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!