acidic, just like the yogurt, to interrupt by a few of that richness on this recipe. 

One other professional tip for making cheesecake batter is to convey all of your substances to room temperature earlier than beginning. The cream cheese blends higher and extra effectively when it’s at room temperature. 

Use a whisk to stir collectively the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and kosher salt.

How Far Forward Can I Put together Cheesecake Batter?

Add the cream cheese to a bigger mixing bowl, adopted by the cocoa-sugar combination. 

Use an electrical hand or stand mixer on low velocity to mix the dry substances with the cream cheese. Cease the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters as soon as the bulk of the dry substances are blended with the cheese. Start beating the batter once more, this time with the mixer at medium velocity, for two minutes. Cease the mixer after about a minute to scrape down the bowl and beaters.

Add the eggs to the batter, separately, mixing properly after every egg. Cease the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters after you add the ultimate egg. Mix the batter for an additional minute a medium velocity. 

Subsequent, add the Nutella and the vanilla extract to the batter. In case your Nutella is a bit thick, you possibly can microwave it for 30 seconds to loosen it up. You don’t need to warmth it an excessive amount of, or it would throw off the stability of the batter. Simply warmth it sufficient to make it the consistency of yogurt. Mix within the Nutella for 1 minute, then add the bitter cream. Mix the bitter cream into the batter for 1 minute at medium-low velocity. 

You can also make this Nutella cheesecake batter 2-3 days forward of baking it. Scrape the ready batter into an hermetic container and retailer it within the fridge. Earlier than you employ pre-made cheesecake batter, stir it simply in case it has separated barely throughout storage. You additionally must convey the cheesecake batter to room temperature to make sure it bakes within the time given. Pull the bowl from the fridge an hour earlier than baking it.

Do I Actually Want To Bake My Cheesecakes In A Water Tub?

Whilst you don’t have to bake your cheesecake in a water tub, it does take a ton of stress out of the method. A water tub maintains a fair temperature to bake the cheesecake. Whereas the oven is fluctuating in temps because the thermometer kicks on and off, the water tub helps to take care of a relentless even temperature, which helps forestall cracks within the cheesecake.

Place the foil-wrapped cheesecake pan into a bigger pan. I take advantage of a 12-inch (30cm) extensive brazier to carry mine. Scrape the cheesecake batter into the baked crust and shift the cheesecake pan over barely.

Rigorously pour the water you set to boiling earlier into the outer pan. I take advantage of a large pancake spatula to defend the cheesecake pan from splashes. Any water that will get into the cheesecake batter will most certainly inhibit its setting, so watch out to keep away from getting any into the batter.

Slide the pan setup into the recent oven and bake the cheesecake for 1 hour.

What’s A Good Topping For Nutella Cheesecake?

Chocolate ganache is the most effective topping for Nutella cheesecake, particularly if it’s a darkish chocolate ganache. The bitter chocolate taste cuts by the decadence of the dessert to make it much less overwhelming. 

Chocolate ganache is made with heavy cream and chocolate. You may add flavorings like vanilla extract, cognac, or brandy, or hold it easy.

Whereas the right approach to make chocolate ganache is with a double-boiler, there’s already an excessive amount of happening with this recipe to be chunking new dishes into the combo. As a substitute, warmth the cream for 1 minute on excessive within the microwave. Make sure that it doesn’t boil over!

Pour that actually scorching cream over the chocolate chips in a bowl and let it sit for two minutes. Gently stir the cream into the chocolate till the combination runs easy. You can also make the chocolate ganache as much as 3 days forward and retailer it in a coated container within the fridge. You’ll must soften the ganache to a fluid state earlier than utilizing it.

How Do I Beautify This Nutella Cheesecake? 

After the 1 hour baking time, flip the oven off and prop the door open with a picket spoon. Venting the oven step by step cools the cheesecake to forestall an excessive temperature change. Regularly cooling cheesecakes over a interval of two hours is how I’ve been in a position to bake crack-free cheesecakes for over 20 years. Permit the Nutella cheesecake to chill like this within the oven for 1 hour.

Take away the pans from the oven after an hour. Carry the cheesecake pan from the outer pan and take away the foil wrapping. Permit the Nutella cheesecake to chill to room temperature for an additional hour.

