Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake
Nigella Lawson's Easy Italian-Inspired Recipe. I dont know if I should apologize for this or boast about it. Either way, I feel you will thank me for it. The thing is that it's embarrassingly easy and, although I first started making it last Christmas a lot reckoning that it was just the sort of count-no-calorie indulgence that the season demands, I have since decided that something this good, and this speedily simple to conjure into being, needs to be in our lives all year round.
Nigella Lawson's Easy Italian-Inspired Recipe. I dont know if I should apologize for this or boast about it. Either way, I feel you will thank me for it. The thing is that it's embarrassingly easy and, although I first started making it last Christmas a lot reckoning that it was just the sort of count-no-calorie indulgence that the season demands, I have since decided that something this good, and this speedily simple to conjure into being, needs to be in our lives all year round.
- 10 ounces graham crackers (about 16 sheets or 2 1â„2 cups crumbs)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter soft
- 1 13-0unce jar nutella or equivalent chocolate hazelnut spread at room temp
- 3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts
- 1 pound cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1 9-inch springform cake pan
- Carbohydrate 73.244326358375 g
- Cholesterol 81.450200875 mg
- Fat 53.467885977375 g
- Fiber 5.00762830549502 g
- Protein 10.72971406 g
- Saturated Fat 29.8349220974113 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (175g)
- Sodium 416.38613190625 mg
- Sugar 68.23669805288 g
- Trans Fat 4.54132674977875 g
- Calories 804 calories
Step-by-step
- Don't be tempted to let the cheesecake come to room temperature before serving. It slices and eats better with a bit of refrigerator chill on it. However, you must have both Nutella and cream cheese at room temperature before making it. To simplify your life a little, try to buy the hazelnuts already chopped and toasted.
- Break the crackers into the bowl of a food processor, then add the butter and 1 tablespoon of Nutella and blitz until the mixture starts to clump. Add 3 tablespoons of the toasted hazelnuts, and continue to pulse until you have a damp, sandy mixture.
- Tip this into your springform pan and press it into the base, using either your hands or the back of a spoon. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you get on with the filling.
- Beat together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth and soft, then patiently scrape the rest of the Nutella out of its jar and into the cream cheese mixture and continue beating until combined.
- Take the springform pan out of the refrigerator. Carefully scrape and smooth the Nutella mixture over the cracker crumb base and scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top to cover. Place the pan in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Serve straight from the refrigerator for best results, unspringing the cake from the pan, still on its base, just before you eat. To cut it, dip a sharp knife in cold water, wiping it and dipping again between each cut. And don't worry: It may look disappointingly flat when whole, but when sliced, its dark depths are revealed.
Temperature Control and the Danger of Over-Beating
Both the cream cheese and the chocolate hazelnut spread must measure precisely 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit before mixing. Cold cream cheese refuses to incorporate smoothly with sugar, leaving stubborn lumps. Warm Nutella liquefies the dairy fats, destroying the emulsion required for setting. Beaters must run at a moderate speed only until smooth. Over-beating incorporates excess air, which weakens the proteins and leaves the final slice runny rather than dense.Slicing Technique and Storage Realities
Patience dictates the final presentation. A minimum four-hour refrigerator chill is mandatory, though overnight yields optimal firmness. Dipping the knife blade in cold water between every single slice prevents the high fat content from dragging crumbs across the dark surface. Store the dessert covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. Serve small portions alongside strong, unsweetened espresso to cut the rich density of the confection.
