Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe with Fresh Figs and Honey

Man would my grandmother be proud of me for making this Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe with Fresh Figs and Honey.  To be honest I’m not sure she would have known the difference, but with all the ricotta in this tasty treat it is definitely a must make!  Traditionally in a Roman style cheesecake it would use all ricotta cheese, but we aren’t in Roman times anymore so cream cheese adds some nice richness to this Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe with Fresh Figs and Honey.  I’m actually quite certain that you’ll prefer this over a traditional cheesecake, plus the figs and almonds on top are ridiculous!

Let’s Make the Crust in this Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe

This dessert isn’t overly sweet and it’s gluten free thanks to Bob’s Red Mill Almond crust!  If you did not know almonds, ricotta, figs and honey go together so perfectly so when you get a bite of all that goodness your taste buds will scream for more!  Bob’s Red Mill makes a super fine almond meal which is ideal for baking.  The meal uses blanched shell-less almonds that are finely ground and to be honest make a perfect crust.

Simply process together in a food processor on high speed the almond meal, butter and 1 tablespoons of sugar, that’s it.  Once the butter becomes the size of rice it’s then time to form it to the bottom of a spring form pan.  You want to ensure the crust is wet enough so when you punch it, it sticks together.  Press the almond meal curst into the bottom of the pan forming it to the bottom.  At this point you can par bake it if you’re looking for a nice crusty crunchy crust.  I however don’t do this as I like a soft chewy crust that folds in perfectly with the cheesecake when eating it, which is what I recommend you do to cut down on time cooking.

Finish up the Ricotta Cheesecake Batter

Making the cheesecake batter is extremely easy as well.  Start by whipping the cream cheese and sugar together in a standing mixer on high speed until it becomes light and fluffy.  Do your best not to eat too much, I know it’s hard J.  Before adding in the Ricotta be sure to drain it a little bit as it will have a bit of liquid in the container.  Also be sure to use whole milk ricotta!  Add it in with the cream cheese and continue beating the tar out of it on high speed for a few more minutes.

Add in 1 egg at a time making sure it is completely mixed in before adding in the next one and then finish off by adding in some fresh vanilla bean seeds and corn starch.  To get the vanilla bean seeds just cut a fresh vanilla bean longways and use a pairing knife to scrape the inside of the seeds out.  Just to let you know those seeds pack a powerful punch in the flavor department so no need to flip out that you won’t have the much because trust me a little bit goes a long way. Once you’re here pour the batter over top of the almond crust and transfer it into a 13×9 or a 200 hotel pan like I used in the picture above.  In the end, just find a deep pan that your spring form pan will fit in to.

Once it’s in the pan put it on the rack in the oven and then pour luke warm water around the cheesecake so that it cooks in a water bath.  Doing this will make your cake cook evenly as well as ridiculously moist since there will be moisture in the air while baking from the water.  Bake it in the oven for 90 to 100 minutes.  If you use cold water then you are going to be cooking it for about 15 to 20 minutes longer because it will take longer for that water to heat up and bake the cake.

Now’s the hard part, waiting.  Cool the Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe with Fresh Figs and Honey to room temperature and then chill it completely.  This time can be agonizing, but I promise it’ll be worth the wait!

After you’ve scratched your fingernails off and pulled your hair out it’s now time to top off with sliced fresh figs, sliced toasted almonds and a drizzle of honey.  This Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe with Fresh Figs and Honey is seriously one of the most balanced tasting desserts you will ever eat, and it just may be your new cheesecake recipe :-).

Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe with Fresh Figs and Honey

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Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe with Fresh Figs and Honey

Sink your teeth into this deliciously tempting Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe with Fresh Figs and Honey! If you love dessert and especially cheesecake, this will become your new go to guaranteed. This Ricotta cheesecake is full of delicious creamy flavor that you will absolutely love!

Course Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 12

Author Chef Billy Parisi

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups of Bob’s Red Mill Superfine Almond Meal
• 1 tablespoons of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• pinch of salt
• 1 pound of cream cheese
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 pounds of whole milk ricotta cheese
• 5 eggs
• seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 pound of sliced fresh figs
• ½ cup of sliced toasted almonds
• ¼ cup of honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Place the almond meal, sugar, butter and salt in a food processor and process on high until the butter is the size of rice.
3. Form the almond meal mixture to the bottom of a 9” spring form pan to make a crust. Set aside.
4. In a standing mixer with the whisk attachment on high speed whip the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
5. Next, add in the ricotta and whip for 4 more minutes. Stop and scrape.
6. Add in 1 egg at a time until completely mixed in. Stop and scrape.
7. Finish by adding in the vanilla bean seeds and cornstarch and mix until combined.
8. Pour the batter over top of the crust and transfer the spring form pan to a 13x9 pan.
9. Place the pan on the rack in the oven and fill it with water until there is 1” in the pan.
10. Bake for 90 to 100 minutes or until the center is slightly loose.
11. Cool to room temperature on a rack and then cool completely into the refrigerator.
12. Garnish the top of the cheesecake with fresh sliced figs, toasted almonds and honey.