Ricotta Cheesecake

There’s an Italian cake shop in Sydney which is legendary for it’s ricotta cheesecake. It is no joke to say that their prized version is completely revered and worshiped as the ultimate ricotta cheesecake to make all others hang their heads in shame. So I’m excited to say that this version is AMAZING. I have served it to faithful followers of the original, and they loved it. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s pretty damn good.

*I have adapted this recipe from the one by Loretta Sartori that appears in the SBS Italian Food Safari cookbook. Her pastry is slightly different, while I stick with tried and true shortcrust. She also adds sultanas soaked in brandy and citrus peel to her version, while I leave both out.

what you need

One quantity of basic shortcrust pastry.

For the filling:

• 3 whole eggs
• 110 g sugar
• 350 g cream cheese at room temperature
• 650 g fresh ricotta cheese
• 80 ml cream
• 1 tbs vanilla extract
• icing sugar for dusting {optional: add a touch of ground cinnamon to the icing sugar}

what to do

1. Begin with your pastry. When the pastry has rested, preheat the oven to 180 C, and roll out about two thirds of the pastry and put it onto the base of a 25 cm spring-form pan. Bake the base only for about ten to fifteen minutes. When it comes out set aside to cool while you make the filling.

2. For the filling begin by beating the eggs with half the sugar until they are pale and fluffy. Set aside.

3. Beat the cream cheese and remaining sugar until they’re smooth, then add the ricotta and beat together to incorporate all the ricotta into the cream cheese. Add the cream, vanilla extract, and the beaten egg mixture. Fold through until you have a smooth mixture. It’s now ready for the oven.

4. Take the pastry disc and put the base into the spring-form pan and snap it closed. Now take the rest of the pastry and roll it into a long rectangular shape, this will be the sides of the cake. Gently put the pastry into the spring-form tin, lining the sides of the pan. Smear the edges of the raw pastry to the base of cooked pastry to join. Pour the filling into the pastry case and bake about one hour. Let it cool to room temperature before serving, and dust with icing sugar.