Italian Cheesecake

Ingredient List

1 lb ricotta
1 lb cream cheese
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 stick butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
16 ounces sour cream

I don’t usually make many cheesecakes around here. But, sometimes, I have to bless Tomithy and Samari and make one. They are incredibly easy to make. They come together pretty quick and you can’t beat the smooth and silky texture. Here is how I make the Italian Cheesecake.

I start by combining the Ricotta Cheese and the Cream Cheese together in my stand mixer. I really whip these two ingredients together until they are smooth.

I then take my beaten eggs and add them slowly until it is fully combined with the cheese mixture. Then add the lemon juice and the vanilla and combine them really well.

I then add the flour and cornstarch. (I usually combined the 2 in a different bowl, first, then add it to the mixer.)

Now it is time to add the butter, sugar and sour cream and mix those until well combined.

So I prepare my 9 in spring form pan like this. I spray the whole pan with coconut cooking spray. I place a piece of parchment (cut to the size of the bottom plate of the pan) to the bottom of the pan. The cooking spray will help hold the parchment paper in place.

I place my spring form pan on a baking sheet and then fill it up with the cheesecake batter. Now you will want to place the cake in a 325 degree oven for about 1-1 1/2 hours to bake. This depends on the accuracy of your oven. Once the cake is MOSTLY set, turn off your oven and leave the cake in the oven to cool.

The outer edge will have a nice toasted color to it. The center was slightly jiggly. This is when I shot the oven off and keep the cake in the oven to finish cooking. After the cake has cooled in the oven, I place it in the fridge for 2 hours so it will release from the spring form pan without sticking. This has saved my cheesecake from being an ugly mess.

Now you can serve it up immediately, or let it sit in the fridge for 2 days to REALLY add flavor to the cake. I cover it with plastic wrap while it is in the fridge. Cheesecake is like Chili. It needs a couple days to REALLY bring out the flavor. You can serve it plain or add some fruit or chocolate to the cake for toppings! Either way, this cake is a hit on our homestead!