Nutella Cheesecake (No Bake) - 免烤焗榛子醬芝士蛋糕

Are you enjoying your summer so far?  I hope you’re loving it as much as we have been.  If you’re bearing the summer heat like we are in Southern California, this No Bake Nutella Cheesecake will be your new favorite dessert for sure.  Yes, no bake, baby!  It’s definitely THE dessert to make for your summer celebration!



If you are a long time follower of my blog, you should know by now that I adore Nutella!  Here, here, and here are the evidence!  Somehow, my love for Nutella got passed on to my kids!  They are also fans for this sticky, gooey, chocolate-y and nutty concoction as well!  Who doesn’t love Nutella,  right?  At least I haven’t met anyone yet.  



This Nutella Cheesecake looks so gorgeous, yet quite easy to make.  If you haven’t check out the video tutorial above, take a few minutes to watch my video tutorial.  There are different layers in this cake and some chilling time is required.  So, I recommend that you make the cake one day prior to the day you plan to serve it, which makes it perfect for parties, in my opinions.     



We started this cheesecake with a simple Oreo crust.  I don’t think any chocolate dessert can go wrong with an Oreo crust, don’t you agree?  The cheesecake layer consists of cream cheese; a little sour cream for softness and tartness; the star of the show Nutella, of course;  a little vanilla and sugar for sweetness; and a milk gelatin mixture to help it set.  The cheesecake layer is silkly soft and smooth, yet not too sweet so it balances well with the next thing we are going to top it off: Nutella ganache!  The Nutella ganache is simply Nutella mixed with milk.  But when you see the Nutella Ganache slowly dripping down the sides of the cake when you un-mold, it’s simply a glorious sight!



On top of the Nutella Ganache, it’s a layer of freshly whipped cream.  I used a large round tip and a pastry bag to make the little rounds on top.  I’ll list the tools that I used at the end of the post for your reference!  Last but not least, a dust of cocoa powder on top!  Boy oh boy, looking at these pictures made my mouth watered already! 



This Nutella Cheesecake is not only as decadent and delicious as it looks, it’s quite simple to prepare and got that dramatic effects that anyone will go “ohhh, and ahhhh…” when you present it!  At least my kids did that when I served it to them!  And after tasting the cake, they declared that this is the BEST cheesecake ever!




Tools and Ingredients used:
9-inch Spring-Form Pan (Click here for more information)
Valrhona Cocoa Powder (Click here for more informaion)
Nutella (Click here for more information)
Heat Proof Measuring Cups (Click here for More information)
Measuring Spoons Set (Click here for more informaion)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more informaion)
Stand Mixer (Click here for more informaion)
Oreo Cookies (Click here for more informaion)
Unflavored Gelatin Powder (Click here for more informaion)
Horizon Organic Heavy Whipping Cream (Click here for more informaion)
Ninja Food Processor (Click here for more informaion)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more informaion)
Cream cheese (Click here for more informaion)
Sour Cream (Click here for more informaion)
Pastry Bag (Click here for more information)
Ateco Pastry Tip Set (Click here for more information)

Whipped Cream Recipe:http://goo.gl/SuRhus
10-inch Ribbon Cake Stand (Click her for more information)

Nutella Melt—Easy Entertaining Recipe and a Winter Cocktails Giveaway

Imagine a chilling evening, you’re curling up on the couch with your favorite blanket next to the fire place;  cuddling with your loved ones while catching up your favorite TV soap, or chatting about what happened during the day; holding and sipping a cup of warm, chocolate-y, packed with wonderful hazelnut flavor and a little boozy Nutella Melt this winter.  Isn’t that picture perfect? 



If the heat from the Nutella Melt didn’t warm you up, the little booze in the drink definitely will.  I bet you all know how much I love Nutella, and more so after trying this Nutella Melt!  It’s not overly sweet, but the flavor is simply amazing.  With a little toasted and chopped nuts sitting on top of the foamy and creamy espresso whipped cream, the combination of flavor and the contrast of texture simply blew me away.



This easy, entertaining and scrumptious cocktail recipe came from the book, Winter Cocktails.  As you all know, I do enjoy a cocktail here and there, especially when I have companies over.  This is the book you want in your kitchen if you want to learn more about Mulled Ciders, Hot Toddies, Punches, Pitchers, and Cocktail Party Snacks.  Author and professional food stylist Maria del Mar Sacasa offers more than 50 recipes for cold-weather cocktails and mixed beverages. 



I absolutely love the tutorial, techniques in step-by-step pictures illustration.



Check out the picture below, recipes of Infused Liquors and different Simple Syrups are also included in this book.  I can’t wait to give them a try. 