Earlier than refrigerating and chilling the cheesecake, pour 1/2-3/4 cup of the chocolate ganache over it. Decide up the pan and swirl the ganache over the floor of the cheesecake to make it easy and even. 
Refrigerate the Nutella cheesecake for no less than 6 hours or till chilled all through.

You’ll have about 1 1/2 cups of ganache left over by intention. Cowl the bowl with the ganache with plastic movie and let it sit at room temperature till about an hour earlier than you propose to serve it.

Use the whisk attachment of your mixer to whip the chocolate ganache to a fluffy consistency. Scrape down the bowl and whip for about 30 seconds after whipping on medium-high velocity. Proceed whipping for 30 seconds to 1 minute after scraping down the bowl. This whipped chocolate ganache is incredible for adorning rosettes or a fluffy border on the completed Nutella cheesecake.

How Do I End The Nutella Cheesecake?

Fill a tall glass or pitcher with highly regarded faucet water and set a pointy knife in it to warmth the metallic. Earlier than utilizing the knife, wipe off the blade with a paper towel. Run the knife between the cheesecake and the pan to separate the 2. Heating the knife ensures the separation is sharp and clear. 

As soon as the ganache and pan are separated, launch the collar clip to take away it from the cheesecake. 

Warmth 1/4 cup of Nutella in a microwave-safe bowl for 15 seconds to make it straightforward to stir and pipe. Fill a small piping bag with the Nutella and pipe a drizzle of the unfold over the floor of the cheesecake. You may as well drizzle a few of the leftover ganache, dulce de leche, or cajeta over the cheesecake in lieu of the Nutella.

One other approach to fancy up your Nutella cheesecake is to pipe rosettes of whipped chocolate ganache on every slice. Put a 1M piping tip in a piping bag, then fill the bag with the whipped ganache you made earlier. Use your dominant hand to squeeze the piping bag whereas guiding the piping bag in a clockwise course together with your non-dominant hand.

For the ultimate contact, prime every rosette of ganache with hazelnut chocolate sweet.

None of that is obligatory on this recipe, after all. This ornament makes the cheesecake extra-fancy.

How Do I Serve Nutella Cheesecake?

Serve Nutella cheesecake with a drink that may reduce by the richness of it: milk, espresso, or water. Probably the most grasping amongst us likes to eat this cheesecake with my Vanilla Frozen Custard. 

When reducing your cheesecake slices, use the identical “scorching water dip” methodology you used to separate the cake from the pan. Make sure you’re drying off the knife in between cuts, too. It will hold your cuts clear and sharp.

What’s The Greatest Means To Retailer Cheesecake?

Retailer any leftover Nutella cheesecake within the fridge for as much as 4 days. I’m chuckling as a result of it received’t final that lengthy, however no matter.

To maintain the inside from drying out or absorbing the opposite odors of the fridge, press a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper proper up towards the uncovered cheesecake. The chilled air will trigger the cheesecake to develop into gunky if left uncovered. Due to the chocolate ganache shell, the highest doesn’t should be coated. 

To increase the lifetime of the Nutella cheesecake after baking and adorning, reduce your slices and return the cheesecake to the fridge as quickly as doable.

Can I Freeze A Baked Nutella Cheesecake?

You can freeze this Nutella cheesecake after baking it and permitting it to chill utterly. I like to recommend freezing it earlier than adorning it with the drizzle and/or rosettes. 

• Take away the cheesecake from the pan by popping off the underside plate.
• Place it on a plastic-wrapped freezer-safe plate and freeze for quarter-hour to agency up the ganache.
• Wrap the cheesecake utterly in plastic wrap, then cowl it with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Freeze for as much as 3 months.
• To thaw, take away the foil and plastic wrap, and place the cheesecake on a plate. Thaw within the fridge for 12 hours (or in a single day) earlier than serving.

I’ve by no means met an individual who didn’t love this Nutella Cheesecake, and I do know you’ll agree. This recipe is a incredible dessert for the chocolate lovers in your life. Along with being a decadent dessert, my Nutella cheesecake is an distinctive recipe to attempt for Valentine’s Day this yr. Go forward and pin this recipe to your desserts board for simple discovering later. Don’t neglect to let me know what you consider it within the feedback!