NUTELLA SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the bottom of the springform pan in foil up to the rim (to prevent water from the water-bath seeping in) during final baking stage.
• 2. To make crust: whisk together cookie crumbs, ground hazelnuts, and cocoa powder in a bowl. Pour in melted butter, and stir to combine, creating a texture like wet sand. Press into bottom of pan, and up the sides about 1/2 inch. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack. Do not turn off oven. (I love the crust, so I always make a little extra so it is thicker at the bottom and I can push it up the sides farther.)
• 3. While crust is cooling, make the cheesecake batter: in the bowl of a standing mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar until well-combined, about 2 minutes.
• 4. Add egg yolks one at a time, mixing well between each. Beat in vanilla.
• 5. In a separate Very clean bowl using a handheld mixer, beat egg whites until they hold medium-soft peaks, then fold into cheese mixture.
• 6. Reserve one cup of the cheesecake batter in the bowl; pour the rest into the cooled crust.
• 7. Mix the Nutella into the reserved batter, then drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the surface of the batter in the filled pan. (Here I sometimes add a quarter cup of chopped toasted hazelnuts to the Nutella Mixture for crunch)
• 8. Holding a knife upright, insert it about 1/2 inch into the surface of the batter, then draw the knife back and forth across the pan, creating a marbled appearance on the cake's surface
• 9. Create a water-bath in which to cook the cheesecake: bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place the foil wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan, and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, surrounding the cake.
• 10. Carefully place in oven and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until edges begin to pull away from pan, but center is still jiggly. Remove from water-bath and cool completely on a rack.
• 11. Chill in refrigerator at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.
• 12. When serving, you might garnish with a drizzle of Nutella or a dollop of creme fraiche.