Ricotta Cheesecake

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.

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Yield: 16 servings

Ricotta Cheesecake

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Ricotta Cheesecake lightly flavored with lemon and rum. If the top cracks, just cover it with fresh fruit.

Prep Time 12 hours

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 13 hours 15 minutes

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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”.
6. 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.
7. 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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• 
  Springform Pan, 10-Inch

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