There are certain things that happen in a professional kitchen that strike me as magic. They seem unmanageably gorgeous and too difficult to attempt at home, but usually with a bit of guidance anyone can do it. These hazelnut candies are on the list. They look like delicate jewels, standing impossibly tall and thin. They are the perfect accessory to a sleek chocolate covered praline cheesecake and not at all difficult to make.
This cake is about as smooth and rich as is possible. To flavor the cheesecake I used a product by love n’ bake, which is just ground praline made into a paste. You can replace it with nutella (for even more chocolate) or even peanut butter (go smooth for this). The trick to the texture is baking in a water bath at a low temperature to prevent the cake from baking too fast.
Chocolate Ganache Glazed Praline Cheesecake with Candied Hazelnuts
Follow along with the instructions and find the full recipe below.
To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor break up the cookies until they are a powder, then add the butter and process until the cookies are wet.
Pat the crumbs into the bottom of a Round Cake Pan, 9 Inch x 3 Inch
Lower oven temperature to 320 degrees.
To mix the cheesecake: In a stand mixer cream the praline paste until smooth. The praline may be separated and rather stiff when you take it out of the can, but it should get very smooth before you add the other ingredients.
Add the cream cheese and mix on a low speed until it is well blended with the praline. Scrape the bowl often. Add the sugar, cream and then the eggs, mixing well after each. Add the vanilla.
Fill the prepared cake pan with the cheesecake mixture.
bake in a waterbath for about 1 hour or until the cheesecake has set on top. It should no longer appear liquidy when the pan is gently shaken. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the water-bath. This brings the temp down slower and prevents deep cracks.
Refrigerate the cheesecake for several hours or overnight. Unmold the cheesecake by heating it over a flame on the stove for a few seconds, run a thin blade around the pan and then invert it onto a flat surface covered with plastic wrap. (For detailed picture of this process click here.) Invert the cheesecake onto a cardboard round that fits the bottom exactly. If the cardboard is too big it will show when you pour the ganache over the cake.
To make the ganache:
In a medium sized pot heat the cream until just steaming, but not boiling. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate and butter. shake the pot to make sure all the chocolate is submerged in the hot cream and allow to sit for about 3 minutes. Gently stir the ganache until it is completely smooth. Do not whip any air into it or the surface of your cake will not be smooth.
Place the cake on a cooling rack, set above a cookie sheet which is covered in parchment. This will catch any extra ganache.
Allow the ganache to thicken for about 10 to 15 minutes. If the ganache is too thin it will just pour off the cake without coating well. It should be just above room temperature.
Start in the center and pour the ganache over the cake, then move to the outer edge and make sure the entire cake is covered.
Very gently shimmy the cooling rack so that the top surface of the cake smooths out. let the cake sit until the ganache is set up. This can take about 30+ minutes.
You will end up with lots of leftover ganache that can be refrigerated for about 1 week or frozen for a month.
To make the candied hazelnuts:
You will need long wooden skewers and a heavy cutting board to weigh them down on the edge of your counter. Place parchment or newspaper on the floor below where the hazelnuts will be suspended to catch the caramel drips.
Heat the hazelnuts in a pan for a minute or so to remove the skins more easily if yours are not blanched. Gently stick the skewer into the hazelnuts. Set aside.
To make the caramel:
In a small saucepan combine the sugar, water and corn syrup and bring to a boil, without stirring. Once the mixture starts to caramelize remove from the stove and allow it to darken and thicken for about 10 minutes. Stirring on occasion so it won’t set up on the bottom of the pan.
Once the caramel is thickened, dip the hazelnut into the caramel and lift it to see if the caramel is clinging. If the caramel just runs off then you may need to wait another minute and repeat.
When the caramel is coating the hazelnut and dripping off in long strands then secure the skewer under the heavy cutting board, so the caramel can drip down.
Let the hazelnuts sit until the caramel is well set, about 15 minutes.
Break off the caramel strands at the length you want. Gently twist the hazelnuts from the skewers. Decorate the top of your cake with the points way up in the air.
