Dark Chocolate Cheesecake with Salted Nutella Ganache
Decadent dark chocolate cheesecake with an incredible salted Nutella ganache. This beautiful, rich chocolate cheesecake has a hazelnut & chocolate cookie crust for the ultimate chocolate lovers' dessert that's perfect for birthdays or the holidays!
Servings 16 servings
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos are good)
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted
- For the filling:
- 10 ounces 72% dark chocolate, chopped
- 24 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- ¾ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt (siggi's or fage)
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use dark cocoa for more intensity)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache:
- ½ cup chocolate hazelnut butter (Nutella)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces 72% dark chocolate, chopped
- ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
- 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt (I like Maldon), plus more if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the inside of a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place chocolate sandwich cookies and hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely ground; add melted butter and process again until well combined and cookie crumbs resemble wet sand. Scrape into prepared pan and use the back of a measuring cup to firmly press and compact into the bottom and up the side of the pan, making sure the crust is even. Bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool. Keep temperature in oven.
- Prepare cheesecake filling by placing 10 ounces of chopped chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until smooth and creamy. Alternatively you can add the chocolate to a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, at least 10 to 15 minutes. We do not want the chocolate hot when going into our cheesecake filling!
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add cream cheese, Greek yogurt and sugar and mix on medium-low speed until just combined and smooth, about 1 minute. The trick here is to not overmix or beat too much air into the batter, so slow and steady is best.
- Next, add in the cocoa powder and salt and mix again on medium-low speed until smooth and well combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary and mixing once more until just combined. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium-low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down the bowl again, as necessary. Lastly, add the melted chocolate and mix on low speed until well incorporated and distributed.
- Double wrap the bottoms and sides of the pan with the crust with foil. Place the wrapped cheesecake pan into a large roasting pan (or any pan large enough to fit the springform pan in). Pour chocolate cheesecake filling over the cooled crust in the springform pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- To make a water bath: Boil a large pot of water or boil water in a kettle for ease. Once water is boiling, add the roasting pan with the cheesecake to the middle rack of your oven. Gently and slowly pour boiling water (or VERY hot water) into the roasting pan with the cheesecake (the kettle will make it easier to pour in), making sure it's about 1 inch deep so that it doesn't evaporate when you are baking your cheesecake. Gently push rack back in the oven and close the door.
- Bake until the cheesecake center is just set and just appears dry, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. (Do not worry if the cheesecake cracks while baking; this will be covered with ganache!) The cheesecake may still just slightly jiggle in the middle. Turn off the oven and crack open the oven door but do not remove the cheesecake from the oven. Allow cheesecake to sit in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour to avoid drastic temperature changes which can crack the cheesecake.
- After 30 minutes to 1 hour, remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully transfer springform pan to a wire rack. Do not remove cheesecake from the springform pan. Simply run a knife around the crust to loosen it, then chill the cheesecake for a minimum of 4 hours in fridge, although overnight is best! Once ready to top, remove cheesecake from the pan.
- To make the chocolate hazelnut ganache: In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium-low heat until warm. Add chocolate hazelnut butter and stir until smooth, then add in 2 ounces of chopped dark chocolate and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Pour over the center of the chocolate cheesecake and spread to outer edges. Top with chopped toasted hazelnuts and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow ganache to set for 10 minutes, then serve immediately or place back in the fridge for serving later.
- Cheesecake is best within 2-3 days of making, as the crust will soften as the days go on. Cut into 12-16 slices and enjoy!
Notes
See the full post for all of my tips, tricks, storing & freezing instructions!