A mom's journal of the sweet things in her life...

Friday, January 14, 2011

Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake

Fact: As I type this, I am lying in my king-sized bed on a Friday night with two very large sleeping dogs who both refuse to give me enough space to stretch out my legs. Who's running this show?!

Fact: My legs are cramping but I can't do anything about it because I don't want to disturb the peace. The. Much. Needed. Peace.

Fact: I am currently suffering through the obligatory New Year's diet and I'm hungry. So very hungry.

Fact: I am also a cliche.

I made this cheesecake during the holiday free-for-all-food-fest and I think it may have a little something to do with extra 4 pounds I gained in 2 weeks. I've managed to shed 3 of those 4 pounds - but this last one is a killer. It's hanging on for dear life. It's mocking me right now.

I was looking for something new to do with cheesecake when I stumbled upon the idea of adding Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Why the heck not? It was Christmas after all, the season of indulgence. Ferrero Rocher is the most delectable chocolate available at a supermarket, and they aren't that pricey, relatively speaking. And since I had already doctored my vanilla cheesecake recipe to perfection, if I do say so myself, there was really no point in reinventing the wheel. I decided to simply fold chopped Ferrero Rocher chocolates into the cake batter and cross my fingers. 
 For the topping, I cheated. I had purchased a jar of chocolate hazelnut spread from Bernard Callebaut and simply warmed it until it was spreadable and then smeared it all over the cheesecake. Heaven! If, however, you don't have a Bernard Callebaut store in your neck of the woods, the same could be done with Nutella. Add some chopped hazelnuts if you want texture, but either way, it would be delicious.
Finally, I cut the remaining chocolates in half and added them as 'garnish'. They cut in half surprisingly well and really finished the cake. This was a big hit, everyone really liked it and it will definitely be making another appearance as soon as I can find an excuse. And when I'm done dieting. Or after I abort my mission to shed this final pound. Whichever comes first.

If you're looking for a special occasion cheesecake and you love chocolate and hazelnuts, look no further, I promise you won't be disappointed. 

Recipe for Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake:
Base:
3 cups of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
Process the cereal in food processor until they form fine crumbs. Add your melted butter and pulse until combined. Press into your cake pan(s). Set aside. (You could also use the more traditional graham wafer crumb crust.)

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Cheesecake:
1 kg. container of Victorian Style cream cheese (found at Costco); or 4 eight ounce packages of full fat cream cheese
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup of full fat sour cream
1 T. vanilla extract
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
3 eggs
10 Ferrero Rocher chocolates cut into quarters (plus extra if you want to use them for decorating)
1 cup of Chocolate Hazelnut spread, such as Nutella (for frosting)

Put all the ingredients (except the eggs) into the bowl of your food processor. Pulse several times until the mixture is well blended and smooth, scraping the sides as necessary. Add the eggs, one at a time, pulsing after each addition until fully incorporated. Be careful not to over process. Once smooth, gently fold in the chopped chocolates, pour over your crust.

Place cake into shallow baking pan and add enough boiling water to reach half way up cake pan. Bake for one hour. Cake should still be jiggly after the hour. Carefully from the oven, and remove the cake from the water bath. Allow to cool on your counter top until room temperature. (About 2 hours). Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.

When the cheesecake has been chilled and has set, warm the chocolate hazelnut spread in the microwave briefly, just long enough to loosen it and make it a spreadable consistency. Spread over the surface of the cheesecake and decorate with the remaining Ferrero Rocher chocolates, cut in half. Chill until ready to serve.

3 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, this looks incredible. I have only just found your blog, but am now literally obsessed. My favourite part are the pictures. Keep 'em up!
    Love, Addicted x

    ReplyDelete
  2. @ Anon - thank you so much! That's the best compliment. Ever. : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. :O I have always wanted to make this! I need to make it for my momma the next time I go home. I remember growing up she would hoard them like hamsters. Your cheesecake looks SO yummy!

    ReplyDelete

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