This Nutella cheesecake is LOADED with Nutella both in the cheesecake itself and the ganache topping. It has a silky smooth texture thanks to a common kitchen ingredient. NO WATER BATH REQUIRED! Recipe includes a how-to video!
4large eggsroom temperature preferred and lightly beaten
½cup(120ml)heavy cream
Nutella Ganache
¾cup(226g)Nutella
⅓cup(80ml)heavy cream
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325F (160C).
Make the crust
Twist apart each Oreo cookie and use a butter knife to scrape out and discard the filling. Place the cookies in the basin of a food processor (see note if you don’t have a food processor) and pulse until they are ground into fine crumbs.
30 Oreo cookies
Drizzle melted butter over the crumbs, then pulse again until the crumbs are moistened. Remove the blade and stir briefly to ensure everything is combined.
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Press crumbs evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” springform pan. Aim to press as high up the sides of the pan as possible, ideally higher than where the cheesecake batter will reach (helps reduce risk of cracks if cheesecake batter falls below the top of the crust, but if yours doesn’t just see my note at the bottom!). Set aside while you prepare your cheesecake filling.
For the Nutella Cheesecake Filling
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer (or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) on low speed to beat cream cheese until smooth and lump-free.
24 oz full-fat cream cheese
Add Nutella and sugar and beat on low speed until smooth, creamy, and well-combined. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl periodically to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated.
1 cup Nutella, ¾ cup granulated sugar
Add sour cream and vanilla and stir again to combine.
⅓ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add eggs one at a time, gently stirring into the batter on low-speed after each addition until just combined. Take care to not overmix, overbeating can incorporate excess air and cause the cheesecake to puff in the oven and then sink/crack as it cools.
4 large eggs
With mixer on low-speed, slowly drizzle in heavy cream until smooth and creamy. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl one last time to ensure all ingredients are well combined.
½ cup heavy cream
Pour cheesecake filling into prepared crust. Place springform pan on a baking sheet (just in case your pan leaks) and transfer to center rack of 325F (160C) preheated oven and bake for 55-65 minutes. When finished baking, the edges of the cheesecake should appear set but the center should still be a bit wobbly if jostled.
Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly open (a few inches), and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the counter until mostly cooled (usually 30-60 minutes). Cover, transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).
Nutella Ganache
Combine Nutella and heavy cream in a microwave-safe dish and heat in the microwave for 35 seconds. Whisk Nutella and cream together until smooth. If it’s still lumpy, return to the microwave in 15-second bursts until smooth, glossy, and combined.
¾ cup Nutella, ⅓ cup heavy cream
Pour ganache evenly over the surface of the cheesecake. Return to the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes until ganache is set, then remove the springform collar, slice and serve.
Video
Notes
Food processor
If you don’t have a food processor, just place the cookie shells in a large Ziploc bag and smash with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs, then pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the butter there.
Cream cheese
Use regular, brick-style cream cheese, not low-fat and not tub-style, or the texture won’t turn out properly.
Crust
If you add your cheesecake batter and find that it reaches higher than the crust, don’t panic! The goal of pressing it up that high is to reduce the tension that happens when the cheesecake sticks to the side of the pan (instead of the crust) and then cools. If yours isn’t high enough, bake according to instructions and then when it’s finished baking, use a sharp knife to gently loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan, then allow to cool (in the oven) as indicated.
Storing
Store cheesecake covered with the springform collar on. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.