easter chocolate and hazelnut cheesecake

step 1

• use an 8 mini-cake silicon mould and brush with melted butter
• inlay with plastic lining foil (for easy removal)
• crush or pulse cookies in a food-processor and transfer to a bowl
• add hazelnut powder and mix
• melt butter and add and mix well
• place 2 1/2 tbsp in each mould cavity and compress into a flat disk
• place in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes

step 2

• beat your cream cheese with icing sugar and vanilla
• add chocolate-hazelnut spread and keep beating with a mixer
• place gelatin sheets in cold water for 2 minutes
• heat up half-half cream, squeeze water from gelatin sheets and add to warmed cream and stir
• boil for 30 seconds and let cool 5 minutes
• add half-half cream and gelatin mixture to chocolate-hazelnut cream cheese mixture and beat thoroughly
• remove mould from refrigerator and evenly pour mixture into mould
• place in fridge to chill for 4 hours or overnight (or freeze to remove foil more easily)

step 3

• melt your chocolate in a bain-marie (see chocolate Clementine almond cake video)
• pour chocolate into a smaller mould and smooth out and tap on a hard surface to remove air bubbles and flatten
• let cool for several hours

step 4

• loosen up and separate the strands of your kadaifi dough and cut into shorter 10cm (4 inch) lengths
• toss with icing sugar, cinnamon and cocoa
• add melted butter and toss again
• brush a mini-mould with melted butter
• pre-heat your oven to 180°C (355°F)
• separate your kadaifi dough into 8 piles
• roll each into little balls between your palms
• place each in the mould and push down in the middle to create an indent (like a nest)
• bake for 10-15 minutes
• remove and let cool

final assembly

• melting some chocolate, add a drop in the middle of the chocolate disks and place kadaifi nest on top and let harden
• remove cheesecakes from mould and carefully remove plastic lining foil
• place one drop of melted chocolate in the middle of the top of each mini- cheesecakes and place chocolate disks with nest on top and let set
• place a few small chocolate Easter eggs in the nest and refrigerate or serve