Orange and almond ricotta cheesecake

Hints of orange, ginger and toasted almonds await you in each bite of this creamy but not too heavy cheesecake. Ginger snap cookies are used for the graham-cracker style crust. You can use gluten-free ginger snap cookies or regular.

I love cheesecakes and their rich creamy fillings. I also adore Italian food. Italian ricotta cheesecake is moist and creamy without being over powering, overly sweet or heavy. It has a light texture.

While reading Lidia Bastianich’s cookbook Lidia’s Italy, I found this delicious recipe for Torta di Mandorle e Ricotta (Orange and almond ricotta cheesecake). This dessert sounded divine and I wondered how it would fair with a ginger snap cookie base. I’ve used this base before in making pumpkin cheesecake pie and was successful. You never know until you try, so off to the kitchen I went to experiment.

I’m happy to say, it worked quite well. The ginger, orange and almond flavors were a very nice combination in every bite.

You’ll need a 9 inch spring-form cake pan, stand mixer and whisk attachment.

Preparing the crust for this orange and almond ricotta cheesecake is just like making a regular graham cracker crust for pie or cheesecakes. The main difference is using crushed ginger snap cookies and ground almonds for the base.

The filling for this cheesecake is easy to prepare. You’ll need a stand mixer or hand held electric mixer for a smooth consistency.

Bake the cheesecake for approximately an hour or until the cake top is golden brown and springs back when pressed.

Orange and almond ricotta cheesecake

Hints of orange, ginger and toasted almonds await you in each bite of this creamy but not too heavy cheesecake. Ginger snap cookies are used for the graham-cracker style crust.

To line the cake pan

1. 1 1/2 tbsp soft butter

2. 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs

Crust

1. 1 cup ginger snap cookie crumbs (use food processor to pulse cookies to crumbs)

2. 1/2 cup ground almonds (use food processor to pulse almonds)

3. 1/4 cup butter (melted)

Cake batter

1. 3 large eggs

2. 1 egg yolk

3. 1 cup sugar

4. 16 ounces whole-milk ricotta (drained)

5. 1 pinch salt

6. 1 tbsp orange zest (finely grated)

7. 1 cup heavy (cream)

8. 1 cup sliced almonds (lightly toasted)

To line the pan

1. Place your oven rack in the lower to mid-range area of the oven (not at the bottom). Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Butter the inside of the springform pan and coat it with the bread crumbs.

Crust

1. In a large bowl combine the cookie crumbs and ground almonds. Add the melted butter and mix gently until incorporated. Add the crust mixture to the springform pan and gently press the crumb mixture into the bottom and partway up the sides of the pan. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Cool the crust on a rack.

Filling

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Add the eggs and egg yolk to the mixing bowl and whisk at a low speed. Gradually add the sugar and whisk at a high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the speed and add the ricotta in batches. Then whisk for 3 minutes more on a high speed until the mixture is smooth and thick. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add a pinch of salt, orange zest and then add the cream gradually whisking at a high speed for several minutes until the batter is smooth and light. Set the springform pan into a jelly roll baking sheet. Scrape the batter into the prepared crust.

2. Bake for approximately one hour or until the cake top is golden brown and springs back when pressed. The sides of the cake should be starting to shrink away from the pan. Cool on a wire rack, then remove the springform.

3. When it is completely cool, top with sliced almonds and dust the cake with confectioners sugar.

Special equipment: Food processor, 9 inch springform cake pan, stand mixer and whisk attachment.

Source: northwestspoon.com

#cheesecake #orange #ricotta