My daughter Jasmin wanted a cheesecake to celebrate her 14th birthday and I was not going to disappoint my little girl. I don’t have to tell you this cake is a few steps away from my normal health-focused cooking endeavors. Basically this cake is insulin sensitivity on a plate. It was damn good too!

I will give credit to the baking & love blog for the recipe framework, but I made some modifications. I didn’t stir any cookie crumbs into the batter, I used three times the nutella, and I used a layering technique to try and keep the Mars pieces evenly spread through the height of the cake. I think it turned out really well.

Nutella Mars Bar Cheesecake

makes one tall cheesecake

Crust
1/2 box (200g) oreo cookie crumbs
6 Tbsp melted butter

Batter
4 blocks cream cheese (or 2 lbs or 32 oz) at room temperature
4 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup heavy cream (I used whipping cream)
a pinch of salt

Fillers
3/4 cup nutella
8 Mars bars, chopped into small pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine cookie crumbs with melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Set the pan in the center of a large sheet of aluminum foil. You will be cooking the cake in a pan of water and the foil will keep the water out of the cake pan.

With beaters or a mixer combine the cream cheese and sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue beating to incorporate. Gently beat in the cream and salt.

Heat the nutella in a small bowl in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove. Heat it just enough to make it easier to spoon/stir, but not too hot.

Pour 1/4 of the cake batter into the pan. Drop 1/4 of the nutella in spoonfulls onto the batter. Use a knife or toothpick to swirl the nutella into the batter. Spread 1/3 of the chopped Mars bars evenly onto the batter. Repeat with 1/4 batter, swirl in 1/4 of the nutella, and 1/3 of the chopped Mars bars. Once more and you’ve used up all the Mars bar pieces. Pour the remaining cake batter into the pan, swirl in all of the remaining nutella.

Bring the foil up the sides of the cake pan and set the whole thing in a larger pan with an inch or two of water. Bake the whole contraption for about 80-90 minutes. Crack the door of the oven and turn off the heat. Let the cake cool in the oven for an hour, then remove it to the fridge to chill for at least a few hours before unmolding and serving.

2 cups real pumpkin (or substitute a can of pure pumpkin)
3/4 sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 uncooked pie shell (try my pie dough recipe)

In a large bowl mix the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and spices. Beat on high with electric beaters until smooth. Slowly add the evaporated milk with the beaters on low.

Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Bake the pie at 425 degrees for fifteen minutes. Lower the heat to 350 and continue cooking for another 45 minutes. The pie should be firm, and a knife inserted in the center should come out clean.

Cool the pie for two hours before serving. Top with whipped cream.

1 lb shortening, kept at room temperature
5 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
cold water
1 tsp vinegar

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture is a fine meal. Whisk an egg in a clear. Fill the rest of the cup to 3/4 mark with cold water. Add the vinegar to the cup. Whisk again.

Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix with a fork or your hands just until it all sticks together. Divide the dough into six balls.

Each ball is enough for one single-crust pie. Any dough you don’t want to use right away can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and stored in the freezer. Frozen dough can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator.

18 whole oreo cookies, finely crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
32 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided in half
1 cup fresh strawberries, stems removed
1/4 cup whipping cream

Mix the oreo crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Combine 24 ozs of the cream cheese and the sugar, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in sour cream and vanilla; pour over crust.

Combine remaining 8 ozs cream cheese and 6oz chocolate chips. Microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate chips melt, mixing at medium speed on eletric mixer until well blended. Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Add to the chocolate cream cheese mixture. Drop rounded spoonsfuls of chocolate cream cheese batter over plain cream cheese batter, do not swirl.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 25 minutes. Let cool before releasing the sides of the pan.

Melt chocolate pieces and whipping cream over low heat (or in microwave), stirring until smooth. Spread over top of cheesecake. Allow to harden – you may chill the cake to speed up the process.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the shortening and brown sugar. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; blend well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon onto a cookie sheet, greased or lined with a silpat. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Mix margarine and flour. Press into a 9×13″ pan. Cover with most of the almonds. Bake about 10 minutes at 350 degrees until golden, cool. Beat cream cheese, icing sugar, and 1/2 cup Cool Whip together. Spread on top of crust. Mix milk and puddings. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Spread on remaining Cool Whip and almonds. Refrigerate, serve.

1 c Sugar
1/2 c Butter, melted
2 Eggs
1/3 c Cocoa
1/2 c Flour
1 t Salt
1 t Vanilla
1/2 t Baking powder

Cream sugar and butter, add eggs and cocoa. Sift together the dry
ingredients and add slowly to wet mixture. Add whatever kind of nut, chip
or other extra you prefer.
Pour into greased 8 x 8 inch baking pan, and bake at 350 for 20-25
minutes.

1 pk Butterscotch pudding, 3 oz
3/4 c Butter
1/2 c Sugar, white
2 c Rolled oats, instant
1/2 c Nuts, chopped
1 t Vanilla

Form into balls (little). Place on ungresed cookie sheet, 3 cm apart.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool a few minutes before removing
from pan.