There are few tastier things than Nutella. It’s nutty and chocolatey, super smooth and melty in your mouth. Sometimes just a spoonful is all you need, but other times call for, well, more. I make a lot of cheesecake, and I’ve long thought Nutella would make a pretty spectacular cheesecake. Hence, the Great Nutella Cheesecake Experiment.
*DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional photographer, as the following photos will prove. But I promise to try to get better.
For the crust, I used store-bought graham crackers and chopped hazelnuts, mixed with melted butter and baked til set. I would have used some other kind of cookie for the crust, but the food processor broke and the budget does not include a new one just yet.
I first thought of great dollops of Nutella sandwiched between layers of cheesecake. I was going to nuke it and make it more spreadable, but lo and behold it says right on the jar “do not microwave” and given its unknown chemical makeup, I thought it wise to heed that advice. I’d also planned on flavoring the cheesecake with Frangelico, but alas, did not have any. I did however have some Godiva liqueur and Amaretto, which I used. Liberally. Hey, the alcohol cooks out.
It was nearly done and crack-free, til the very end, when a crater developed in the center (eh, it makes it easier to taste a sample). It did stay nice and even though. Gotta put a pan of water in while it bakes, and let it sit with the oven turned off.
The next day, I melted some good chocolate and guilded the lily a bit. Next time, I’d go with more of ganache topping- I didn’t like the hard chocolate shell. Or maybe a baked sour cream topping with liqueur and brown sugar.
And the verdict? It was fuh-reaking delish! Needs more Nutella nuggets, but I had to make do with what I had. And considering I totally made it up as I went along, I think it turned out very well – a good mix between dense and light (I should probably write down what I did before I forget). I may consider mixing the Nutella directly into the batter next time and seeing what happens, or doing a swirl variation. Luckily 2/3 of the dinner guests cancelled, so there’s still some left! Can you say BREAKFAST.
foible and folly 
3 responses to “bella nutella”
Wow…yeah, you should post the recipe. Could get famous, ya know.
Looks and sounds freaktastic. Not sure about the discrete chunks of nutella though. Maybe mix the Nutella with like 1/4 of the regular batter as the bottom layer. Then the rest of the batter to give a two tiered affect. Swirl might be good too.
Do you bake the cheescake in a water bath, or just put a pan of water in there as a heat sink?
What, no comments on the heinous photos? The nuggets were popular with diners, like finding bacon in a salad. I am going to try something else with the Beach version though. No water bath – I don’t like messing with wrapping stuff in foil. I just put a pot of water in there.