I have always loved recipes with soft cheeses, but this 7-ingredient ricotta cheesecake simply blew me away! Soft and very creamy, it leaves the most wonderful aroma in your kitchen, lasts for several days and cuts like a dream.
Some years ago I would've said that if it didn't have cream cheese it couldn't be called a cheesecake, period. My cheesecake recipes were simple and most, if not all, have no flour or cornstarch at all. Nowadays I'm more flexible and don't need to be such a purist.
But my strong Italian heritage and food culture made me love all things ricotta - lemon ricotta pie, baked ricotta, berry squares, you name it - and especially this cheesecake recipe I'm sharing today.
Besides, if you look at how this gorgeous cake comes out of the oven, deeply golden, smelling amazing and with just the right firmness to it, you'll understand that it belongs in the cheesecake category. Not a pie, not a cake, but a ricotta cheesecake. Probably the best one ever.
Ingredients
- Ricotta: use full fat. More about this soft cheese below.
- Eggs: fresh is always better. And large is a good size for all the baking recipes in this blog.
- Sugar: white granulated sugar, the regular kind.
- Flour: a little bit of all purpose flour is used as a binding agent to give the cheesecake more structure.
- Salt: to enhance the flavors.
- Orange: only the zest is used.
- Vanilla: this is optional, but I like to use pure vanilla extract or paste. It works very well with the orange, but this recipe is amazing without it also.
About ricotta
Ricotta is a soft, grainy cheese made from cow's milk in this case (though it can also be made with goat, sheep or buffalo milk). The type I use for all of my recipes is the regular soft ricotta (image below) sold in supermarkets or specialty stores. It's creamy, moist and has an almost sweet taste.
Quality varies according to brands and you can find some with additives to make it thicker or whatever. I try to buy original ricotta sourced from good small producers. It tastes much better and I like the consistency more.
Ricotta vs. cottage cheese
Though they might look somewhat similar, ricotta and cottage cheese are different.
Ricotta is made from the whey that is left when the curds are separated in the milk or cream to make cheese, while cottage cheese is made from the curds.
Their textures are different as well as their flavors.
Substitution
Though for this recipe you should absolutely get the ricotta cheese (it is, after all, a ricotta cheesecake), you can use cottage cheese that has been processed with some cream cheese. If it has too much water you should let it drain a while on a strainer with cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel over a bowl.
It cuts like a dream. You can see that in the pictures. The cake was almost room temperature and still hold its shape amazingly.
The simplicity part is that the ingredients are everyday staples and, apart from beating the egg whites separately, you just mix everything together without much detail. And it has no crust!
How to make this recipe
Being a no-crust cheesecake, this is a fairly easy recipe.
It does not require a water bath, something that makes many home bakers nervous because of the chance that some water might get into the batter. But good news, no water bath today.
The only part that takes a little more time is separating the egg yolks from the whites, which are beaten separately and then added at the last moment. More about this below.
WATCH THE STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO👇🏻
Beating egg whites
The whites can be stiffer or not so stiff, and they are incorporated without the excessive care that other recipes sometimes need. Like the best flourless chocolate cake ever (the photos are old but the recipe is amazing!).
I like to beat the whites to medium-soft peaks; that way the batter is more fluid and the cake is creamier. And have them at room t°, that is the way to maximize the volume when they are beaten.
If you love cheesecakes as much as I do, this is a different recipe that you will love for its versatility (flavorings) and simplicity - no crust, cuts easily.
All in all a wonderful recipe for a different cheesecake, slightly adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, it is phenomenal. I urge you to try it!
Other flavorings
- Citrus, use your favorite: lemon, lime, tangerine, a mix of all of them, you name it.
- Ground spices, such as cinnamon, cardamom, maybe nutmeg, pumpkin spice mix. Whatever you love more.
- Extracts (coffee, aniseed, almond, maple, there are so many to choose from)
- Liquors like Cointreau or Grand Marnier (orange), Frangelico (hazelnut), Amaretto (almond), Limoncello (lemon) or any other sweet or fruity one you like.
- A combination of the above, maybe almond extract and spice, or cinnamon with orange zest.
Let your imagination flow. So many options, I know.