Cut the cheesecake using a thin blade that has been dipped in hot water and wiped clean. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Chocolate Crust
- 1 ¼ cups ground chocolate wafer cookies or Oreos about 30 wafer cookies or 15 Oreos
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
Praline Cheesecake
- 11 oz Love ‘N Bake Hazelnut Praline
- 2 ½ lbs cream cheese, room temp
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 large eggs, room temp
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 lb semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Caramel Covered Hazelnuts
- 12 hazelnuts
- 2 cups sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp corn syrup
Instructions
Chocolate Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor break up the cookies until they are a powder, then add the butter and process until the cookies are wet.
- Pat the crumbs into the bottom of a Round Cake Pan, 9 Inch x 3 Inch, lined with a parchment circle. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 320 degrees.
Cheesecake
- In a stand mixer cream the praline paste until smooth. (The praline may be separated and rather stiff when you take it out of the can, but it should get very smooth before you add the other ingredients.)
- Add the cream cheese and mix on a low speed until it is well blended with the praline. Scrape the bowl often. Add the sugar, cream and then the eggs, mixing well after each. Add the vanilla.
- Fill the prepared cake pan with the cheesecake mixture.
- Bake in a water bath for about 1 hour or until the cheesecake has set on top. It should no longer appear liquidy when the pan is gently shaken. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the water bath. This brings the temp down slower and prevents deep cracks.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake for several hours or overnight. Unmold the cheesecake by heating it over a flame on the stove for a few seconds, run a thin blade around the pan and then invert it onto a flat surface covered with plastic wrap. (For detailed picture of this process click here.) Invert the cheesecake onto a cardboard round that fits the bottom exactly. If the cardboard is too big it will show when you pour the ganache over the cake.
Ganache
- In a medium sized pot heat the cream until just steaming, but not boiling. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate and butter. Shake the pot to make sure all the chocolate is submerged in the hot cream and allow to sit for about 3 minutes. Gently stir the ganache until it is completely smooth. Do not whip any air into it or the surface of your cake will not be smooth.
- Place the cake on a cooling rack, set above a cookie sheet which is covered in parchment. This will catch any extra ganache.
- Allow the ganache to thicken for about 10 to 15 minutes. If the ganache is too thin it will just pour off the cake without coating well. It should be just above room temperature.
- Start in the center and pour the ganache over the cake, then move to the outer edge and make sure the entire cake is covered.
- Very gently shimmy the cooling rack so that the top surface of the cake smooths out. let the cake sit until the ganache is set up. This can take about 30+ minutes. You will end up with lots of leftover ganache that can be refrigerated for about 1 week or frozen for a month.
Candied Hazelnuts
- You will need long wooden skewers and a heavy cutting board to weigh them down on the edge of your counter. Place parchment or newspaper on the floor below where the hazelnuts will be suspended to catch the caramel drips.
- Heat the hazelnuts in a pan for a minute or so to remove the skins more easily if yours are not blanched. Gently stick the skewer into the hazelnuts. Set aside.
Caramel
- In a small saucepan combine the sugar, water and corn syrup and bring to a boil, without stirring. Once the mixture starts to caramelize remove from the stove and allow it to darken and thicken for about 10 minutes. Stirring on occasion so it won’t set up on the bottom of the pan.
- Once the caramel is thickened, dip the hazelnut into the caramel and lift it to see if the caramel is clinging. If the caramel just runs off then you may need to wait another minute and repeat.
- When the caramel is coating the hazelnut and dripping off in long strands then secure the skewer under the heavy cutting board, so the caramel can drip down.
- Let the hazelnuts sit until the caramel is well set, about 15 minutes.
- Break off the caramel strands at the length you want. Gently twist the hazelnuts from the skewers. Decorate the top of your cake with the points way up in the air.
Hi Zoe
What exactly is a thin blade knife? Can you give me some brands.
