Part II
Dessert
To round off the oh-so-Sicilian Inspired Christmas menu, I had to end on a cheesecake.
I make a cheesecake for Christmas almost every year (and if I don’t, it’s because I made one for Thanksgiving or plan to for New Years). They’re so celebratory and show-stopping, but frankly they aren’t terribly complicated to make. The keys to a good cheesecake are room temperature ingredients, a water bath, and removing it from the oven slowly—the water bath usually being the most intimidating part of the process.
This, however, is a ricotta cheesecake (we are talking about Italian inspiration, after all) and while room temperature ingredients and slow oven removal are still required there’s no need for a water bath. That’s right. No water bath. Even better still is that the whole thing can be made in the food processor. Oh, and there’s no crust to make.
Because we’re talking Sicilian inspired I had to flavor it with orange—it’s my holiday flavor for 2016. I pulse the orange zest with sugar in a food processor before pureeing the ricotta for a few moments until it’s totally smooth.
Then puree it with some flour before adding the eggs one at a time—but still quickly—while the motor runs. The whole thing then gets poured into a greased springform pan that’s dusted with almond meal. Into the oven it goes. Once it’s finished keep it in the oven until the rack is cool enough to touch, then let it cool to room temp by gradually opening the oven door, pulling the rack out, and eventually moving it to the counter over a period of about 1 ½ – 2 hours. Doing this helps to keep it from deflating and collapsing in on itself.
It is a slightly lighter than a cream cheese-based cheesecake, but don’t be fooled—it’s still decadent and divine. Then it gets doused in chocolate sauce. There are some things that I just can’t help but do. I justify it, though, because this cake is made from ricotta, ricotta is used in cannolis, cannolis get decorated with chocolate chips, and… wait for it… cannolis originated in Sicily! See, totally makes sense.
If you’re looking for a great holiday dessert (especially to go along with a fabulous meal such as this) look no further. You’re going to love it.
Oh, and I’m on BLOGLOVIN’. You know what to do.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 10 | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 1-1/2 hours or less |
|
|
|
|
An incredibly easy but ridiculously delicious (and very authentic) Italian cheesecake. Made entirely of ricotta, flavored with orange and vanilla, and served with a decadent chocolate sauce this is sure to become a favorite!
|
- 32 ounces ricotta whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Small pinch kosher salt
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- butter room temperature, for greasing the pan
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao minimum, finely chopped)
- Preheat oven to 325°
- Grease a 9” springform pan with the butter and sprinkle over the almond meal to coat the bottom and sides lightly.
- Put the ricotta in a food processor and let the motor run for a minute or two until smooth. Add in everything else except for the cake and puree another minute, until smooth and light.
- With the motor running still, add the eggs one at a time fairly quickly. Scrape the bowl and pulse a few more times to make sure it’s all combined.
- Pour into the prepared springform and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes, until the cake is mostly set, but shows a slight wobble in the center.
- Shut the oven off and open the door. Let it cool until the oven wrack is cool enough to touch with bare hands, then pull it out and let it cool until the cake is room temperature. Let it rest on the counter before stashing it in the fridge. It will sink a bit after cooling—don’t worry.
- To make the chocolate sauce, bring the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Let it boil for a minute or two, until the sugar dissolves. Shut off the heat and add in the chocolate. Let it stand for 2 minutes, then whisk until the chocolate melts into a smooth sauce. Set aside to cool a little.
- Remove the cake from the fridge for at least 20 minutes prior to serving with some chocolate sauce drizzled over top (and extra served alongside doesn’t hurt either).
- The chocolate sauce can be made in advance but it will solidify as it cools. Reheat it in the microwave for 15 seconds, then beat it for 1 minute, letting the chocolate that didn’t melt in the microwave do so in the residual heat of the sauce. Do this once more if needed.