Praline Cheesecake With Hazelnut Crust Food

PRALINE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-in. springform pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Set side., Meanwhile, beat cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl. Gradually add brown sugar and flour. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Stir in chopped pecans. Pour into crust; bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 20 minutes. Refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream and pecans.

PRALINE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Crush 50 wafers finely; mix with 1/4 cup sugar and margarine. Press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Stand remaining wafers around edge of pan, pressing gently into crust to secure.
• Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
• Bake 45 to 50 min. or until center is almost set. Run small knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours.
• Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every 30 sec. Cool slightly. Pour over cheesecake; top with nuts.

CARAMEL PRALINE-TOPPED CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Mix crushed wafers and sugar; stir in melted butter. Press onto bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Arrange vanilla wafers around sides of pan, rounded sides out, pressing gently into crust., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour over crust. Place pan on a baking sheet., Bake until center is almost set, 55-60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled., Remove rim from pan. In a microwave, melt caramels with milk; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cheesecake; sprinkle with pecans. Freeze option: Wrap individual portions of cheesecake in plastic wrap and place in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Seal bag and freeze. To use, thaw in the refrigerator.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH HAZELNUT PRALINE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (nonfan)/375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of 2 (20-centimeter/8-inch) cake pans (tins) with a removable base with parchment paper and grease the sides. Alternatively, grease the bottoms and sides of 2 (20-centimeter/8-inch) regular cake pans, line with parchment, and grease the parchment.
• In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugars. In a separate bowl, add the oil, eggs and kefir, and whisk just to combine. Add to the dry mixture and use a spatula to gently fold through. Add the 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons/220 grams hot coffee and mix gently to combine. It'll look very runny at first, but will soon come together into a glossy, pourable batter.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, about 21 ounces/600 grams per pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Set aside to cool for about 30 minutes, then slide a butter knife along the sides to help release the cake. Brush the tops lightly with the remaining 1 tablespoon/14 grams extra coffee (discard any extra).
• Invert one cake onto a board, remove the parchment, then invert it again onto a cake stand or the platter you intend to serve it on (domed side up now). Invert the other cake onto a board (don't remove the paper). Invert it again, onto a plate, so that it's paper side down. (This will help prevent it from sticking.) Set both cakes aside to cool completely.
• Make the praline: With the oven still at 200 degrees Celsius/375 degrees Fahrenheit, spread the hazelnuts onto a parchment-lined medium baking sheet (tray) and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until deeply golden, shaking the pan halfway through baking. Set aside, keeping the tray and parchment paper. You'll use them again later.
• Place a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and, once quite hot, sprinkle in a third of the caster sugar to cover the base. It should immediately start to melt at the sides but not brown too quickly. Swirl the sugar in the pan a little, then add another third of the sugar, allowing it to melt a little before adding the remaining third. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the sugar is an amber caramel, stirring with a spatula just a couple times (but not much more). Add the hazelnuts and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring to coat, then quickly transfer the mixture to your parchment-lined tray and leave to cool completely.
• Once cool, roughly break apart the praline and add it to a food processor. Pulse a few times until you have very coarse crumbs, then measure out about 1/2 cup/75 grams of the mixture and transfer to a bowl. Blitz the remaining mixture in the food processor for about 5 minutes or until it turns into the consistency of a smooth nut butter, stopping to scrape the inside of the bowl as necessary. Transfer this to a separate bowl.
• Make the mascarpone cream: Add all the ingredients to a stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until you have medium peaks. Refrigerate if not assembling right away (you want it nice and cold).
• When ready to assemble, top the cake on your cake stand with half the cream mixture. Spoon over about 2 tablespoons of the smooth praline and gently swirl it through the cream with your spatula. Top with another 2 tablespoons of the praline, this time without swirling. Sprinkle with half the praline crumble. Carefully invert the other cake on top now, removing the paper. Top with the remaining cream and repeat the same process with the smooth praline and praline crumble. Serve right away, or refrigerate overnight to firm up the cream before serving. (The cake will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

PRALINE-CRUSTED CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Cheesecake: Combine cookie crumbs and butter.
• Press into bottom and up sides of a greased 10-inch springform pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for approx 8 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• Sprinkle coarsely crumbled pralines over crust.
• Beat cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy duty electric mixer until creamy.
• Gradually add 1 3/4 cups sugar, flour, and vanilla, beating until smooth.
• Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
• Stir in whipping cream and lemon rind.
• Pour in crust.
• Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees on lower oven rack 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until almost set.
• Cool on wire rack 1 hour.
• Stir together sour cream and 1/3 cup sugar; spread over cheesecake.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack.
• Cover and chill 8 hours.
• Remove sides of pan.
• Garnish, if desired with pralines.
• Pralines: Butter bottom of a heavy 3-quart saucepan.
• Cook brown sugar and next 3 ingredients in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugars dissolve; stir in pecans.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 238 degrees (soft ball stage).
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in vanilla; let stand 3 minutes.
• Beat with a wooden spoon 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken.
• Working rapidly, drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper.
• Let stand until firm.

HAZELNUT PRALINE

Steps:

• Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• In a dry heavy saucepan cook sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and cook, without stirring, swirling pan, just until a golden caramel. Add hazelnuts, stirring until coated well. Immediately pour mixture onto baking sheet and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Remove praline from baking sheet and break into pieces.
• Praline may be eaten as candy or ground in a food processor and used as a dessert topping.

LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH HAZELNUT CRUST

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Finely grind nuts, cracker crumbs and powdered sugar in processor.Add butter; blend using on/off turns until crumbs are moist. Press crumbs onto bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Chill while making filling.
• Make filling:
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Slowly add sugar; beat until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating 30 seconds after each. Mix in lemon juice and peel.
• Pour filling into crust. Bake cake until outer 2-inch portion of top is set and center looks slightly glossy and is barely set, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack cool to room temperature. Cover; chill overnight.
• Run knife around sides of pan to loosen. Release pan sides. Place cake on plate. Top with lemon and mint, if desired.

HAZELNUT PRALINE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Mix flour, butter and brown sugar in processor until moist clumps form. Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake until crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Cool. Wrap outside of pan with double layer of heavy-duty foil.
• For filling:
• Reserve 1/2 cup praline for garnish. Grind remaining praline to powder in processor. Beat cream cheese and su gar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in flour, then cream and vanilla. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Fold in praline powder.
• Transfer filling to crust. Place springform pan in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake until center is just set, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Transfer cake to rack. Run small sharp knife around sides of cake to loosen. Cool completely. Remove foil from pan sides. Chill cake overnight. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Release pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Mound reserved coarsely crushed praline atop center of cake and serve.