Nuttella Cheesecake

Recipe and picture from www.eggfreebaking.com

Base:
70g pkt hazelnuts, toasted
125g chocolate biscuits
100g butter, melted

Process the hazelnuts until resembling fine breadcrumbs. Add the chocolate biscuits and process to crumbs. Add the butter and whiz to mix in.
Tip into a 20cm springform tin and press the crumbs over the base and up the walls for 3 - 4cm. Chill while making the filling.

Filling:
250g cream cheese, softened
250g Nuttella or other hazelnut spread
200g dark milk chocolate, melted
¼ tsp salt
1 - 2 tsp hazelnut essence (optional)

1. Process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the Nuttella, salt and hazelnut essence if using and process until smooth. Add the melted chocolate a few spoonfuls at a time and whiz until smooth, scraping down the walls as necessary. Put into prepared biscuit base and chill until set.
2. Pipe the top with chocolate (see grid topping below) and leave it to set.

Serves 8 - 10.

Chocolate Grid Topping:
Melt 50g dark chocolate over hot water or in the microwave. Meanwhile tuck a small plastic bag into a drinking glass and fold the surplus down the outside of the glass. Spoon the melted chocolate into the plastic bag and twist the top to seal in the chocolate. Remove the bag from the glass and cut a tiny corner off the base of the bag to form a nozzle (it’s better to cut too little the first time). Place the bag in your hand and gently squeeze fine drizzle lines in one direction over the cheesecake using your other hand to steady your piping hand. Give the cheesecake a quarter turn and drizzle lines in the opposite direction. Chill until serving time.

Note: If you’re out of chocolate biscuits substitute plain biscuits and add 1-2 Tbsp cocoa powder.
2-3 tablespoons of hazelnut coffee flavouring can be substituted for the hazelnut essence.