If your only experience of cheesecake is the dense, cream-cheese New York slab, an Italian ricotta cheesecake will surprise you. It is lighter, fluffier and far less sweet, letting the gentle tang of fresh ricotta lead the way. Lemon and orange zest lift the whole thing, and there is no heavy biscuit base to weigh it down.
This is the torta di ricotta you find cooling on windowsills across central and southern Italy, especially around Easter. It is forgiving, naturally gluten-light, and tastes like the inside of a cannolo turned into a cake.
Why ricotta, not cream cheese
Ricotta is made from whey, which gives it a delicate, slightly grainy texture and a clean, milky flavour. Whipped with eggs and a little sugar, it bakes into something closer to a baked custard than a dense cheesecake. The result is a cake you can eat a generous slice of without feeling heavy.
Quality matters here. Seek out fresh ricotta from a deli counter rather than the stabilised tubs if you can, and drain it well — excess moisture is the enemy of a clean set.
Getting a crack-free top
Italian ricotta cheesecake is more relaxed than New York style, but a few habits keep the surface pretty. Do not overbeat once the eggs go in, bake at a moderate temperature, and resist opening the oven door. A slight wobble in the centre when you take it out is exactly right.
Let it cool slowly in the switched-off oven with the door ajar. The gradual change in temperature stops the sudden contraction that causes deep cracks.
Nonna's tip
Drain your ricotta in a sieve lined with muslin for at least an hour, or overnight in the fridge. The drier the ricotta, the cleaner and firmer your slice.
