Orange Ricotta Cheesecake

Servings: 8 | Amount Per Serving: 1/8

• Calories: 288 | Total Fat: 14.6g
• Iron: 1.2mg | Cholesterol: 182.9mg
• Carbohydrates: 24.6 | Sodium: 197.6mg
• Sugar: 19g | Protein: 14.7g

Ingredients

• 1) 0.75 cup white granulated sugar + more for the pan
• 2) 1.5 pounds whole milk ricotta, at room temperature
• 3) 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 4) 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
• 5) 0.25 teaspoon salt
• 6) Zest of 2 oranges
• 7) 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps

• 1) Preheat oven to 350ºF /180ºC.
• 2) Butter a 9-inch round cake pan with removable bottom and dust with sugar, shaking off excess.
• 3) In a large bowl mix ricotta and orange zest. You can beat this for a minute or so if you want a smoother texture.
• 4) Add the flour, HALF the sugar, salt, and mix well.
• 5) Separate eggs, one by one, putting the yolks into the bowl with the ricotta mixture and the whites in another clean bowl.
• 6) Beat whites for 30 seconds and gradually add the remaining HALF of the sugar while beating at medium speed.
• 7) Keep on beating at high speed until it foams and triples in volume, but medium soft peaks form when the beater is lifted.
• 8) With a spatula, add the beaten egg whites to the ricotta mixture in 3 parts.
  Add the next part after almost incorporating the last part.
• 9) After the third part is added make sure the mixture is combined.
  Don’t over mix it so it rises well in the oven and the texture is airy.
• 10) Put in the prepared pan smoothing the surface and bake for 50-55 minutes,
  or until it’s golden but the center of the cheesecake still wiggles when lightly shaken, similar to brownies.
• 11) Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, then run a smooth knife all around the sides to make sure it is not stuck.
• 12) Let cool completely in the pan before transferring it to the serving plate.
  I like to wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge for a few hours or until the next day.

Notes

• 1) If you must substitute ricotta, you can use cottage cheese that has been processed with some cream cheese.
• 2) Adding lemon juice: the combination of both zest and juice gives it a more intense and balanced flavor.
  But don't overdo it with the juice or you'll change the texture. You can add up to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
  If your cheese is dry this would be perfect, but if your ricotta cheese is on the wet side, I suggest you let it drain for a while.
• 3) Add cinnamon or liquors for added flavors.
• 4) Substitute orange for lemon or lime for variety.