You’ll also get to learn how to make some Small Bites and appetizers pairing with some of your cocktails.  Drooling!



I simply can’t take my eyes off this Golden Hog.  And guess what?  It’s paired with a piece of Candied Bacon!!!  How can I resist?  Oink Oink...




You can purchase your copy by clicking here.  Or, try your luck in winning a copy of “Winter Cocktails”, courtesy of Quirk Books. 

This Giveaway is now Closed!

Here are the details on how to enter this giveaway.
One lucky uTry.it reader (with an U.S., Canada or U.K. mailing address) will win a copy of “Winter Cocktails”.


To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me what’s your all time favorite cocktail (mine is apple martini). Deadline to enter is November 30th, 2013 by mid-night PST.  Winner will be selected through Random.org and announce shortly after the giveaway is closed.

For extra entries, do any or all of the following (leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

1)  Add me to your Google+ circle here
2) "Like" uTry.it's Facebook Page, click here.
3) Pin a picture from this post onto your Pinterest board.
4) Share this giveaway on Facebook (with a link back to this post please)
5) Share this giveaway on Twitter (with a link back to this post please)

That’s all and Good Luck everyone!  Please stay warm and cheers!






Disclaimer:  I received a copy of “Winter Cocktails” for the purpose of this review and I was not compensated in any way to write this post.  Quirk Books is providing a copy of the book for the giveaway.  As always, all comments and opinions are 100% my own. 

Please drink responsibly.  Health and General Disclaimers.

Nutella Swirl Ice Cream With Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts

You might still remember the heart shaped Nutella Macarons that I made a while ago and my confession for the love of Nutella from that post.  No?  Never mind. Because I've got something even bigger, and better.  A bigger confession, and a better recipe compared to the macarons.  If this Nutella Swirl Ice Cream With Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts is wrong, I don’t want to be right.  There, I said it.   My confession.  Why?  Because this ice cream is probably one of the best ice cream I've ever tasted, period!  Store bought or homemade, nothing can compare to this!  Even though if you’re not as crazy as I am for Nutella, I’m sure you’ll still be crazy for this ice cream.  That’s how good it is. 



I used my favorite vanilla ice cream as the base, then, add swirls and swirls of creamy and nutty nutella into the mix while the ice cream is churning.  The Nutella slowly infused its flavor into the ice cream, yet, some remains as beautiful swirls throughout the ice cream.  Drooling yet?  Get a box of tissue paper ready because there’s more.  At the last minute of the churning, I added some Dark Chocolate covered Hazelnuts with Fleur de Sel into the mix, churn just until the hazelnuts are evenly distributed.




Boy oh boy, that’s totally drool worthy, isn't it?  The Chocolate covered hazelnuts add a lovely crunch in this ice cream.  The nutty aroma of roasted hazelnut enhanced the flavor tremendously.  The slightly salty Fleur de Sel balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the ice cream and the Nutella.   Each spoonful is heavenly, the smooth and silky texture of the ice cream melt slowly in my mouth.  Made me want to close my eyes and enjoy this concoction slowly and savor each bite.  The flavor, the texture, the aroma, all so vivid on my palates and imprinted in my memories.  If there’s one dessert that I would dream about tonight, this would be it.




Now, ready to join me in the kitchen to prepare this drool-worthy ice cream?  Follow me.

1) Heat the milk, sugar and salt until the mixture reaches a simmer.
2) With a paring knife, scrape off the seeds of the vanilla bean.
3) Place both the seeds and bean pod into the milk mixture, cover and let it steep off the heat for an hour.
4) In a heat proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks together.
5) Reheat the milk mixture.  While whisking, slowly add the re-heated milk mixture into the yolks.
6) Pour the egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan and cook the custard on low heat until thicken and coat the spatula.
7) Place a strainer on a large bowl with the cream.  Strain the custard into the cream.  Stir in vanilla extract and liqueur (if using). Cover and refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.
8) Churn the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  5 minutes before the churning is done, with a fork, add the Nutella into the churning ice cream in a slow steady stream, a tablespoon at a time.
9) Add the Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts right before churning is done. Enjoy the ice cream as is for a soft serve texture. Or, place ice cream in a freezer safe container overnight for a firmer texture.  Enjoy!




Pretty straight forward, right?  It really is.  I usually make a big batch of the chocolate covered hazelnuts and keep them available in the fridge.  They make a great snack and perfect when I need to churn up this ice cream.  Check out the most sexy ice cream on earth here, the Nutella Swirl Ice Cream With Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts!



And the best part of photo shooting ice cream?  I have to act fast and get the job done before it’s all melted!  Then, I get the sweetest reward at the end, which is... I get to enjoy what I just shot!  



