Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake - Lori's Cookbook

viking-ventures (69)in Foodies Unite • 4 years ago

Okay, so there's a story behind this one. I asked my husband to pick up some ricotta cheese so that I could make a grain-free lasagna (coming soon) - and he picked up about 8x what I needed for the lasagna! So, I decided to find a dessert that would use ricotta and this was what I found.

(Not to mention that I discovered that I've been mispronouncing ricotta my entire life... in the US, we say rih-COT-tah or rih-COD-dah... turns out it should be pronounced rih-COTE-uh, preferably in an Italian accent.)

Anyway, this dessert (pictured above) turned out to be a complete hit - well, at least with hubby and me! I'll definitely be making it again.

Although I didn't make it sugar free, it is grain free and can easily be converted to alternative sweeteners to make it keto.

We (my youngest is helping) started out with:

2 cups of almond flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt

We poured in:

6 Tablespoons of melted butter

And stirred it well.

It was pressed into a greased springform pan. You could also choose to use a 9-inch glass pie pan. (Springform pans are the cheesecake pan and make the task of serving much simpler.)

This base was baked in a preheated 350F oven for 12-15 minutes.

Here is what it looked like when it came out:

As it cooled, we worked on the filling.

First, we zested, then squeezed:

1 lemon

This went into the mixing bowl with:

16 ounces of cream cheese (softened)
15 ounces of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar (or substitute)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

These ingredients were mixed in my Kitchenaid mixer until smooth. (Be sure to scrap down the sides well from time to time, especially if the cream cheese wasn't very soft.)

Separately, whip:

1 1/2 cups of cream
until it forms stiff peaks.

At this point, you can also add:

1 teaspoon of gelatin "bloomed" in 2 teaspoons of water
(I forgot to add the gelatin - which would have helped the set of this cheesecake immensely.)

Carefully, "fold" the whipped cream into the rest of the filling mixture.

Folding is a technique where you carefully lift the mixture and fold it over something delicate like whipped cream or meringue. It helps prevent the loss of the air that we just whipped into the ingredient. It helps keep the product fluffy and light.

At this point, the filling was added to the cooled crust, then chilled for at least four hours. (I froze it for awhile because I didn't have four hours before supper!)

It came out a bit sloppy due to forgetting the gelatin, but it was a very good cheesecake and I'll definitely make it again!

Note: All photos are mine - Nikon 7200. Crossposted on Hive.

Two of my kitchen witches. One hung in my grandmother's kitchen as long as I can remember, so I have mine - adding a certain magickal spice to my cooking, presumably...
My grandmother's now lives in my mother's kitchen.

Note: If you would like to be tagged in future cooking posts, please let me know! I can add you (or delete you) to my template at any time.
@iamraincrystal

Previous recipes in Lori's Cookbook

Holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.)

Cranana-Chumpkin Bread
Cranberry-Berry Sauce (canning too)
Cranberry Juice Drink
Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Drop Sugar Cookies - Christmas, Valentines, whatever you like!
Gravlax (Swedish Marinated Salmon)
Chinese BBQ Ribs & Chicken - Lunar New Year

Breakfasts

Basic French Toast
Buttermilk Pancakes - including low-carb and grain-free options.

Breads

Baking Powder Biscuits
Cranana-Chumpkin Bread
Nearly No Carb Keto Bread - demo only, follow the link to the recipe. (grain free)
No-Knead Bread
Fathead Dough - a grain free substitute for many bread situations!

Sweet Snacks

Almond Flour Snickerdoodles
Brownies with Chocolate Ganache - made into a great birthday cake!
Drop Sugar Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sauces & Dips

Spaghetti Sauce
Basic Salsa
Garlic-Herb Butter
Guacamole Salsa
Creamy Guacamole
Avocado Salsa
Tartar Sauce

Food as Medicine

Egg Drop Soup

Desserts

Cheesecake Brownies - grain/flour free
Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Dobos Torte
Peach Cornmeal Cobbler
Peach Crisp
Tapioca Pudding

DIY Ingredients

Buttermilk

Canning

Rebel Canning - a general guide about what I do, and why I don't always follow USDA guidelines.
Cranberry-Berry Sauce
Cranberry Juice Drink
Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce
Rice Pudding

If you want to be

Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
(Buy my work at RedBubble, TeePublic, PicFair and DeviantArt.)
verified author on Goodreads
(Buy my books at Books2Read and at LBRY)