This quirky cheesecake is fantastic in every way. Find genuine gianduja chocolate and mascarpone cheese if you want to go all out. Use nice cream cheese and semi-sweet chocolate instead if that seems too pricey, but don’t forget the hazelnut liqueur! It is decadent and delicious. Serve in bite-sized portions.
| Prep Time: | 45 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 45 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 1 to 9 – inch springform pan |
Ingredients
- 4 sheets phyllo dough
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 8 ounces gianduja chocolate, chopped
- 1 (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 2 pounds mascarpone cheese
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup hazelnut liqueur
- 4 egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C.) Butter a 9 inch springform pan. Lay one sheet of phyllo dough in the pan. Tuck it into the pan and let the edges overhang the rim. Brush with butter and layer a second sheet of phyllo. Butter this sheet. Continue until you have used all four sheets of phyllo. End with butter. Use as little butter as possible. Cover the phyllo-filled pan with a damp cloth.
- In the top of a double boiler, heat gianduia chocolate and unsweetened chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.
- In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until smooth. When no lumps remain, begin to beat in the sugar a little at a time. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time incorporating each yolk completely before adding the next. Finally beat in the melted and cooled chocolates and the liqueur.
- Beat the egg whites until they just get stiff. Do not over beat. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the cheese mixture, then quickly fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Be careful not to deflate the whites as much as possible. Pour the filling into the phyllo-lined pan. Tuck the edges of the phyllo into the pan making a bit of a rim.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. It will still seem a little loose in the center. When the cake appears done, turn off the oven, prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon and let the cake remain in the oven for another hour. Then place the cake in the refrigerator until completely chilled.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 453 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 23 g |
| Cholesterol | 141 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Sodium | 124 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 38 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Loved the taste! I didn’t like the Phyllo dough crust. It was hard to work with and cut and I don’t think it added that much to the dessert. I would make this with a chocolate cookie crust if I was going to do it again.
This was FANTASTIC! I love Gianduja, even though I can’t pronounce it very well. 🙂 I made this for my wife for Valentine’s Day, and she loved it. But, she doesn’t like the alcohol taste, so I substituted 2 tablespoons of Starbucks hazelnut syrup. Worked great!
I tried this recipe scaled down to 8 servings and the results were amazing. Note that instead of a phyllo dough I made it with Graham crakers crust… Amazing! Also gets better with age! Thanks again I will be making it again!
the batter tasted really good, but it was just ok once it cooled down. maybe because i used a heart shaped springform pan, i wished i didnt have phyllo on the side.
In my quest to find an atypical chocolate cheesecake, this was perfect! I made it exactly as stated, and made it again using another high quality bittersweet chocolate rather than Gianduj. The phyllo is a wonderful change. Knocked everyone’s socks off.