Chocolate Cake with Cheesecake Center – Day One – Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
I love Cheesecake and I love Chocolate Cake, so I figured that I should combine the two into a wonderful dessert. This week, I’ve got an amazing Ricotta Cheesecake, Vanilla Bean Buttercream, and a Devil’s Food Cake Combination. There’s something for everyone!
This cheesecake is only the second one I’ve ever baked. The neat thing about this recipe is that instead of using cream cheese, I used ricotta cheese. This gives the cheesecake a lighter, less dense, texture as well as a slightly milder flavor.
I loved the addition of the lemon and rum. It added a hint of flavor without overriding the creamy dairy taste.
I have to admit that my cheesecake top totally cracked! It cracked bad! I didn’t use a waterbath with it, and I really regretted not taking the time to make one. Big Mistake. I just thought that the creamy cheese would be moist enough.
I almost didn’t take pictures of it. I was a bit embarrassed.
However, I had just gone to Costco and had bought a ton of berries, so I used them to cover up the ugly cracks. And Voila! No more ugly top! Nobody would ever know. It’s the perfect disguise.
The fruit and the cheesecake were beautiful together.
I baked this cheesecake to be sandwiched between two layers of cake. If you are going to make this cheesecake by itself, you can add a graham cracker or cookie crust to the bottom. That’s easy to make, just mixing 2 cups of crushed cookie crumbs with 4 to 5 tablespoons of melted butter and pre-cooking it for 10 minutes.
Ricotta Cheesecake
Ricotta Cheesecake lightly flavored with lemon and rum. If the top cracks, just cover it with fresh fruit.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ricotta cheese, drained
- 4 eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light rum
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Mixed Berries and Chocolate sauce for topping
Instructions
- Drain the ricotta cheese overnight. Place it into a fine sieve lined with paper towels or cheesecloth. Place the sieve over a bowl and leave it in the fridge overnight, at least 8 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a springform pan with parchment paper. Line the bottom and sides. Use melted butter or non-stick spray to help the parchment stick to the sides.
- Place the drained ricotta cheese into a food processor and process until smooth. Add in the egg yolks, sugar, rum, flour, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt and process until well blended.
- Whip the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Fold the cheese mixture into the egg whites and then transfer to the prepared springform pan.
- Bake the cheesecake for 60 to 75 minutes and the internal temperature reads 150 degrees F. The edges will be firm, but the center will still look “unset”.
- Remove the pan and allow to cool for 2 to 3 hours. Remove the sides of the pan, wrap the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Let the cheesecake stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while you add the mixed berries and drizzle chocolate sauce before serving.
Notes
Recipe from Baking Illustrated
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