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Italianate Easter Cheesecake
Italianate Easter Cheesecake is a modern British recipe for the classic Italian-style cheesecake of ricotta, cream cheese and eggs containing raisins, candied peel and citrus zest that makes a wonderful centrepiece for Easter. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Italianate Easter Cheesecake.
prep time
35 minutes
cook time
135 minutes
Total Time:
170 minutes
Additional Time:
(+cooling and chilling)
Serves:
12
Rating: 
Tags : Cheese RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesBritish Recipes
Here’s an Italian-style baked cheesecake made with ricotta, but which is flavoured like a hot cross bun, to give it an easter twist.
Ingredients:
100g (3 ½oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
225 g (8oz) digestive biscuits
125 g (4oz) raisins
50 g (2oz) candied peel
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest and juice of 1 orange
850g ricotta, at room temperature (or you can use my
home-made ricotta cheese recipe to prepare your own)
450g (1lb) cream cheese, at room temperature (or you can use my
home-made cream cheese recipe to prepare your own)
200g (7oz) caster sugar
3 tbsp. plain flour
3 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Method:
Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan) mark 3. Put a roasting tray with hot water in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Remove the bottom of a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin, cover with baking parchment (introducing an overhang) then clip back into the cake tin. Grease the base and sides of tin with a little butter.
In a food processor, whizz the digestive biscuits into crumbs, then add melted butter. Press crumb mixture into the base of the tin. Put in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
In a blender or food processor, purée raisins, peel, lemon zest, orange zest and juice; set aside. In a food processor, whiz the ricotta until smooth, then add the cream cheese and raisin purée, pulsing to combine. Add the caster sugar, flour, spices and eggs for a final blitz, so the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Pour the cheesecake mixture into prepared tin and put on to a baking tray. Bake in the lower half of the oven, just above the roasting tray, for about 1hr 20min-1hr 25min until golden brown and set with a slight wobble. Turn oven off and let cheesecake cool in the oven for 30min before removing and cooling on a wire rack. Transfer to the fridge to set overnight.
For the decoration, gently dissolve sugar in 425ml (14½fl oz) water in a wide pan. Bring to the boil, add orange slices in 1 layer and boil for 10min (turn carefully once). Turn heat down and simmer for 30min, turning slices occasionally, until oranges are translucent and sugar is syrupy. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment to cool.
To serve, carefully remove cheesecake from tin. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Pile on to the cheesecake and decorate with orange slices and flakes of edible gold leaf, if you like.
