Best Ricotta Cheese Cake Martha Stewart Recipes

RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with breadcrumbs, tapping out excess. In a small bowl, stir together raisins, flour, and zests; set aside.
• With an electric mixer, beat ricotta, sugar, and salt until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, and beat just until smooth (do not overmix).
• Pour mixture into prepared pan; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cake is browned and jiggles only slightly when shaken, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool completely in pan; unmold to serve. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

ITALIAN RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set rack in the middle of the oven.
• Butter and flour a 9-by-2-inch springform pan and tap out excess flour. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, sift sugar and flour.
• In a large bowl, combine ricotta and zest and whisk until smooth. Add sugar and flour mixture and gently mix to combine.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine. Add the vanilla and salt.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for about 55 to 60 minutes, until a light golden color. Make sure the center is fairly firm and the point of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 2 hours.

NO-BAKE BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• Pulse cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and butter; pulse until all crumbs are moist (you should have about 3 1/2 cups). Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; refrigerate while making filling.
• Blend ricotta, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, zest, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice in clean food processor until very smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Beat cream on medium-high speed to stiff peaks, then fold into ricotta mixture
• Dollop 2 1/2 cups cream mixture over crust; spread evenly to cover with an offset spatula. Top with 2 cups berries. Dollop with remaining cream mixture; spread to cover berries. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 1/2 cups blueberries with 2 tablespoons water and remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until blueberries begin to burst, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into blueberry mixture. Bring to a boil, then cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 more cup berries; let cool completely. Spoon berry mixture over chilled cake. Garnish with remaining 1/2 cup berries and mint leaves. (Leftovers can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, up to 2 days.)

RICOTTA CAKE

Steps:

• Bring milk to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in rice, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla bean. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until rice is very tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 30 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Cover; let cool, stirring occasionally. Discard vanilla bean.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch-round, 3-inch-deep springform pan. In a large bowl, combine the rice mixture, ricotta, whole eggs and egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until golden on top and almost set in the center, 65 to 70 minutes; cover with foil if starting to brown too much. Transfer pan to a cooling rack.
• When cake has completely cooled, run a knife around edge to loosen. Gentlyremove ring; transfer cake to a serving platter. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve with sauce.

FRESH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Combine milk, cream, and salt in a 4- to 5-quart pot, and warm mixture over medium-high heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching, until mixture registers 195 degrees on a candy thermometer. It should take about 15 minutes.
• Add lemon juice, gently stirring until just combined. Remove pot from heat and let stand 5 minutes. The combination of the acid and the residual heat in the mixture will cause it to coagulate, or curdle -- separating into a soft mass (curds) and a cloudy liquid (whey).
• After lining a mesh colander with a triple layer of cheesecloth and placing it inside a deeper, slightly larger bowl, gently pour curds and whey into colander. Let mixture stand, pouring off whey occasionally, until most of whey has drained from still-wet curds, 20 minutes.
• Gather up ricotta in cheesecloth and turn it out into a bowl. Serve within a few hours, or refrigerate up to 4 days. For a denser ricotta, which can be preferable for baking, hang it to drain for another hour. Repurpose whey or discard it.

HOMEMADE RICOTTA

Steps:

• Combine milk, heavy cream, and salt (if using) in a nonreactive heavy bottomed saucepan. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
• Add lemon juice and continue to boil, stirring constantly until curds separate, about 1 minute. It may be necessary to adjust the heat to prevent cream from overflowing.
• Pour into a very fine-mesh stainless steel strainer. Place strainer over a bowl that is deep enough for the strainer to sit over and not touch the liquid. Allow cheese to drain for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Discard liquid and transfer ricotta to a covered container. Refrigerate until ready to use, or up to 3 days.

MARGARITA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in center. In a food processor, pulse pretzels until fine crumbs form (you will have a little more than 1 cup). Add sugar and melted butter; process until combined. Press evenly in bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until golden brown, about 9 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
• Filling: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Wrap exterior of springform pan with a double layer of foil. Set a kettle of water to a boil. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in sour cream, sugar, Grand Marnier, tequila, lime zest, and salt; beat until well incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
• Pour cream-cheese mixture over cooled crust (filling will come up higher than crust). Set springform pan in a roasting pan; carefully pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up side of springform pan.
• Bake on center rack until cake is set and slightly firm to the touch, about 65 minutes. Transfer springform pan to a wire rack and remove foil; let cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 6 hours or up to overnight. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen before unmolding. Garnish top of cheesecake with lime slices.