Lemon ricotta cheesecake
I know lemon is a huge favorite when it comes to cheesecakes. I know I am a raving fan. So I'm leaving you the simple way to make this a lemon ricotta cake.
- Substitute the orange zest for lemon zest.
- Adding lemon juice: the combination of both zest and juice gives it a more intense and balanced flavor. But don't overdo it with the juice or you'll change the texture. You can add up to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. If your cheese is dry this would be perfect, but if your ricotta cheese is on the wetter side, I suggest you let it drain for a while.
Storing
This ricotta cheesecake lasts for several days in the fridge.
I ate it after almost a week and I have to say it was delicious. The coldness of the refrigerator dries it up a bit every day (it's what refrigeration does to all baked goods), so my advice is no more than 3 days, well wrapped in plastic wrap.
Frequently asked questions
Both are soft cheeses, but ricotta is a grainy cheese while cream cheese is smooth. The amount of salt is also different, and ricotta tends to be sweeter.
For this recipe here it's done when the top is golden, edges are set but the center still jiggles a little. You can find all the tips in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Yes, that's what I recommend. It will get too soft if left at room temperature for too long, and it's a soft cheese, so the refrigerator is the best place to keep it.
It keeps for 3 days, well wrapped and refrigerated.
Related recipes you might like:
Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it, and also if you had issues, so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here, it's much appreciated.
You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Orange Ricotta cheesecake
- Prep Time: 20
- Cooling time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 55
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A fabulous take on cheesecake, with ricotta cheese. Only 7 ingredients!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar + more for the pan
- 1 ½ pounds whole milk ricotta, at room temperature
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Zest of 2 oranges, any size
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF /180ºC.
- Butter a 9-inch round cake pan with removable bottom and dust with sugar, shaking off excess.
- In a large bowl mix ricotta and orange zest. You can beat this for a minute or so if you want a smoother texture. I don’t do it.
- Add the flour, HALF the sugar, salt, and mix well.
- Separate eggs, one by one, putting the yolks into the bowl with the ricotta mixture and the whites in another clean (very clean and dry, with no traces of oil or grease) bowl. I use the stand mixer for the whites and put them directly in the mixing bowl.
- Try using an extra small bowl for cracking each egg so you don’t run the risk of the tiniest bit of yolk getting into the whites since it will prevent them from beating as they should.
- Beat whites for 30 seconds and gradually add the remaining HALF of the sugar while beating at medium speed.
- Keep on beating at high speed until it foams and triples in volume, but medium soft peaks form when the beater is lifted.
- With a spatula, add the beaten egg whites to the ricotta mixture in 3 parts. Add the next part after almost incorporating the last part.
- After the third part is added make sure the mixture is combined. Don’t over mix it so it rises well in the oven and the texture is airy.
- Put in the prepared pan smoothing the surface and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until it’s golden but the center of the cheesecake still wiggles when lightly shaken, similar to brownies.
- Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, then run a smooth knife all around the sides to make sure it is not stuck.
- Let cool completely in the pan before transferring it to the serving plate. I like to wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge for a few hours or until the next day.
Notes
Flavoring ricotta cheesecakes (or cakes)
- Citrus, use your favorite: lemon, lime, tangerine, a mix of all of them, you name it.
- Ground spices, such as cinnamon, cardamom, maybe nutmeg, pumpkin spice mix. Whatever you love more.
- Extracts (coffee, aniseed, almond, maple, there are so many to choose from)
- Liquors like Cointreau or Grand Marnier (orange), Frangelico (hazelnut), Amaretto (almond), limoncello (lemon) or any other sweet or fruity one you like.
- A combination of the above, maybe almond extract and spice, or cinnamon with orange zest.
Egg whites
I like to beat the whites to medium-soft peaks; that way the batter is more fluid and the cake is creamier.
And have them at room temperature, that is the way to maximize the volume when they are beaten.
Substitutions
If you must substitute ricotta, you can use cottage cheese that has been processed with some cream cheese.
To turn this into a lemon cheesecake, simply substitute the orange zest for lemon zest.
- Adding lemon juice: the combination of both zest and juice gives it a more intense and balanced flavor. But don't overdo it with the juice or you'll change the texture. You can add up to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. If your cheese is dry this would be perfect, but if your ricotta cheese is on the wet side, I suggest you let it drain for a while.
