Orange Scented Baked Ricotta Cheesecake Recipes

RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter and sugar a 9-inch springform pan (3 inches deep). Whisk together ricotta, egg yolks, flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, the zest, and salt in a large bowl.
• Whisk egg whites with a mixer on low speed until foamy. Raise speed to high, and gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, whisking until stiff, glossy peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently fold a third of the whites into ricotta mixture using a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently fold in remaining whites until just combined.
• Pour batter into pan, and bake until center is firm and top is deep golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; release sides to remove from pan, and let cool completely. Serve with citrus-vanilla compote.

RICOTTA-ORANGE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Wrap foil around the bottom of the springfoam pan. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and keep hot until needed. Spoon the ricotta into a mesh strainer over a large bowl until well strained.
• Brush a little of the melted butter on the inside of the springform pan. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, remaining melted butter, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt. Firmly press the mixture into the pan, on the bottom and all the way up the sides. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 350°F.
• Beat the ricotta, remaining 1 cup granulated sugar, vanilla, almond extract and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs until just combined, taking care not to overwork the mixture. Pour the mixture into the cooled crust and place the springfoam pan in a deep roasting pan. Place the roasting pan on the center oven rack and carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches about halfway up the springform pan. Bake until just set and very lightly browned, for 1 hour and 35 minutes. The filling will appear puffed around the edges and should still be slightly jiggly in the center. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and immediately transfer the cheesecake to a rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Just before unlocking the springform ring, run a knife along the inside of the pan. Carefully lift the ring off.
• Whisk the cream and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls from the chocolate bar onto a plate and reserve for decorating.
• At least thirty minutes before serving, run a knife along the inside of the pan to loosen the cheesecake and carefully lift the ring off. Allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Spoon the whipped cream over the top and sprinkle with chocolate curls.

ORANGE RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Position an oven rack to the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Spread the pistachios out on a baking sheet and bake until golden and toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a heat-safe plate to cool, then pulse them in a food processor until very finely ground. Transfer the ground pistachios to a small bowl and set aside.
• Set a 9-inch springform pan on top of a piece of parchment paper and trace a circle around it. Cut out the circle and set aside. Generously grease the bottom and sides of the pan with the room temperature butter, then press the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan.
• Put the ricotta and 2/3 cup sugar in the bowl of food processor and process until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer the ricotta mixture to a large bowl and whisk in the eggs yolks, orange zest and juice and the vanilla.
• In another large bowl, add the egg whites and whip using an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the eggs become foamy. Sprinkle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to whip the egg whites until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to fold 1/3 of the beaten whites into the ricotta mixture until just incorporated and a few white streaks remain. Gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites, folding until there are no white streaks remaining.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan and set it on a baking sheet. Bake until the cheesecake is light golden brown and the sides begin to pull away from the pan, 55 minutes to about 1 hour and 5 minutes. Transfer the cheesecake to a cooling rack and let it cool completely, about 1 hour. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 2 days before serving.
• To serve, run a thin knife or spatula around the cake to release it from the sides, then unclasp the latch of the pan. Dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar and sprinkle with the finely ground pistachios. Set the cheesecake on a cake platter, slice and serve.

RICOTTA-ORANGE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Wrap foil around the bottom of the springform pan. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and keep hot until needed. Spoon the ricotta into a mesh strainer over a large bowl until well strained.
• Brush a little of the melted butter on the inside of the springform pan. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, remaining melted butter, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Firmly press the mixture into the pan, on the bottom and all the way up the sides. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• Beat the ricotta, remaining 1 cup granulated sugar, vanilla, almond extract and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs until just combined, taking care not to overwork the mixture. Pour the mixture into the cooled crust and place the springform pan in a deep roasting pan. Place the roasting pan on the center oven rack and carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches about halfway up the springform pan. Bake until just set and very lightly browned, for 1 hour and 35 minutes. The filling will appear puffed around the edges and should still be slightly jiggly in the center. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and immediately transfer the cheesecake to a rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Just before unlocking the springform ring, run a knife along the inside of the pan. Carefully lift the ring off.
• Whisk the cream and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls from the chocolate bar onto a plate and reserve for decorating.
• At least thirty minutes before serving, run a knife along the inside of the pan to loosen the cheesecake and carefully lift the ring off. Allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Spoon the whipped cream over the top and sprinkle with chocolate curls.
• Cook's Note: For the best texture and flavor, get the freshest and best ricotta you can find.

ORANGE-SCENTED CHEESECAKE BAKED IN CRISPY FILO

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the softened cream cheese at medium speed for about two minutes. Slowly add the sugar and beat until very smooth. Taste and adjust the sugar if necessary (note: this is not an overly-sweet dessert).
• Dissolve the cornstarch in the milk then add it to the bowl with the cream cheese mixture. At low speed, beat in the eggs and the orange zest. Process the mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times, but be careful not to over mix.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Butter well a 9-inch spring form pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil and set aside (this will prevent any butter from leaking out during the baking stage).
• Place one sheet of filo dough on a clean surface and brush with some melted butter. Place a second filo sheet on top of the first and brush with some more melted butter. Repeat with a third layer. Cut the stack of three layers of filo in half. Lift half of the sheets of filo dough and place them on top of the other half. Place this stack of six layers of filo inside the prepared pan, gently pressing the filo to fit inside the pan; the long ends of your filo will slightly come up the sides of the pan (see photo). Repeat, the same with three more layers of filo, cut them in half, stack them on top each other and place them in the pan the opposite way (see photo), so that you have completely covered the bottom and sides of the pan. Your crust now has a total of 12 layers of filo (six sheets of filo in total, cut in half). Trim excess filo from around the pan, butter the edges lightly and tuck them in. Do not fuss too much about having even sides all around.
• Pour the mixture of cream cheese into the filo crust and smooth the top.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. At this point the cheesecake is almost done. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the oven another 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a rack. As the cheesecake cools, it might shrink slightly from the filo crust.
• Once the cheesecake is completely cool, carefully, release it from the mold. Just before serving, top the cheesecake with chopped candied orange, fresh berries, and pearl sugar (or a topping of your choice). Serve at room temperature for the optimal filo crunch. Refrigerate the rest to enjoy later. If you do refrigerate the cheesecake, the filo will likely soften a bit, but the taste will still be amazing.