Chocolate Toasted Hazelnut Cheesecake
This vegan chocolate cheesecake has some serious nutella vibes with a creamy chocolate filling and a crispy toasted hazelnut cocoa crust. With every bite you'll be sent off into chocolate heaven! It's baked to perfection using natural ingredients but without tofu or cashews. Topped off with a deep chocolate ganache layer, this cheesecake is sure to be a chocolate lovers dream!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 521kcal
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 ½ cup hazelnuts
- ⅓ cup coconut oil plus 1 Tbsp, melted
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoon cacao powder
- 1 cup oat flour
For the Filling
- 10- oz dark chocolate chips or baking bar
- 24 oz dairy-free cream cheese room temperature (I used Kite Hill but Violife and Tofutti are great options as well)
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk room temperature
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional but it will deepen the chocolate flavor
For the Ganache and Toppings
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup chopped hazelnuts to top
Instructions
For the Filling
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the hazelnuts. Melt 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil and toss over the hazelnuts. Move the hazelnuts around the pan to coat with the oil. Bake in the oven for 12 - 14 minutes until they turn a golden brown/darker color. Watch them carefully at the end as they will burn easily.1 ½ cup hazelnuts, ⅓ cup coconut oil
- Place the roasted hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until you reach a "chunk sand" consistency. You should still see small chunks of the hazelnuts in the mix.
- Add the remaining coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cacao powder, and oat flour and continue to pulse until the mixture is thick and a little sticky. You should be able to push it up against the walls of the processor and it stays put.½ cup coconut sugar, 3 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoon cacao powder, 1 cup oat flour
- Line a 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper and wrap the bottom half with aluminum foil. Pour in the crust mixture. Gently press it down into the pan with the back of a measuring cup or spoon. Get a good thick bottom and then start to press it up against the sides of the pan. Set aside while you prepare the filling
For the Filling
- At this point, you'll want to begin the water bath process. Drop the oven temperature down to 325 F and place a large baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven. Set a pot on the stove with 6 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, slide the bottom oven rack out and pour in the boiling water. Quickly close the oven door so you don't let too much heat out.
- Melt the chocolate in a pot on the stove. Stir continuously until you reach a thin, smooth consistency. Set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the filling.10- oz dark chocolate
- Next, beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Keep the speed low and do this step slowly to reduce the amount of air in the mixture. Continue to mix until it's creamy with no lumps.24 oz dairy-free cream cheese
- Add the coconut milk, coconut sugar, and vanilla and continue to mix slowly to incorporate. Add the cacao powder and espresso powder and mix again.1 cup full-fat coconut milk, ½ cup coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon cacao powder, 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- Turn the mixer off and pour in the melted chocolate. Fold in the chocolate using a rubber spatula.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and level off the top with an uneven spatula. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Gently nudge the pan in the oven after the hour. If if jiggles kind of like jello, then it's done. If it moves a lot like a glass of milk then it needs some more time. Once done, turn the oven off and keep the cheesecake in the oven for about an hour. This is done to allow the cheesecake to come back to room temperature slowly and reduces the likelihood of cracks.
For the Ganache
- Heat the coconut milk and chocolate in a pot on the stove over low heat. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the consistency is smooth.1 cup full-fat coconut milk, 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- Pour the ganache over the cooled cheesecake. Use an uneven spatula to spread it over the top. While the ganache is still wet, sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over the top.⅔ cup chopped hazelnuts
- Place the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 10 minutes to allow the ganache to set.
- Once set, slice the cheesecake into pieces and serve!
Notes
Water bath : If you don't know what a water bath is, check out this post where I go into more detail. You'll want to do this step after you roast the hazelnuts. To make the bath, place a large baking dish in the bottom rack of the oven as it preheats. Then bring about 6 cups of water to a boil. Once it's boiling, pull the bottom rack of the oven out and pour the water into the dish. Shut the oven door quickly so as to not let most of the heat out.
Baking : Once the cheesecake is done baking, turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven until it reaches room temperature (this can take an hour). Do not pull the cheesecake right out of a hot oven - it will sink and not set properly. Even after it comes to room temperature, the cheesecake will need to set for another couple of hours before it's set and ready to slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 375mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 3mg