Summer cookbook: Matthew Reilly’s Nutella cheesecake
If I’m having my last meal, then I’m going out with a bang, combining two of my favorite food groups: cheesecake and Nutella.
So. I don’t cook. It just does not do it for me. And when it comes to cheesecakes, I mean it literally: I don’t like baked cheesecakes. I like ’em creamy, sweet, cold and soft.
If I’m having my last meal, then I’m going out with a bang, combining two of my favourite food groups: cheesecake and Nutella.
I got this recipe from my friend Nagi Maehashi, from RecipeTin Eats, and it’s an orgasmic delight.
If I’m eating it, the world could be on fire and I wouldn’t notice.
If you were asking me how to make it, I’d say: make an Oreo biscuit base with crushed Oreos and butter. Mix Philadelphia cream cheese with icing sugar, then mix in Nutella and heavy cream (to a mousse-like level, mmm). Refrigerate until firm. Then top with Nutella and more cream.
Eat and die happy.
If you want a few more instructions, this is what Nagi says:
Nutella cheesecake
Like Matthew, I am fussy about cheesecakes and there are times when baking is not the route to the best result. Say, mango cheesecake. Baking alters the flavour of mango and it’s just not the same.
And, it turns out, Nutella is the same. The no-bake version dials up the Nutella flavour. Bonus: It’s a whip/pour/fridge job, and you can serve it on a plate.
Holy moly, if that doesn’t make your knees weak and get your heart pumping, you must not have a pulse to begin with.
INGREDIENTS
Base
• 200g Oreo cookies (Note 1)
• 60g unsalted butter, melted
Nutella mousse filling
• 3 tsp gelatine powder (Note 2)
• ¼ cup water
• 500g cream cheese, softened (block form, Note 3)
• ½ cup soft icing sugar (Note 4)
• 1 cup Nutella
• 1 cup thickened cream
Nutella ganache topping
• ½ cup thickened cream
• ½ cup Nutella (Note 5)
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips/semisweet chocolate chips
Toppings
• ¼ cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted then chopped (Note 6)
• ½ cup thickened cream (for whipping)
• 3 tbsp Nutella, warmed
METHOD
Prepare pan
Flip the base of a 20cm springform pan upside down – this makes it easier to remove the finished cheesecake without the lip in the way. Butter pan base, then press on a square sheet of baking paper. Clip the pan sides on to the base, letting the excess paper overhang. Butter and line the pan sides with more baking paper.
Oreo biscuit base
Roughly break up Oreos with hands and place in food processor. Blitz until they become fine crumbs. Add melted butter, then blitz again until combined.
Transfer crumbs into prepared pan, pressing evenly and firmly on to the base. (I use the underside of a straight-sided, flat-bottomed cup measure to do this.)
Nutella mousse filling
Place water in a small bowl, then sprinkle the gelatine powder across the surface. Stir to partly dissolve. Set aside 5 minutes. It will turn thick; this process is called blooming. Microwave the gelatine for 15 seconds to turn it into liquid, stir, then let it stand for 5 minutes to cool.
Beat cream cheese, Nutella and icing sugar until smooth. Add the cooled gelatine liquid and beat another 30 seconds.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
Add one-third of the whipped cream to the Nutella mixture and gently fold until just combined. Fold in another third of the cream the same way. Then fold in the remaining cream.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and place back in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
Nutella ganache
Place cream, Nutella and chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl. Microwave in two 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth.
Allow ganache to cool for 5 minutes, then pour over the set cheesecake base. Tilt pan to spread it over the surface evenly.
Refrigerate cheesecake at least 3 hours before sprinkling with hazelnuts (otherwise they sink into the cake!)
Release the cake. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and carefully peel away the paper sides.
To decorate, sprinkle over hazelnuts. Pipe dollops of whipped cream around the edge, then drizzle with warm Nutella. Slice greedy-sized wedges and devour!
Because it’s no-bake, this Nutella cheesecake needs to be kept in the fridge – otherwise it will melt. It is supposed to be served chilled.
RECIPE NOTES
1. Oreo cookies – You can also use plain chocolate biscuits instead, such as Arnott’s Chocolate Ripple, but add 20g of butter. This is because Oreo cookies have a filling, which is partly what helps bond the crust.
2. Gelatine – I use McKenzie’s brand, widely available at grocery stores in Australia.
3. Cream cheese – You must use BLOCK cream cheese, which is firmer than the tub form that is designed to be spreadable.
If you can get only spreadable cream cheese, add an extra ½ tsp of gelatine to compensate for the softer cream cheese.
4. Icing sugar – It’s better to use SOFT icing sugar rather than PURE icing sugar, but it’s OK to use pure icing sugar in this recipe. Pure icing sugar sets hard and is used for things like royal icing. Soft icing sugar is mixed with tapioca/maize starch so it sets more softly and is used for things like buttercream frosting.
5. Nutella – I’ve used non-Nutella brand hazelnut spreads successfully in the past. Though I haven’t tried it for this particular recipe, homemade Nutella would elevate this to epic-like status.
However, you’ll need to add an extra ½ tsp of gelatine as homemade Nutella is runnier than store bought.
6. How to toast hazelnuts: Heat a pan over medium heat (no oil). Put the hazelnuts in and toast for 3 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until you can start to smell strong nutty aromas.
Remove from pan, cool, then chop reasonably finely. (I like to chop it finely enough to have some “dust”.)
Matthew Reilly has sold more than 7.5 million copies of his novels worldwide. His first, Contest, was originally self-published after being rejected by the big publishing houses. Reilly drives a DeLorean DMC-12, like the one in the Back to the Future film franchise.