RecipeTin Eats x Good Food: No-bake Nutella cheesecake

Nutella lovers, this one's for you. An Oreo biscuit base meets a mousse-like Nutella cheesecake filling, smothered with a Nutella ganache, dotted with swirls of whipped cream then casually drizzled with warm Nutella.

Sounds indulgent? It is. This one is not for the faint-hearted. It's for serious Nutella lovers only.

Oh, that doesn't include you? I'm not sure we can be friends...

Did I mention this is no-bake? It preserves the Nutella flavour better, which is the main aim of the game here.

No-bake Nutella cheesecake

The best way to get a serious Nutella fix in a cheesecake? Make it no-bake. A triple hit of the chocolate hazelnut spread also helps: in the mousse-like cream cheese filling, the ganache topping and a drizzle to finish it off.

INGREDIENTS

Base

• 200g Oreo cookies (1.5 standard packs)
• 60g unsalted butter, melted

Nutella mousse cheesecake filling

• ¼ cup (65ml) water
• 1 tbsp (9.5g) gelatin powder (I used McKenzie's brand)
• 500g cream cheese, softened (block form, see note)
• 1 cup (320g) Nutella
• ½ cup (30g) soft icing sugar
• 1 cup (250ml) thickened cream

Nutella ganache

• ½ cup (125ml) heavy/thickened cream
• ½ cup (160g) Nutella
• ¼ cup (40g) dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Topping

• ¼ cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted then chopped
• ½ cup thickened cream
• 3 tbsp Nutella, warmed

METHOD

1. Flip the base of a 20cm springform tin upside down – this makes it easier to remove the finished cheesecake. Butter then press on a sheet of baking paper. Clip the tin's sides on so the paper overhang sticks out. Grease and line the insides of the tin with baking paper.
2. Cookie base: Roughly break up Oreos with hands and place in food processor. Blitz to fine crumbs. Add melted butter, then blitz again until combined. Transfer into prepared tin, then press evenly and firmly into the base. Place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
3. Nutella mousse cheesecake filling: Place ¼ cup cold water in a small bowl then sprinkle the gelatine powder across the surface. Stir to partly dissolve. Set aside for 5 minutes until it turns gelatinous (called blooming). Microwave the gelatine for 15 seconds to turn it into liquid, stir, then let it stand for 5 minutes to cool.
4. Beat the cream cheese, Nutella and icing sugar until smooth. Add the cooled gelatine and beat for another 30 seconds.
5. In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks.
6. Add one third of the whipped cream to the Nutella mixture and fold until just combined. Add another third of the cream and fold through. Gently fold in the remaining cream.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
8. Nutella ganache: Place cream, Nutella and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Microwave in 2 x 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth.
9. Allow the ganache to cool slightly for 5 minutes, then pour over the set cheesecake base. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
10. To serve: Sprinkle over hazelnuts, pipe dollops of whipped cream around the edge then drizzle with warm Nutella (see note). Slice into wedges as large as you dare, and devour!

Serves 12

Notes:

• Cream cheese – use the block form, not the spreadable cream cheese that comes in tubs (it's too soft).
• To drizzle warm Nutella across the surface, warm the spread in the microwave for 15 seconds then transfer to a piping bag with a thin round nozzle, or a small ziplock bag then snip the corner.
• This cheesecake needs to be served cool or cold. Because it's a gelatine-based cheesecake, it will start to melt if left out in a warm place (like jelly does).