Yes, that fast, and it’s totally awesome!  This ice cream is absolutely my latest guilty pleasure of all time.  Do you have a guilty pleasure treat that you simply couldn’t resist?  Either homemade treats or store bought ones? I would love to know what they are, so please share.  Stay cool and have fun churning!

Dark Chocolate Covered Hazelnut with Fleur de Sel

If you’re a dark chocolate lover, you’re in for a treat today.  Okay, basically, you can make these with milk chocolate, or white chocolate, if you like those over dark chocolate.  But I highly recommend that you give the dark chocolate version a try first.  A while ago, I shared a post and a video on how to peel hazelnut easily.  You can read more about that post by clicking here.  Or, simply click here to watch the video.  They will make your life much easier and happier if you’re as crazy about hazelnuts as I am.



These Dark Chocolate covered Hazelnuts with Fleur de Sel are simply amazing and super addictive.  Now you’re officially warned.  I keep these little gems in an air tight container in the fridge until I’m ready to pop them, one after another like no one’s business, or when I am watching Sophia the First with my Kids.  Okay, if you’re not sure who Sophia is, it’s perfectly fine.  I just needed something to cheer me up when I watch that same episode of Sophia by the 8945th times since the premier of the show this year.  I use 70% cocoa dark chocolate for dipping.  Please refer to this post, here, for tips and pictorial on how to temper chocolate.  As you can see, I topped these nuts with Fleur de Sel, one of my favorite ingredient to use in desserts to balanced out the sweetness.  




Fleur de Sel ("Flower of salt" in French) is a hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans.  They are a little pricey compared to your daily kosher salt or table salt, but it worth every penny.  Plus, you only use a tiny little bit in a batch.  It adds a subtle crunch on top of the chocolate and the mild and smooth salty flavor is amazing with the smooth and slightly bitter dark chocolate.  Now, you see why they’re so addictive, right?

Note: you can get Fleur de Sel in most specialty bakery supply stores or click here to order yours online.



Besides popping them as is, I’ll share a recipe on my next post using these delectable little gems.  But for now, let me show you how to make them so you can start enjoying them as snacks before the next post is ready.



1) Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper.

2) Then, have one of these chocolate dipping tool ready if you got one.  Click here for more details.  If you don’t have one, have a spoon and a fork ready.

3) Melt your chocolate, and let it cool slightly.  Add the toasted and cooled hazelnuts into the melted chocolate.

4) Give them a quick stir with a spoon to coat them evenly.  Then, use the dipping tool to fish the chocolate covered hazelnuts out.

5) Or use a fork and spoon to fish them out.  It works just as fine.

6) Place the chocolate covered hazelnuts on the prepare baking sheet with a little space between each one.  Sprinkle a little Fleur de Sel on each of them before the chocolate sets.  You can put the baking sheet in the refrigerator to speed up the process.  Usually 15 minutes will do.  Once the chocolate is harden, you can transfer them to an air tight container and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. 



The toasted hazelnuts are super crunchy and the well tempered chocolate adds another little crunch, then, melt in your mouth in no time.  The sweet, salty, and nutty combination will lead you craving for more.  I hope you enjoy today’s recipe, tips and pictorial.  Stay tuned for the next post to see how I use these little gems besides enjoying them as snacks. 

Mocha Hazelnut Biscotti—With Step-by-Step Pictorial

If you’ve missed my post, along with a video tutorial, on how to peel hazelnuts, here’s the link to the post.  Trust me, you want to watch the video before you attempt to peel these nuts. 



I love chocolate and hazelnuts together.  It’s one of my favorite combination of flavors.  The idea of adding the espresso into these hazelnut biscotti and make them Mocha?  Priceless!  I was planning to dunk these biscotti in coffee anyway, so why not?    Just in case if I’m too lazy to do the dunking, the espresso is already in the cookies.  LOL….who am I kidding, I guess I’m never “too lazy” with my treats and desserts.   



These Mocha Hazelnut Biscotti are easy to make.  Here’s what you need to do….

1) Add the butter and sugar in your mixer
2) Beat them until light and fluffy
3) Add 2 eggs, one at a time
4) Add vanilla extract



5) Add chocolate liquor
6) Follow by espresso mixture
7) Beat until incorporated
8) In a separate bowl, add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt



9) Whisk until well combined
10) Add the dry ingredients into the wet
11) Roll out the dough and fold in hazelnuts
12) Form into 2 logs and brush egg white on top



13) Bake at 350 degree F for about 20 minutes until the tops are slightly cracked and glossy
14) Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the logs diagonally into 1/3-inch-thick slices
15) Arrange the slices on the baking sheets; bake for about 20 minutes, or until dry
16) Partially dip the biscotti in the melted chocolate; place them on the lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set



It seems like there are quite a few steps in the process but they are all easy steps.  These Mocha Hazelnut Biscotti are totally worth it.



