Italian Desserts Recipes - Italian Cheesecake (Torta di Ricotta) Recipe

Ingredients

Base:

• 25 g/2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

• 5 ml/1 tsp grated lemon rind

• 100 g/1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

• 1.5 ml/1/4 tsp vanilla essence (extract)

• 1 egg yolk

• 25 g/2 tbsp unsalted (sweet) butter, softened

Filling:

• 750 g/3 cups Ricotta cheese

• 225 g/8 oz/1 cup caster (superfine) sugar

• 120 ml/2 cup double (heavy) cream

• 45 ml/3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

• 5 ml/1 tsp vanilla essence (extract)

• 5 eggs, separated

• 150 g/5 oz soft fruit, such as raspberries or strawberries

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Method:

1. Make the base. Place the sugar, lemon rind and flour in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the vanilla essence, egg yolk and butter.

2. Beat until the mixture forms into a dough and the ingredients are well combined. Press half the dough mixture into a greased 23 cm/9 in spring form cake tin (pan).

3. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C/400F/gas mark 6 for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then press the remaining crust mixture on to the sides of the tin and set aside.

4. Make the filling. Place the Ricotta cheese in a bowl and beat until creamy. Mix in the sugar, cream, flour, vanilla essence and egg yolks.

5. Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until they are stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the Ricotta cheese mixture.

6. Pour the filling into the pastry-lined tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for 1 hour. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the pan then chill.

7. Remove from the tin and top with the fruit before serving.