Chocolate cheesecake with nut crust

Ingredients:

Nut cake

• 1 cup chopped graham crackers
• 1/3 tbsp. ground hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into a measuring cup
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate cheesecake

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 180 g milk chocolate, chopped
• 450 g of cream cheese at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 0.5 cups nut liqueur
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• Ferrero Rocher, for decoration

Chocolate coating

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate
• 80 g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream

Chocolate cream

• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C and grease a 22cm springform pan.
2. In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, nuts, and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and vanilla extract and process until smooth. Press into the prepared pan, press firmly, and bake for 7 minutes. Cool the crust while you prepare the filling.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 160°C.
4. Heat the cream until almost boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and whisk gently until smooth.
5. In a bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese mixture until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. While whisking, slowly pour in the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Stir in the cornstarch. By this time, the filling should look slightly runny. Slowly pour in the nut liqueur and add the eggs one at a time. Pour the chocolate mixture into the curd filling and mix well.
7. Spread the filling on the crust and bake for 30 minutes. Without opening the door, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit for another 30 minutes. Then remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature, and refrigerate overnight.
8. Chocolate coatingMelt the chocolate, butter, and cream in a small saucepan. Whisk over warm heat until smooth. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the melted chocolate sauce for garnish, and drizzle the rest over the cheesecake. Cool for 10 minutes. Pour the reserved chocolate sauce into a piping bag fitted with a 3mm round tip and pipe a lace mesh.
9. Chocolate creamIn the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the butter and beat for 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and beat until smooth. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the cream and decorate the cheesecake in a circle, following the markings. Unwrap the Ferrero Rocher truffles and finish by placing them on top of the cream.