I love the light, crumbly and crunchy texture of these biscotti.  They are packed with mocha flavor and nutty hazelnut aroma.  Since they are twice baked, feel free to dunk them into your favorite hot beverage, such as tea, coffee, mocha, etc.  The biscotti can stand the heat and moisture and won’t fall apart on you! 




Just a quick reminder of my current giveaways, simply click on the links below to enter:

Marshmallow Madness cookbook – deadline to enter 3/20/2012
$100 Amazon Gift Card – deadline to enter 3/30/2012

How To Peel Hazelnuts—With Video Tutorial

Have you ever came across something that is too good to not share with your friends?  Well, this post and the 'How-to' video are definitely one of those moments for me.  I love hazelnuts, but not so much in peeling them…until I discovered this simple method to peel them nicely and cleanly in just a few minutes. 

The old method that I used was to first toast the nuts, then rub them between a kitchen towel to remove the skins.  Not only it takes forever to remove the skins, they often ended up only partially peeled.  Plus, I get hazelnuts skin all over my kitchen towel, counter top, kitchen floor, and myself.  Yikes….not a pretty picture, my Friends.  That really drove me NUTS!  You might ask why bother peeling them, right?  Actually, I don’t mind the added color of the skins at all.  However, the skins often turn a little too bitter for my taste buds after they are toasted.  So, I really prefer them peeled.




Ready to find out how to peel these little nuts nice and clean in just a few minutes? Check out the video below. You’re going to love it!

With this easy method in peeling hazelnuts, expect more treats that are involved with hazelnuts in future posts.  For now, you can check this, this, this and this out.  Boy, I can’t believer I have already created so many hazelnuts creations!  I think I really love hazelnuts. 




By the way, I pat dried the peeled hazelnuts with a paper towel and lay them on a sheet pan.  Then toasted them for 15 minutes at 350 degree F.  They turned out crunchy, toasty and fragrant.  I ended up keep popping them as snacks. 

Valrhona Chocolate Crepe Layer Cake with Hazelnut Cream—Happy Birthday to My Hubby

It was my hubby’s birthday and I wanted to make him something special.  Since he’s a chocolate lover, it’s just very natural that I made him a chocolate cake.  This is no ordinary chocolate cake.  I make this cake with Valrhona Chocolate, Valrhona cocoa powder, and Valrhona chocolate pearls, my choice of chocolate!  (It might sounds like an advertising, but NO, Valrhona didn’t sponsor my post nor send me free chocolate to say this, although I secretly wished they did! LOL)  I just love the deep and rich chocolate flavor from Valrhona products. 



I originally saw the crepe layer cake from Martha’s site.  I know I have to make it someday.  Even though I didn't exactly use Martha’s recipe, this cake was definitely inspired by her. 



I promise not to reveal my hubby’s age. But the answer is in the picture above. If you can count, his age is exactly the number of crepes I used for this cake. Cool, huh?



Since it was a surprise cake for my hubby, I made the cake when he was at work. So, how did I get the picture above? I was pouring melted chocolate with my left hand and holding my camera and shooting with my right hand. Not an easy task because my camera is quite heavy. I almost dropped the whole pot of chocolate onto the cake, I mean, the chocolate and the pot!!! hahahaha….it was kind of fun though and I’m happy I’ve captured this image.



I just love the melted chocolate drizzle down the layers of crepes that are filled with hazelnut cream. So luscious and beautiful.



After the cake was chilled in the fridge and decorated with candied hazelnut and chocolate pearls, it’s all ready for the candle and cake cutting ceremony.



It was definitely a fun cake to make, and it’s almost too beautiful to cut into, almost. For those who do not know what to expect from the inside of the cake, it will certainly come as a surprise once the cake is sliced open.  I definitely love the gorgeous layers of this cake.



Although the candied hazelnut didn’t come out as I expected because the candy “tail” chipped a little when I pick them up from the parchment paper, they still tasted wonderful. I love the crunch and the toasted nutty flavor from the "candied" hazelnut. 



Here’s how the inside looks like, with all the layers of crepes and cream, and love. 



If you have a special birthday celebration, I strongly suggest you to make this cake.  It’s a lot easier to make than it looks.  Plus, you can (and you should) make this cake a day, or two, ahead of time, without having to worry that the cake will get 'dried out' when sitting inside the fridge.  I’m sure the person who receives this cake will be very pleased and be very surprised!



Happy Birthday, My Love!  Wish you good health, love and happiness.  May all your birthday wishes come true.  I look forward to celebrate many many more “layers” and birthdays with you.