Italian Easter Cheesecake Food

SICILIAN RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• A few hours before baking, place the whole milk ricotta cheese in a cheesecloth lined strainer over a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in the refrigerate to drain.
• Preheat your oven to 350"F.
• In the bowl of your mixer whisk together the eggs and sugar until nice and creamy. Add the butter one tablespoon at a time until nicely incorporated. Add the orange or lemon zest and scrape in the vanilla seeds. Add the baking powder and coconut flour and using a spatula mix to combine. Fold in the ricotta cheese.
• Butter a 9 inch spring form cake pan and sprinkle it all over with some of the sugar to lightly coat the bottom and the sides. Spoon the cake mixture in the pan and set the pan on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown around the sides and pulls away slightly from the sides. Your house should smell amazing by now, and that's a good indicator the cake is ready. Allow the cake to cool off completely before unfolding the spring-form pan.
• Set on a serving platter and sprinkle with powder sugar or make a light glaze to drizzle on top.

ITALIAN CREAM CHEESE AND RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
• Mix the cream cheese and ricotta cheese together in a mixing bowl until well combined. Stir in the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch, flour, and butter. Add the sour cream last and stir. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour; turn oven off and leave in oven 1 hour more. Allow to cool completely in refrigerator before serving.

ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the dough: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar together. Scrape down the sides and add the lemon and orange zests. Turn the mixer back on to low speed. Add the milk and egg. Turn the speed to medium and mix until well combined (scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary). Turn the mixer off and add the flour. Carefully turn the mixer on a slow speed and mix just until a dough forms, scraping down the sides as necessary.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface dusted with flour. Knead until it forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• For the filling: Combine the ricotta cheese, granulated sugar, custard/pudding, lemon zest, orange zest and semolina flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until combined. Add the vanilla orange and blossom water. Add in the whole eggs and egg yolks in 3 batches. Mix on slow speed in between each addition.
• Grease the inside of a 9-inch nonstick springform pan with pan spray. Roll the dough into a circle approximately 14 inches wide. Roll the dough into the pan and press it out into an even layer across the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
• Pour the filling into the pan and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cheesecake is golden brown, 80 to 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.
• Remove from the pan and put onto a decorative plate or platter. Dust the top with powdered sugar using a small mesh strainer. Decorate the center with fresh cranberries and sprigs of rosemary.

EASTER CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-by-3-inch round cake pan and dust with ground almonds; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, cream, and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, and beat until incorporated. Beat in zests and vanilla.
• Pour into prepared pan, and place in a large roasting pan. Transfer to oven rack, and carefully add enough boiling water to the roasting pan to come two-thirds up the side of the cake pan.
• Bake until firm, about 2 hours, adding more boiling water if necessary. Turn off the oven; keep the oven door ajar using a wooden spoon. Let cake cool completely in the oven.
• Transfer to refrigerator and chill overnight. Invert onto a plate; serve.

ITALIAN (RICOTTA) CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Butter bottom and sides of a 12-inch springform pan.
• Sprinkle bottom and sides of well buttered pan with Graham cracker crumbs.
• In a large bowl, beat drained ricotta until very smooth.
• Gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar and egg yolks, beating after each addition.
• Beat in flour, lemon rind, and vanilla.
• In a small bowl, beat cream until cream holds its shape, but is not too stiff.
• In a smaller bowl, beat egg whites with remaining sugar until stiff; combine with whipped cream and fold into ricotta mixture.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake 1 hour.
• Turn off heat and allow cake to cool in oven with door closed (about 3-4 hours).
• Remove cooled cake from oven, carefully remove sides of pan, store cake (well wrapped) in refrigerator.
• Before serving, lightly sprinkle top of cake with Confectioner's (powdered, 10X) sugar.
• Cake may be served chilled or at room temperature.
• Note: Center of cheese cake will be lower than the sides when it is cooled.
• This is not a defect!
• It is supposed to be this way (makes it easier to hold the topping if you choose to use one).
• VARIATIONS: Add raisins, chopped citron or chopped maraschino cherries to the batter.
• Top cheese cake with crushed sugared strawberries or cherries before serving.
• Cover bottom of crumbed pan with drained, sweetened crushed pineapple, applesauce or sliced apples before adding batter to pan.
• Pie crust pastry may be used instead of Graham crumbs to line pan.