Freezing
It can be frozen, well wrapped, for about a month. Defrost in the refrigerator for best results.
Recommendation: if you want to make it for freezing I suggest you use half ricotta cheese and half cream cheese. The same total amount of cheese as stated in the recipe (1 ½ pounds) . Ricotta tends to be grainy and holds more water than cream cheese. This variation will make for a smoother cheesecake after it's thawed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛
- Calories: 288
- Sugar: 19.1 g
- Sodium: 197.6 mg
- Fat: 14.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.6 g
- Protein: 14.7 g
- Cholesterol: 182.9 mg
Keywords: ricotta cheesecake
Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
I bake a lot (everyday) and this is my MOST used recipe. Have made it at least 40 times and it has NEVER failed. I do make minimal changes...I use a water bath and put the mixture in a glass, tall sided pie dish (1 1/2'' sides). I use Aldi brand ricotta in the little white basket. I add frozen raspberries, or when available fresh passionfruit pulp (about 8 passionfruit). I serve with double cream and extra raspberries on top. Whoever eats it wants the recipe. Keeps so well in the fridge for a least 3 days.
★★★★★
So happy to hear this Rita! I agree that it is a fantastic recipe and love the idea of adding fresh berries. Scrumptious! Have a great week.
Hi Paula I'm interested in baking this cake however I'm unsure what sugar you are using. Thanks
Hi Kaylee, it's white granulated sugar. I specified it more in the recipe card so it's not confusing. Enjoy the weekend!
Thank you Paula this is a beautiful cake I'm glad I tried making it worked out well i did put vanillin for some flavour too as you said there's a lot of options with flavourings. Orange and cinnamon is so amazing. Thanks again for an amazing recipe
So happy to hear that Kaylee! It is very adaptable to different citrus and they all work. Have a great week.
Not sure what went wrong, rised incredible, went completely flat and didn't cook throughout.
★
Hi Niki, several things can cause that. You might've taken it out of the oven before it was done because it was risen and golden, so when it sank as it cooled (it always does a little) it didn't have enough structure. The oven might've been too high, or the batter over beaten. Or a combination of them. Let me know if you feel something might've happened with the batter and/or oven and we can to troubleshoot.
Looking forward to making this! I have a question: some other recipes call for draining the ricotta. What do you think? TYIA
Hi Laura! I also suggest draining it but only if it's watery, if it has extra liquid. Otherwise it's fine.
The first time I made this cake, I followed the recipe exactly...but used this new zester that my husband bought. It kind of made long strips, which I chopped before adding. But the citrus didn't come through. I made a glaze with Grand Marnier and orange preserves to pour over mixed berries on top, and it was very good. Today I used my old box grater, fresh ricotta, and added a graham cracker crust. It was absolutely amazing. As good as any Italian cheesecake we've had in NY or Italy.
★★★★★
Happy to hear that Teri and I love the idea of adding Grand Marnier! I've had my issues with some microplane zesters too lol.
Absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to make it again. So easy & light.
★★★★★
Happy to hear that Lizzie!
Made this on 1/7/2021...love it easy quick.
★★★★★
Happy to hear that!
Super simple recipe and incredibly delicious! I made it for Christmas and added rum soaked raisins to the orange zest and dusted it off with cinnamon sugar! I can’t wait for the summer months to try out other versions!
★★★★★
Very happy to hear this Mara! I love the idea of adding raisins, they pair so well with orange. Have a great holiday week!
Oh my goodness, Paula! This was so simple and tasted great! We loved that it was so airy and light! I’m 9 months pregnant and was told to cut back the carbs and sugars, so these simple ingredients and no crust accommodated that perfectly! I switched the orange for lemon. Amazing!! We always have a ton of duck eggs, so next time we will experiment with those and see how it works. Thanks so much for this keeper!
★★★★★
SO happy to hear that Sherry! I think lemon might actually be even better than orange... Have a great week!
OMG, made for Thanksgiving! My future bil is italian. He LOVED it as did the rest of us! Would definitely make again! Thanks for sharing!!
★★★★★
So happy to hear that Sylvia! Have a great holiday season!