Italian Cheesecake

5 from 5 votes

Italian cheesecake is a creamy but airy blend of ricotta, orange zest, whipped egg whites, and sugar cooked to perfection and topped with a lemon blueberry sauce.

Prep Time8 20

Cook Time55

Cooling Time6 30

Total Time15 45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: slices

Author: James Delmage and Tara

Ingredients

For the cheesecake

32 ounces (907g) whole milk ricotta cheese strained (see notes below)
5 large egg yolks at room temperature
5 large egg whites at room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar divided (see below)
1/4 cup (30g) flour sifted, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large navel oranges zested
2 tablespoons (28g) butter to coat the pan

For the blueberry sauce

10 ounces (290g) blueberries frozen blueberries
1/2 cup (113g) water
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large lemon zested

Instructions

For the cheesecake

Preheat your oven to 400f and using the butter, grease the bottom and sides of a 10" springform pan.
Wrap the edges of the springform pan with two layers of foil and place in a roasting pan.
In a large bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer, beat the ricotta until smooth, gradually adding 2/3 cup of the sugar and egg yolks, beating after each addition.
Add the flour, orange zest, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites for 30 seconds and gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar while beating on medium speed. Once all the sugar is added, beat on high speed until medium-soft peaks are formed.
Using a spatula, fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture taking care to not overmix, then add the mixture to the prepared springform pan. Add enough hot water to cover the bottom 1/2 of the pan for your water bath.
Bake for 10 minutes at 400f then reduce the heat to 325 and bake for 45 minutes until golden on top and slightly jiggly in the center.
Turn off the heat in the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 30 minutes with the door cracked. Remove from the oven and run a thin blade knife around the edge of the cake to make sure it's not sticking and allow the cake to come to room temperature. Then cover and move to the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours. Once chilled, remove the cake from the springform pan. Slice and serve with blueberry sauce on the side and enjoy!

For the blueberry sauce

Place the blueberries, water, sugar, and vanilla in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a slow boil.
Stir in the cornstarch slurry and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture reaches your desired consistency.
Remove from the heat and gently stir in the lemon zest taking care to not crush the blueberries.
Serve over the cheesecake and enjoy!

Notes

Draining the ricotta overnight through a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve is required to ensure the cheesecake isn't runny and bakes properly.
Using the slow cook and cooling steps stated in the recipe is important to avoid cracking or deflating.
This recipe was written for a conventional oven. For convection ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness at the 75% mark.

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