Baked Italian Ricotta Cheesecake (no crust)
This 7-ingredient ricotta cheesecake recipe is soft and very creamy. It leaves the most wonderful aroma in your kitchen, lasts several days, and cuts like a dream. A great addition to Mother's Day and Easter brunch tables, small Spring weddings and picnics.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
To prepare the pan:
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter approximately, to grease the pan
- 2 tablespoons white sugar approximately, to coat the pan
For the ricotta cheesecake batter:
- 1 ½ pounds whole milk ricotta at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons orange zest from about 2 oranges
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 eggs at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Butter a 9-inch round cake pan with a removable bottom and dust with 2 tablespoons white sugar, shaking off excess.
- In a large bowl, mix 1 ½ pounds whole milk ricotta, 2 tablespoons orange zest, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. You can beat this for a minute or so if you want a smoother texture. I don’t do it.
- Add the ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ⅜ cup white sugar(eyeball half the amount), ¼ teaspoon salt and mix well.
- Separate 6 eggs, one by one, adding the 6 yolks to the bowl with the ricotta mixture and the 6 whites to 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. The whites should not have even the tiniest bit of yolk, since it will prevent them from beating as they should.
- Beat the egg whites for 30 seconds and gradually add ⅜ cup white sugar (remaining sugar) while beating at medium speed. Keep on beating at high speed until it foams and triples in volume, and it forms medium-soft peaks when the beater is lifted.
- Add the beaten egg whites to the ricotta mixture with a spatula in 3 parts, adding the next part after almost incorporating the last part. This way, you don't overmix the whites, and they keep some volume.
- After the third part is added, make sure the mixture is combined. Don’t overmix it so it rises well in the oven and has an airy texture.
- 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 the oven and let the pan cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then run a smooth knife around the sides to ensure it is not stuck. Then, let it cool completely in the pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 2-3 hours before transferring it to the serving plate and cutting. I like to make it the day before and keep it wrapped and refrigerated until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Storing: This ricotta cheesecake lasts for several days in the fridge. I ate it after almost a week, and it was delicious. But 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 up to 3 days, well covered in plastic wrap.
I don't recommend freezing it, as the texture changes quite a bit for my taste. But you can if you want to. Make sure it's well-wrapped. I would freeze just one slice to try at first and see how it goes.
