Chocolate and Hazelnut Cheesecake

Here is a delicious recipe for an Italian-style chocolate and hazelnut cheesecake, which will combine the rich taste of chocolate with the crunchiness of hazelnuts.

Ingredients

• 250 g of dry biscuits (like Digestive)
• 150 g of melted butter
• 500 g of creamy cheese (like Philadelphia)
• 200 g of powdered sugar
• 200 ml of whipping cream
• 150 g of dark chocolate
• 100 g of toasted and chopped hazelnuts
• 3 sheets of gelatin (or equivalent in gelatin powder)
• Cocoa powder (for dusting)

Preparation

1. Begin by finely crumbling the dry biscuits. Combine with the melted butter and mix well until you get a homogeneous mixture. Pour the biscuit and butter mixture into a springform pan and press down to create a compact base. Place in the fridge to harden for at least 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, soften the gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes. Then squeeze them out and dissolve them in a small pot with a bit of just warmed cream.
3. In a large bowl, mix the creamy cheese with the powdered sugar until you get a smooth cream.
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, making sure it does not burn. Let it cool slightly.
5. Add the melted chocolate and dissolved gelatin to the cheese and sugar mixture, mixing well until you have a homogeneous mixture.
6. Whip the cream and gently fold it into the cheese and chocolate mixture, taking care not to deflate it.
7. Add the toasted and chopped hazelnuts and gently mix.
8. Pour the obtained cream onto the biscuit base in the fridge and let set for at least 4-5 hours, or better yet, overnight.
9. Before serving, dust the surface of the cheesecake with cocoa powder and decorate with some whole hazelnuts or chopped chocolate.

Curiosity

The cheesecake is a dessert that has made American pastry famous, but its origins are very ancient, dating back to Ancient Greece. The chocolate and hazelnut version is a match between the sweetness of dark chocolate and the intense taste of hazelnuts, very common in Italian desserts like the gianduia cake.

For an even more “Italian” version of the dessert, you could use an Italian creamy cheese like ricotta or mascarpone instead of Philadelphia, and perhaps add a drizzle of hazelnut liqueur, like Frangelico, to intensify the flavor.