Strawberry Nutella Cheesecake Bars. Featuring a Nutella brownie base and two layers of creamy Nutella and Strawberry Cheesecake, this special treat is perfect for Valentine’s Day! Or if you’re simply craving something sweet.
Strawberry Nutella Cheesecake Bars
This post is a guest contribution from my Niece-in-Law, Amelia Till. Amelia is a baker in Ontario: you can follow her at Mill & Cookies on Instagram.
She writes: “The best way to experience chocolate and strawberries is with these rich and velvety cheesecake bars. This recipe has a very simple vanilla cheesecake base that is enhanced with the flavours of Nutella and a homemade strawberry purée.”
Our sincere thanks to Amelia for sharing this recipe with us just in time for Valentine’s Day! We’re certain these would be an impressive treat for your sweetheart, or to share with your Palentines.
Please scroll for the full recipe and notes. But first, keep reading for tips from Amelia for brownies with a perfectly crackled top, creamy cheesecake, and more:
Creating a perfect brownie base.
When melting the butter and sugar together for the brownies, the goal is to create a glossy finish, not necessarily to dissolve the sugar.
Melting the butter and sugar.
This recipe calls for mixing this butter and sugar with the eggs for five minutes. The purpose of doing this for an extended period of time is to create the “crackle” and shiny texture on a brownie once it is baked.
Whisking in the eggs.
Baked brownies with a crackled top.
How do you like your strawberries?
For a smooth strawberry cheesecake, I recommend using an emulsion blender if you have one, or a regular blender will work as well. Once the strawberries have cooked down enough, use the hand blender to purée the mixture until it becomes smooth. This should only take about two minutes by hand.
Frozen strawberries to make puree.
If you prefer a slightly chunkier strawberry cheesecake, simply omit this step and leave the strawberry mixture as is. There is a considerable debate on the texture of food in general so use whichever is your preference.
Making the cheesecake and assembling the bars.
When making your cheesecake layers, be careful not to over-mix the batter. It will create a lot of air in the mixture and possibly result in a collapsed cheesecake once it is baked.
Mixing the cheesecake batter.
Before baking, pour each layer of flavoured cheesecake batter slowly. You don’t want to blend the two flavours together too much, they should be left as two separate layers when baking.
The Nutella batter is slightly thicker because of the addition of chocolate. This aids in the pouring of the strawberry cheesecake over top, which is slightly thinner in consistency.
Preparing the two cheesecake flavours.
Final tips and tricks.
Once the cheesecake is done baking, turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool in an open oven for 1 additional hour. Letting the cheesecake cool gradually this way helps avoid sudden temperature changes that can result in sinking and heavy cracking.
Layers of Nutella cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake.
You can tell a cheesecake is done if it is still wobbly in the center. It will continue to set up as it cools. Overbaking a cheesecake can result in a dry, dense and crumbly cheesecake instead of having a soft and creamy texture.
Topping the bars with Nutella ganache.
Once the cheesecake is set, entirely cooled and topped with ganache, carefully remove it from the springform pan and slice into even bars using a sharp knife.
Drizzling the bars with extra Nutella.
Lightly scoring the top of the ganache will help keep the bars uniform before the final cut. Also, use a hot knife in between slices to get clean cuts on your cheesecake.
Like this Cheesecake Bars recipe?
For more cheesecake ideas, be sure to check out this collection of Rock Recipes Most Popular Cheesecake related recipes.
Rock Recipes Top Ten Cheesecakes
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Strawberry Nutella Cheesecake Bars
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Strawberry Nutella Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the Brownie Base
- ½ cup (118 g) butter, unsalted
- ⅔ cup (145 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ⅔ cup (235 g) Nutella
- ¾ cup (115 g) All-Purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25 g) cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp (7 mL) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
For the Strawberry Puree
- 2 cups (400 g) strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- ¼ cup (60 g) granulated sugar
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 16 oz. (2 blocks) softened cream cheese
- ⅔ cup (158 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- ⅔ cup (165 g) heavy cream
- ⅔ cup (160 g) sour cream
- 250 g strawberry purée
- 150 g Nutella
For the Ganache Topping
- 1 cup (270 g) Nutella
- ½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
To make the Brownie Base:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a small saucepan, melt butter and sugar together until mixture combines and turns glossy. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Prepare a 9” springform pan (square if you have it) lined with parchment paper and lightly greased with cooking spray.
- Add eggs at room temperature to butter mixture, one at a time until well blended. Whisk mixture for about 5 minutes until it becomes pale.
- Add Nutella and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Fold in remaining dry ingredients until just combined. Pour batter into prepared springform pan, bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow brownie to cool while you prepare strawberry purée.
To make the Strawberry Puree:
- In a medium saucepan, place fresh or frozen strawberries and cook on medium heat for about 8 minutes until strawberries break down and water begins to evaporate. Mixture should be somewhat chunky.
- Once the majority of the water has evaporated, use an emulsion blender to purée the strawberries until they are smooth.
- Add sugar and cook for an additional 5 minutes until granules have dissolved and mixture begins to thicken slightly.
- Set aside to cool, while you prepare cheesecake batter.
To make the Cheesecake Filling:
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl with an electric hand blender, cream together softened cream cheese and sugar. Scrape the bowl down often to ensure a smooth batter.
- Add the vanilla and one egg and blend until smooth. Gradually add remaining eggs one at a time until just incorporated.
- Next add the sour cream until combined.
- On low speed, slowly pour in heavy cream until the mixture comes together.
- Split cheesecake batter evenly into two separate bowls. In one bowl, incorporate additional Nutella (150 g) and in the second bowl incorporate the strawberry purée (250 g).
- Begin by pouring Nutella cheesecake layer over the brownie base and lightly tap the pan to remove air pockets.
- Very carefully follow with the strawberry cheesecake mixture, as you do not want the mixtures to blend too much. Tap pan once again to even mixture and remove air bubbles.
- Place springform pan on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cheesecake should still be jiggly in the center. Allow cheesecake to sit in an open oven for 1 additional hour to slow down the cooking process and cool gradually.
- After the hour, place on a wire rack to cool further for about 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to fully set.
To make the Ganache Filling:
- Place Nutella in a medium sized bowl.
- Heat cream in the microwave or on the stovetop until it comes to a light boil.
- Carefully pour cream over Nutella and let sit for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk mixture from the inside out until it has become smooth and glossy.
- Pour the prepared ganache over cooled cheesecake and allow to set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
To serve:
- Once cheesecake is fully chilled, cut into evenly sized rectangles using a sharp knife (about 18 pieces).
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of Nutella to a piping bag and garnish cheesecake slices with a drizzle of Nutella as desired and a fresh strawberry.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Please read the written post for more tips and tricks to make this recipe perfectly.
Cheesecake can be kept in the fridge covered for up to 5 days or alternatively it can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for about 4 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Yield
18Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 195Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 81mgSodium 105mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 1gSugar 8gProtein 4g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.