Hi Jackie,
It isn’t by brand it is by type of knife. A chefs knife tends to be thin at the blade, but then it gets thicker towards the back and handle, which makes it great for cutting meats. A fish knife is thinner, but generally too skinny. I have a very thin serrated bread knife that is perfect. http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Gourmet-7-Inch-Offset-Handle/dp/B00005U1TW/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1341835023&sr=8-10&keywords=offset+bread+knife This the one I have, but there are many out there like it.
Thanks, Zoë
Okay awesome! How much nutella do you think I should add? Thanks so much.
Hi Joanna,
You can add about 1 cup of nutella to replace the praline.
Enjoy! Zoë
Hey Zoe,
I want to make this cake for my friend’s birthday on Wednesday, but I have no where to find the Hazelnut praline. Will the recipe turn out fine if I don’t add the hazelnut praline?
Hi Joanne,
You may want to replace it with nutella, which is quite easy to get. If you don’t want that intense a flavor than add a serious amount of vanilla or perhaps cinnamon. The cheesecake base will lend itself to many flavors, but may be a bit dull without a little jazzing up!
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe
I think there might be a typo in your recipe (or I am going mad – which is possible!!)
The ingredient list for the cheesecake provides for double cream. I could not see in your instructions when the cream should be added to the cheesecake batter?
I’ve ad libbed and have a peanut butter version of your cheesecake in the oven.
Cin
Hi Cin,
You are not going mad, it was my mistake. Fortunately, it doesn’t really matter for the success of the cc when you put the cream in, as long as the batter is smooth.
Enjoy! Zoë
I adore the caramel covered hazelnuts. It’s such an elegant touch to the cake’s presentation. Thanks for the helpful picture tutorial!
I make something similar but mine were more like a web of salty peanut praline 🙂 It’s messy fun.
http://theavidbaker.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/gorgeously-nutty/
Thank you Zoe for such a lovely recipe. The glazed hazelnuts make a stirking modern garnish.
I really want to make this cake but is there a substitute for the “love & bake hazelnut praline?
Hi Maureen,
You can use either nutella or peanut butter, obviously with a different flavor, but delicious. You could also make praline and grind it into a paste. There may also be other products for praline paste that I am not aware of.
Thanks, Zoë
Goregous! I love how you showed your steps and what it took to make this cake. So much fun to read.
gorgeous!
Love the candies on top. What a unique way to dress up a cake!
Gorgeous!!! Pure and simple…
Absolutely spectacular! Zoe, thank you so much for sharing such a special dessert at a most perfect time of the year. I can’t wait to try it.
Oh. My. Gosh. Seconds away from licking my computer screen.
Seriously??? This is just so beautiful, Zoe! I adore hazelnuts and you better believe I will be making this one. Love the caramel strands!
This knocked my socks off.
I can only hope to make something this beautiful someday. It seems “simple” enough but I know I’d find a way to mess it up!
That is incredible, Melissa (my daughter) loves cheesecakes, I will try this exquisite cake!!! Yummy!!! thanks for all the things you are teaching me, especially your carrot cake, double yummy!!!
Take care
Absolutely gorgeous! You make it sound so easy. I’ve always made cheesecake in a springform pan. What if any, advantage is there to using just a cake pan?
Hi Sandra,
I was going to mention that you can use a springform pan, if you are familiar with baking in a water-bath. It requires that you seal the whole thing with foil first. I decided not to mention it because I don’t have any photos to show people what I mean. If you are used to doing it this way, then it will certainly work!
Thanks and enjoy! Zoë
Wow, I am making dessert for my mother in laws 60th birthday. I was going to make the peanut butter tarte from Dorie Greenspan, but now I will make this. So elegant and beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration Zoe!
I LOVE the caramel strands. elegance personified!
Gorgeous!! I’m going to try this asap! Thanks Zoe!
That is one of the most gorgeous cheesecakes I have ever seen! WOW! Thanks for sharing the recipe, I may have to make that STAT!
OH MY GOODNESS! That looks like a little bit of heaven on earth. I know what I want for Valentine’s Day!
Lovely.
Wow! Beautiful and yummy!
It’s just lovely 🙂 I’m such a cheesecake fan.