Piedmont Cheesecake (Ottolenghi)

A cheesecake yes, but not just any cheesecake: its "Italian" version, imagined by Ottolenghi, made with ricotta instead of cream cheese, chocolate, and hazelnut, hence its name, Piedmont cheesecake. It's an easy-to-make cake, super indulgent with a melting texture 😊 In his book, he offers individual cheesecakes but gives all the techniques to make it in a shareable version, which I decided to do, but I'll give you both ways to make it below.
Recipe taken from the book Sweet.

Equipment:
22cm mold
Whisk

Ingredients:
I used the Koro hazelnut and almond powders: code ILETAITUNGATEAU for a 5% discount on the entire site (non-affiliated).
I used Norohy vanilla extract and Guanaja chocolate from Valrhona: code ILETAITUNGATEAU for a 20% discount on the entire site (affiliated).

Preparation time: 40 minutes + 1 hour of cooking + cooling
For a 23cm diameter cake or 10 individual cheesecakes of 8cm diameter:

The cheesecake:

250g of hazelnut powder
35g of flour
160g of 70% dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
100g of almond powder
225g of softened unsalted butter
250g of granulated sugar
6 large eggs
400g of ricotta
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon of salt
50g of roasted chopped hazelnuts

In this recipe, Ottolenghi makes his own hazelnut powder; for that, roast the hazelnuts at 180°C for 10 minutes, then let them cool completely before grinding them into a powder.

Mix the hazelnut powder, almond powder, flour, and chopped chocolate.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
Cream the softened butter with the sugar, then add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Then fold in the powders, then the ricotta, salt, and vanilla.

Beat the egg whites until stiff, then gently fold them into the previous batter.

Pour the batter into the mold(s).

Then bake in the preheated oven at 170°C for 35 minutes for individual cheesecakes or 1 hour for a shareable cheesecake. Let cool completely before unmolding.

The chocolate glaze:

100g of 70% dark chocolate
40g of granulated sugar
40g of glucose syrup
70g of water
A bit of vanilla
40g of unsalted butter at room temperature

Melt the sugar and glucose syrup, stirring regularly until the mixture takes on a light amber color.

Deglaze little by little with water, and keep over low heat until you have a homogeneous liquid (no sugar lumps).

Add the vanilla, let it sit for 5 minutes, and pour the mixture over the chopped chocolate. Emulsify with a spatula or immersion blender, then add the butter cut into cubes little by little, always mixing. When the ganache is smooth and shiny, it is ready.

When serving, pour the ganache over the cheesecake (you can reheat it a few seconds in the microwave if you prepared it in advance) and decorate with the roasted and chopped hazelnuts before indulging yourself!
If needed, the cheesecake can be stored in the refrigerator, but remember to take it out at least 30 minutes in advance so it regains its texture before glazing and enjoying 😊