Ferrero Rocher cheesecake….I know I say this for everything, but this is my new favourite cheesecake.
I don’t normally love chocolate cheesecake, I don’t know why but they’re just never my go to.
BUT A CHEESECAKE WITH NUTELLA IN IT, this is totally different. The flavour the Nutella gave to the cheesecake was amazing. Then you also have the hazelnuts that added great texture!
Video Tutorial
What makes this a Ferrero Rocher cheesecake?
My goal for this was to take the different parts of a Ferrero Rocher and then add them to a cheesecake.
The different parts of a Ferrero Rocher is essentially the hazelnut in the centre, the Nutella and then the chocolate/hazelnut coating.
They do also have the wafer part. But like it’s just wafer. I felt like wafer wasn’t going to add much to this cheesecake….it’s just wafer. So I decided to act like that part of a Ferrero Rocher doesn’t exist.
Also side note, I don’t understand how wafer is still sold everywhere….WHO IS EATING WAFER ??? I’ve never seen someone say they love wafer.
I digress, to make this a Ferrero Rocher cheesecake, I added some hazelnuts into the biscuit base, then I added Nutella into the cheesecake batter, then I topped it off with a hazelnut ganache!
The cheesecake batter
For this Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake, I’m using the same cheesecake batter I always use for my baked cheesecakes.
The only difference is that I added some Nutella, and I also reduced the amount of sugar because the Nutella is adding sweetness too.
There are a few ingredients in this that I wanted to talk about:
The corn flour
You might know this as corn starch instead! This is added to help thicken the cheesecake.
The double cream
In the recipe I’ve wrote that this should be warm. All you need to do is heat it in your microwave for 30-60 seconds.
The reason why I do this is because this batter has melted white chocolate in it. If you add the melted chocolate to the cheesecake batter whiles it is too cold, the chocolate can set straight away. So then you have pieces of white chocolate in the cheesecake, which is not the worst thing. But it’s not the goal.
Adding warm cream just heats the batter up, so that when you add the white chocolate, the batter isn’t too cold.
The white chocolate
The white chocolate in this recipe is not added for flavour. It is added to help the cheesecake set.
I get asked a lot if it can be left out….for this recipe, no. It is needed. I promise it won’t make the cheesecake taste like white chocolate though, it’s only there to help it set.
Common questions
There are no eggs in this, why do you bake it?
The cheesecake recipe I always use has no eggs in it, but I do still bake it.
This ‘method’ of making a baked eggless cheesecake is something I learnt from a teacher a while ago. I don’t know exactly why this works without eggs, all I know is that baking it makes a huge difference.
The corn flour and white chocolate together helps thicken the cheesecake as it bakes, whiles also giving it a rich, creamy texture!
Do I need to leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 hour after baking it?
After baking the cheesecake, I turn my oven off, open the door slightly and leave the cheesecake in there for an hour.
The reason why I do this is because I have learnt that cheesecake are sensitive, they don’t like sudden changes in temperature. If you take it out of the oven straight away, there’s a bigger chance of it cracking!
Do I need to leave the cheesecake in the fridge overnight?
Yes….but also no.
You can get away with leaving it to set in the fridge for 4 hours, but overnight is just so much better. The texture of cheesecake is always better the next day, so I recommend waiting!
Baking cheesecakes in a water bath
This cheesecake is baked in a water bath!
All you need to do for this is add your cheesecake into a large roasting/baking dish that has high sides. Then pour some boiling water into it, until the water reaches halfway up the tin with the cheesecake in.
Like I mentioned, cheesecakes are sensitive, they don’t like sudden changes in temperature. So the water stops the cheesecake from getting too hot in the oven, which just makes it bake better.
Using a water bath will give you a much creamier, smooth cheesecake!
The cake tin
Most cheesecakes are baked in a loose bottomed/springform cake tin. It is much easier to take the cheesecake out of this kind of tin.
If you are going to use this kind of tin, just make sure you wrap the outside with tin foil a few times, so that no water from the water baths get into the cheesecake.
I like to just use a regular cake tin so that I don’t have to wrap the outside with tinfoil. To take the cheesecake out, I just heat the sides of the tin, then turn it upside down and shake the tin until the cheesecake comes out.
Both tins work fine, so it’s totally up to you.
Side note, I used an 8 inch cake tin, a 9 inch one works great too!
The ganache
For the top layer of this cheesecake, I added a chocolate ganache that had chopped hazelnuts mixed into it.
I used dark chocolate for this ganache. I always say this, but dark chocolate is great in desserts because it helps cut the sweetness. However, if you really don’t like dark chocolate, you could use milk chocolate instead. The cheesecake will just be a little sweeter.
If you are going to use milk chocolate though, half the amount of cream. So instead of using 150ml, use 75ml. The ganache will be too thin if you use the full amount.
When it comes to the hazelnuts in this ganache, I said that you should add 80g. This is more of a suggestion, add as much or as little chopped hazelnut you want, it doesn’t really matter!
I make a lot of cheesecakes. I really like cheesecake. If you really like cheesecake too, here are some more recipes I think you should try:
Ferrero
Rocher Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the biscuit base:
320g biscuits (any work, I used digestives)
80g hazelnuts, chopped into small pieces
100g unsalted butter, melted
- For the cheesecake:
100g granulated sugar
60g corn flour
800g cream cheese
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
300ml double cream, warm
160g white chocolate, melted
200g Nutella
- For the ganache:
150g dark chocolate
150ml double cream
80g hazelnuts, chopped into small pieces
Directions
- Start by greasing and lining an 8 or 9 inch cake tin with baking paper. Make sure to line the bottom and the sides of the tin. Also pre-heat your oven to 170c/325f.
- Making the biscuit base:
- Crush your biscuits using a food processor, or instead you can just add them into a food bag and hit them with a rolling pin.
- Add this into a bowl, along with the chopped hazelnuts and the melted butter. Mix until everything is combined.
- Add this into your prepared cake tin and press it down until you get a smooth even layer. Leave this aside.
- Making the cheesecake:
- In a large bowl, add in the sugar, corn flour, cream cheese and the vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Pour in a bit of the cream, mix this in, then add in more and mix. Keep repeating until you've used all of the cream.
- Now add the melted white chocolate and Nutella, mix until you get a smooth batter.
- Add this into your cake tin and smooth it out.
- Baking the cheesecake:
- To bake this, add your cake tin into a roasting/baking tin that has high sides. Pour some boiling water into the large roasting tin until the water reaches about halfway up the sides of the cake tin.
- Carefully place this into your oven and bake for around 45-55 minutes. It is done when the edges of the cheesecake look set, but the centre is still slightly jiggly.
- Once it has baked, turn your oven off, open the door slighty and leave the cheesecake in there for 1 hour.
- Making the ganache:
- To make the ganache, add the chocolate and cream into a bowl. Heat this in your microwave for 30 seconds, then take it out and stir.
- Place this back into the microwave for 15 seconds this time, then stir again. Keep repeating this until the chocolate has melted and you get a smooth mixture. Now mix in the chopped hazelnuts.
- Once the cheesecake has been left to cool down in the oven for 1 hour, you can take it out and add the ganache on top. Be gently when spreading the ganache over it, the cheesecake is still soft at this point.
- Leave this in your fridge to set overnight.
- Finishing touches:
- The next day, take your cheesecake out of the tin and then decorate it however you want to. I just added some whipped cream on top and then some Ferrero Rochers.
- Now just cut into it and enjoy!