ITALIAN RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set rack in the middle of the oven.
• Butter and flour a 9-by-2-inch springform pan and tap out excess flour. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, sift sugar and flour.
• In a large bowl, combine ricotta and zest and whisk until smooth. Add sugar and flour mixture and gently mix to combine.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine. Add the vanilla and salt.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for about 55 to 60 minutes, until a light golden color. Make sure the center is fairly firm and the point of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 2 hours.

ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 inch round springform or regular pan.
• Combine the ricotta, confectioners' sugar and eggs. Blend well. Stir in vanilla, almond extract, rum extract, lemon juice, lemon zest and orange zest. Beat by hand until smooth and creamy. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 40 minutes, until golden. Place on a rack and cool.

ITALIAN EASTER CASSATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Grease two 9 inch pans lightly with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
• Mix all the dough ingredients in a bowl until it forms a ball.
• Roll the dough out thin and line your prepared pans with it.
• Pour in the filling.
• Make a lattice-style crust and place the strips on the bottom and top like a weave.
• You can brush the top with beaten egg wash.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust looks brown and the middle looks solid around 35 to 45 minutes depending on how thick your cassata is and the pans you used.
• Cool completely before cutting.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator covered.

ITALIAN EASTER CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Add eggs to cheese and mix in sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and lemon juice. Set aside.
• Mix crust ingredients till they come together.
• Divide dough so 2/3 is in one ball and 1/3 is in another ball. On a lightly floured board, roll out the larger ball until it is about 12" long and 16" wide. Very carefully place the dough in a 9" x 13" glass baking dish. If it crumbles or cracks, that's okay. Just press it together with your fingers. Trim any dough hanging over the edges and hold in reserve.
• Pour filling into the crust and dot with the 4 pats of butter.
• Roll out the remaining dough and cut into long strips. Criss-cross the dough in a wide lattice formation over the top of the filling.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the cheese comes out clean.
• Serve at room temperature.

EASY ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• blend all ingredients and put into a 10 inch cake pan, either glass, or round.
• preheat oven to 300 and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
• bake until top is brown and knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Butter and flour a 9" spring form pan.
• Finely zest lemon and orange (I use a micro planer) and set aside.
• Juice lemon and orange and set aside. (I used a lemon/orange a friend brought back from Florida -- if you have one, use it!).
• In a large bowl, combine ricotta and zest and whisk until smooth.
• Sift in sugar and flour and mix.
• Add cream and vanilla and mix.
• Whisk in eggs one at a time.
• Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake at 325°F for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until knife comes out clean.
• Turn off oven, open door and let rest in oven for 30 minutes.
• Remove spring form and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• I brought mine up to room temperature before serving.

ITALIAN EASTER CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Sift flour, 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, baking powder, and pinch of salt in a large bowl.
• Mash the unsalted butter with a fork until thoroughly worked into the flour mixture; stir in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon anise liqueur.
• Stir 3 eggs into the flour mixture to make a workable dough. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead a few times; roll the dough into a ball.
• Chill dough in refrigerator at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.
• Place ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, and 12 eggs in a large bowl. Beat mixture with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth. (If you prefer, process the mixture in a large food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary.)
• Mix 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, 1/4 cup anise liqueur, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and lemon zest into the ricotta cheese mixture until thoroughly combined.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Grease the inside of a 9-inch springform pan with butter and sprinkle with flour.
• Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and roll into a large circle on a floured work surface. Fit the dough into the prepared springform pan.
• Pour cheesecake filling into the dough. Place a large roasting pan into oven; place the cheesecake into the roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the outer pan to reach several inches up the side of the springform pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cheesecake comes out clean, about 2 hours.