Espresso Hazelnut Cheesecake Recipes

Steps:

• For crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter bottom and sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Wrap outside of pan with double layer of foil. Finely grind cookies, hazelnuts, sugar and cinnamon in processor. Add butter; process until moist clumps form. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of pan. Chill while preparing filling.
• For filling
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until blended and scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Beat in sour cream and 1/2 cup cream. Stir espresso powder and 2 tablespoons warm water in small bowl until powder dissolves. Add to filling and beat until blended. Beat in vanilla. Stir in nuts.
• Pour filling into prepared pan. Place pan in large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake cake until top is puffed and center is almost set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off oven; open door slightly. Let cake stand in oven with door ajar 1 hour. Remove pan from water; transfer to rack. Cool. Wrap in foil and chill overnight. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled).
• Run small knife around sides of pan to loosen cheesecake. Remove pan sides. Beat 2/3 cup cream in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with large star tip; pipe around top edge of cake. Garnish with chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Steps:

• Make the cheesecake base: melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor to a fine crumb, add the melted butter and pulse until well combined. Tip into a 23cm springform cake tin and press down firmly into the base. Chill while you make the filling.
• Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar in a bowl to soften. Whisk the cream and vanilla in a separate bowl until soft peaks form, then fold into the cream cheese. Stir through the chopped chocolates. Spoon over the biscuit base and smooth with a spatula. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 6 hrs, or overnight.
• Once it has set, place the chocolate hazelnut spread in a saucepan and melt over a low heat for 3-4 mins until runny. allow to cool slightly before spreading over the top of the cheesecake. Decorate with remaining chocolates and some chopped hazelnuts. Chill until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Place oven rack in the middle of the oven.
• Toast the hazelnuts: Lay hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and toast at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and skins are beginning to crack. Wrap in a towl and let steam for 1 minute. Rub hazelnuts in the towel to remove some of the skins. Grind coarsely and let cool. Keep the oven at 350.
• Make the crust: Combine all crust ingredients except the butter in a food processor until well mixed. Cut the butter into cubes and incorporate into other ingredients for about 1 minute. Press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan (I use bottom of flat glass). Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
• Make the cheesecake: Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and place a pan half-filled with water in the bottom rack. Melt the chocolate and set aside. (Tip: if melting in the microwave, heat in intervals of 30 seconds and stir. Should take no more than 1 minute on high). On low speed, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly mix in the sugar, flour and frangelico. Keep scraping down the sides of the bowl. One at a time, beat in the eggs on low speed.
• Take 1/2 cup of the cheesecake batter and mix it with the chocolate.
• Pour cheesecake batter into pan. The chocolate mixture can either be placed in a bag for piping or dropped by spoonfuls into the batter and swirled for a marbled effect.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Decrease oven temperature and bake at 225 degrees for about 1 hour. Towards the end of the baking time, check for doneness. Move the cheesecake pan slightly -- if the edges are set and the center is still wobbly the cheesecake is done. Turn the oven off and prop the door open with an oven mitt. Let cool inside the oven for at least an hour. Let cool on a counter until the pan is cool. Place in the refrigerator uncovered to chill and set. The cheesecake must be chilled for at least 24 hours.