Nutella Almond Cheesecake

It is so hard to resist sweets… Moments I do not feel like eating them are rare and making them relaxes me perfectly. There are cakes that take a lot of time to make (usually this time is spent by you waiting for layers to cool down) and that is fine. Complex cakes can be very good… However all of the waiting always makes me try each layer in advance, so by the time the cake is ready I can’t even enjoy its entire taste properly as I only recognize individual layers. It might sound a bit weird, but it is so.

When it comes to quick cakes, I have only recently discovered cheesecakes: creamy and easy to make. While the following is not the most simple cheesecake (especially because of the unconventional first layer), but it is made quite quickly (took me about 1h) and the result is a very serious cake. Now this one does need to cool down in a few instances, but the recipe is very easy to work with and it is very difficult for anything to go wrong.

And finally, a few words on its secret chocolate ingredient: Nutella. Of course, you can use any cream you have and it can’t harm the cake, but keep in mind that this nutty cream really gives it a nice hazelnutty feel. While at it, feel free to substitute the almonds for hazelnuts too if you wish. My idea was to make it a bit diverse, but it all really depends on your own personal preferences.

Nutella Almond Cheesecake

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 1h

Ingredients

For the base

4 eggs

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

5 tablespoons ground almonds

3 tablespoons white flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (not hot chocolate preferably)

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon warm water

A little milk

For the cheese layer

500g mascarpone cheese

180g crème fraîche

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

4 tablespoons Nutella

For the topping

Whipping cream

70g chocolate

1 tablespoon oil

Separate egg whites from the egg yolk and beat the egg whites adding sugar to form strong peaks. Add the egg yolk and slowly fold a couple of times with a metal spoon. In a separate dish, mix flour, cocoa, almonds and the baking powder with a metal spoon. Add the mix to the eggs quarter by quarter, slowly folding the mixture each time. Place in a tray lined with baking paper and leave in the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C. Once done, remove from oven and place on a serving tray removing the baking paper. Throw a few drops of milk on the base to make it softer while it cools down; once the base is cool, move on to the cheese layer.

Beat the mascarpone with sugar and add crème fraîche and Nutella, mixing until all the ingredients create a thick cream.

Layer the base with the cheese layer and let it set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Beat the whipping cream and layer the cake with it. Keep the cake in a cool place (fridge) while you melt the chocolate with some oil. In order to decorate the cake, use a teaspoon, dip it in chocolate and start drawing on your cake from a small distance. Once done, return to the refrigerator and leave to cool well, overnight is always best with cakes.