How to make Brownie Cheesecake with Hazelnuts

Instructions

1. Melt the chocolate

   • Using a bain-marie (I just wanted to sound cool mentioning it, but it's basically a bowl sitting on top of a pan with simmering water), place 250 g chocolate, chopped, in a heatproof bowl.
   • Put the bowl on top of a pan with simmering water, not boiling water.
   • Mix the butter with the chocolate and make sure to stir it very often.

   Turn the oven on now, so it's at 350°F (175°C) by the time the batter is ready.

   • You need
   • 250 g chocolate
   • 120 g butter

2. Add the egg yolks

   • When the chocolate is totally melted and blended with the butter, add the egg yolks one by one.
   • Make sure to stir it very fast, otherwise the egg is going to start cooking, which destroys the mixture.

   • You need
   • 3 egg yolks

   Stir fast, or the yolks cook.

3. Finish the batter

   • Later on, add the sugar with the flour.
   • To finish it up, add vanilla extract, salt and baking powder, each of them separately.

   • You need
   • 200 g sugar
   • 50 g flour
   • 2 tsp vanilla extract
   • ¼ tsp salt
   • ½ tsp baking powder

4. Bake the brownie

   • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake the mixture for 25 minutes in a cheesecake pan.

   When it comes out, turn the oven down to 320°F (160°C) for the cheesecake.

   Start a 25 min timer

5. Make the cheesecake mixture

   • In a large bowl, mix the mascarpone with the sour cream.
   • When you get a homogeneous cream, add the eggs.
   • Mix until the eggs totally blend with the cream.
   • Add the sugar and vanilla and mix it for approximately 10 minutes.

   • You need
   • 500 g mascarpone
   • 150 g sour cream
   • 2 eggs
   • 250 g sugar
   • 2 tsp vanilla extract

   Start a 10 min timer

6. Bake the cheesecake

   • After the brownie has cooled for 10–15 minutes, pour the cheesecake mixture on top and bake it for another 50 minutes at 320°F (160°C).

   Start the jam while the cheesecake bakes, so it's ready when the cake comes out.

   Start a 50 min timer

7. Make the strawberry jam

   • Cut the strawberries in small pieces and put them in a pan with water and sugar.
   • Make sure the pan is on low heat.
   • The jam is ready when the sauce starts to thicken, which takes around 30–40 minutes.
   • It is very easy to make, but very delicious.

   • You need
   • 400 g strawberries
   • 300 ml water
   • 150 g sugar

   Start a 30 min timer

8. Hazelnuts and jam

   • Here we come to your final steps.
   • I know it has been a very tiring process, but believe me, you are not going to regret it.
   • After the cheesecake has been cooled down for 20 minutes, try to decorate it with ground hazelnuts.
   • Most probably, if you decorate it like I did (see the picture), your kitchen is going to be covered in hazelnuts.
   • In addition, take the jam and put it on top as a base for the berries.

   • You need
   • 150 g hazelnuts

   Start a 20 min timer

9. The berries

   • Try to make the strawberry into a flower with a small knife.
   • It is going to take a couple of tries to perfect it.
   • Put the blueberries and the raspberries around the strawberry together with the mint.

   • You need
   • 1 strawberry
   • 100 g blueberries
   • 100 g raspberries
   • 15 g mint

10. Into the fridge

    • The cheesecake should be resting in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
    • It is going to be better if you serve it the next day.
    • I know, it is too much time to wait, so just grab a small piece and try the masterpiece you have prepared.

    Start a 8 hr timer