Ricotta cheese cake me
October 16, 2021 8:27 PM Subscribe
Looking for good ricotta cake recipe.
Years ago in Italy I had a wonderful cake that I am pretty sure used ricotta cheese. (The other option would be marscapone, but I am fairly certain it was ricotta). I would like a recipe along those lines - not too sweet, more Euro style than American. None of my cookbooks have one, and people here are more reliable about recipe recommendations than Google, which has given me more than one recipe in the past missing a step or ingredient, and now they are riddled with ads as well. Thanks!
Years ago in Italy I had a wonderful cake that I am pretty sure used ricotta cheese. (The other option would be marscapone, but I am fairly certain it was ricotta). I would like a recipe along those lines - not too sweet, more Euro style than American. None of my cookbooks have one, and people here are more reliable about recipe recommendations than Google, which has given me more than one recipe in the past missing a step or ingredient, and now they are riddled with ads as well. Thanks!
I love Mollie Katzen's ricotta cake! I add a bit more lemon zest than it calls for. To me it tastes like cakes I've had in Italy.
posted by nantucket at 9:20 PM on October 16, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by nantucket at 9:20 PM on October 16, 2021 [3 favorites]
Came here to recommend/second Mollie Katzen's from the Moosewood Cookbook. Her recipes are overwhelmingly spot on, and that is a great cake.
posted by Grim Fridge at 10:10 PM on October 16, 2021
posted by Grim Fridge at 10:10 PM on October 16, 2021
Martha Stewart has three or four (or more) different versions of ricotta cheesecake, but this is the one I use. Note, it's not a pretty looking cake: it sinks and looks deflated.
posted by sardonyx at 10:05 AM on October 17, 2021
posted by sardonyx at 10:05 AM on October 17, 2021
Best answer: Here's one from Cook's Illustrated:
Ricotta Cheesecake
SERVES 8 to 10
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
To keep our ricotta cheesecake recipe as delicate as possible, we chose to make a separated-egg cake. And we found a way to improve inexpensive supermarket ricotta—pureeing the cheese in a food processor for just a few moments rendered it as smooth as fresh ricotta, and allowing it to drain overnight yielded even richer, creamier results. To create a crust that would stay true to the ricotta cheesecake recipe’s Italian roots, we substituted crushed amaretti cookies for the traditional graham crackers.
GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS
Amaretti Cookie Crust
5 ounces amaretti cookies, processed in a food processor to uniformly fine crumbs (1 1/4 cups crumbs)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for greasing pan
Ricotta Filling
2 pounds ricotta cheese, drained overnight (see note above)
4 large eggs, separated
¾ cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
¼ cup light rum
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
The ricotta cheese must be drained in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight. To drain the cheese, line a fine-mesh sieve with two layers of paper towels, place the cheese in the sieve, place the sieve over a bowl, and refrigerate.
1
INSTRUCTIONS
For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. In small bowl, combine amaretti crumbs and 4 tablespoons of melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened. Brush bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with most of remaining tablespoon melted butter, reserving small amount of excess melted butter for brushing sides of pan after crust cools. Empty crumbs into springform pan and press evenly into pan bottom (See illustration). Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (Do not turn off oven.) Brush sides of springform pan with remaining melted butter.
2
For the filling: While crust cools, place drained ricotta in food processor and process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add egg yolks, sugar, rum, flour, zest, vanilla, and salt and process until blended, about 1 more minute. Scrape mixture into large bowl.
3
In bowl of standing mixer, beat egg whites at high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Fold whites into ricotta mixture until fully incorporated and pour mixture evenly into cooled crust.
4
Bake cheesecake until top is lightly browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers about 150 degrees, about 1 1/4 hours. (Perimeter of cake should be firm, but center will jiggle slightly. It will solidify further as cake cools.) Transfer pan to wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Run paring knife between cake and side of springform pan. Cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cheesecake is cold and set, at least 5 hours or up to 2 days.
5
To unmold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.
posted by jocelmeow at 1:03 PM on October 17, 2021
Ricotta Cheesecake
SERVES 8 to 10
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
To keep our ricotta cheesecake recipe as delicate as possible, we chose to make a separated-egg cake. And we found a way to improve inexpensive supermarket ricotta—pureeing the cheese in a food processor for just a few moments rendered it as smooth as fresh ricotta, and allowing it to drain overnight yielded even richer, creamier results. To create a crust that would stay true to the ricotta cheesecake recipe’s Italian roots, we substituted crushed amaretti cookies for the traditional graham crackers.
GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS
Amaretti Cookie Crust
5 ounces amaretti cookies, processed in a food processor to uniformly fine crumbs (1 1/4 cups crumbs)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for greasing pan
Ricotta Filling
2 pounds ricotta cheese, drained overnight (see note above)
4 large eggs, separated
¾ cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
¼ cup light rum
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
The ricotta cheese must be drained in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight. To drain the cheese, line a fine-mesh sieve with two layers of paper towels, place the cheese in the sieve, place the sieve over a bowl, and refrigerate.
1
INSTRUCTIONS
For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. In small bowl, combine amaretti crumbs and 4 tablespoons of melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened. Brush bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with most of remaining tablespoon melted butter, reserving small amount of excess melted butter for brushing sides of pan after crust cools. Empty crumbs into springform pan and press evenly into pan bottom (See illustration). Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (Do not turn off oven.) Brush sides of springform pan with remaining melted butter.
2
For the filling: While crust cools, place drained ricotta in food processor and process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add egg yolks, sugar, rum, flour, zest, vanilla, and salt and process until blended, about 1 more minute. Scrape mixture into large bowl.
3
In bowl of standing mixer, beat egg whites at high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Fold whites into ricotta mixture until fully incorporated and pour mixture evenly into cooled crust.
4
Bake cheesecake until top is lightly browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers about 150 degrees, about 1 1/4 hours. (Perimeter of cake should be firm, but center will jiggle slightly. It will solidify further as cake cools.) Transfer pan to wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Run paring knife between cake and side of springform pan. Cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cheesecake is cold and set, at least 5 hours or up to 2 days.
5
To unmold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.
posted by jocelmeow at 1:03 PM on October 17, 2021
I'm a big fan of the Ricotta Cake with Kumquat Marmalade from Claire Saffitz's book Dessert Person. Recipe available here (scroll down to the second recipe). It definitely doesn't need the kumquat marmalade specifically, although it looks nice filled with something (I've done it several times, each with some version of seasonal fruit).
posted by mosst at 7:22 AM on October 18, 2021
posted by mosst at 7:22 AM on October 18, 2021
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posted by fingersandtoes at 8:52 PM on October 16, 2021 [2 favorites]