SICILIAN RICOTTA CHEESECAKE - Torta di Ricotta

Ricotta cheesecakes are easy to make and they are so very delicious. This one has a graham cracker crust on the bottom and partially up the sides. I found a box of graham cracker crumbs in the supermarket. This saved me from crushing them in my food processor. It's always nice to save a step if you can.

I also posted the ingredients to change this cheesecake into an Almond-Amaretti Cheesecake. 

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs or about 20 graham crackers, finely crushed

½ cup melted unsalted butter

32 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese

4 large eggs

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ t sea salt

Grated zest of 1 large organic or carefully washed orange

2 T orange juice

1 t pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix together the graham cracker crumbs with the butter.

Firmly press graham cracker crumbs into the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of a 7 to 8-inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta and eggs.

Mix in the flour, sugar, salt, zest, juice, and vanilla extract.

Mix until completely combined.

Pour batter into pan and place on a baking sheet or pizza pan.

Place in center of the oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Turn oven off and let cheesecake sit in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, until firm throughout.

Let cool on the counter, and then refrigerate for 2 hours to set.

Remove from springform pan to a cake plate and decorate with confectioners’ sugar or more grated orange zest, if desired.

Serves 6 to 8

Almond-Amaretti Cheesecake Crust

¼ cup toasted sliced almonds

10 amaretti cookies

4 whole graham crackers

Pinch of fine sea salt
4 T unsalted butter, melted

Place above ingredients into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade and process for a few seconds.

Filling
In place of the orange zest and juice, add the zest and juice of 1 lemon.
In place of the vanilla extract, add 1 t of pure almond extract.