Nutella^® Christmas Cheesecake

How to make Nutella Christmas Cheesecake

1. 

   STEP 1

   Take a 22cm diameter round cake tin with a spring-locking mechanism, so the cheesecake can easily be removed once ready. Line the tin with the readymade short crust pastry along the bottom and the sides.

    

2. 

   STEP 2

   Make some holes all over the pastry base with a fork and then place it in the refrigerator to set. In the meantime, split the vanilla pod half lengthwise with a knife and scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. In a small bowl lightly beat the egg until it is mixed.

3. 

   STEP 3

   Prepare the batter for the cheesecake by mixing the ricotta and the yoghurt with the sugar, the lightly beaten eggs, sifted flour, salt, and the vanilla seeds. Combine all the ingredients with a whisk.

4. 

   STEP 4

   In a separate bowl, whisk the cream (until the cream doubles in size and be careful not to over whisk so that it goes grainy) and gently fold it into the batter.

5. 

   STEP 5

   Pour the batter you have just made into the cake tin on top of the pastry, so that three quarters of the mold is filled. Bake at 175°C (347°F) for about 30 minutes or until the cake rises and the surface turns slightly golden. Be careful not to overcook the cake otherwise it will be too dry. Insert a wooden toothpick in the middle of the cake to check that inside is cooked through, but not runny: when ready, the wooden toothpick should come out clean but slightly darker in colour.

6. 

   STEP 6

   Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down. Once you have removed the tin using the spring-locking mechanism, decorate the surface with Nutella^®. You can draw 8 Christmas trees, one for each slice to serve.