Italian Desserts Recipes - Apricot Cheesecake (Torta di Formaggio con Albicocce) Recipe

Ingredients

• 100 g/4 oz/1/2 cup unsalted (sweet) butter plus 5 ml/1 tsp for greasing

• 225 g/8 oz digestive biscuits (Graham crackers), crushed

• 75 g/3 oz/1/3 cup caster (superfine) sugar

• 5 ml/1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 900g/2 lb/4 cups Ricotta cheese

• 30 ml/2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

• 2.5 ml/1/2 tsp vanilla essence (extract)

• Grated rind of 1 lemon

• 3 egg yolks

• 350 g/12 oz fresh apricots, halved and stoned (pitted)

• 50 g/2 oz/1/2 cup flaked (slivered) almonds, for decoration

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Method:

1. Grease a 23 cm/9 in loose-bottomed cake tin (pan) with the 5 ml/1 tsp butter and set aside.

2. Melt the remaining butter and stir in the biscuit crumbs, 30 ml/2 tbsp of the sugar and the cinnamon.

3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread the mixture evenly. Set aside.

4. Place the Ricotta cheese in a bowl and add the remaining sugar, flour, vanilla essence, and lemon rind.

5. Beat the mixture for 2 minutes and beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth. Spoon half the mixture over the biscuit base.

6. Spread the apricots over the Ricotta cheese mixture so that they are just touching each other and spoon over the remaining Ricotta mixture.

7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 12-15 minutes until the filling is firm to the touch.

8. Remove from the oven and leave until cold. Slide the cheesecake from the tin and chill for 1 hour.