Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

Cheesecake, Mmmm… who doesn’t love this sweet?
I’ve been looking for a lighter texture cheesecake recipe for a while, and I’ve finally found it!

I made this cake for one of our good friend’s birthday in February.

INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENTS

Equipments

One 8-inch springform pan (or regular cake pan & parchment paper)
Mixer or food processor
Stand Mixer

Ingredients for Graham Cracker Crust

10-12 graham crackers
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for Cheesecake

2/3 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 lb cream cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp bread flour
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and kept warm

HOW TO MAKE

Making the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350 F.

1. Mix graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter with a rubber spatula.
2. Press into an even layer by using a flat-bottomed glass and bake about 5 minutes.

Making the Cheesecake Batter:Reduce the oven down to 325 F.

3. Puree the ricotta cheese and sugar in a food processor or regular mixer until smooth.
4. Soften the cream cheese in a stand mixer.

5. Add the ricotta mixture on medium speed until smooth – about 5 minutes.
6. Add the eggs and mix on low speed until they are well blended.
7. Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, cornstarch, and flour to the batter and blend until smooth. (I tripled the amount of lemon juice that the original recipe called for, be sure to adjust the recipe to your liking.)
8. Add the melted butter until evenly blended.

Baking the Cheesecake by Using Water Bath Method

9. Spread the batter in an even layer over the crust & drop the pan onto the counter from the height of 1 inch to release any air bubbles.
10. Place the pan in a baking sheet and place the sheet on a pulled-out oven rack. Add about 1 inch of hot water. (Water bath is a simple method to have moist cheesecake.) Bake about 50-60 minutes until the edges are set.

11. When the cake starts to pull away from the sides, the cake is done. Remove it from the water bath and cool the cheesecake in the pan on a wire rack until it gets a room temperature. Then, refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight before unmolding.
12. Separate from the pan and it is ready to decorate.

13-14. I used whipped cream, lemon, and mint to decorate the cake.

And, of course, I couldn’t forget to pipe “Happy Birthday” on a birthday cake!

ALEXA’S TIPS

1. There is a cake pan that was designed for cheesecake, called springform. You can separate a cheesecake easily by unlocking side of pan. But, I couldn’t find mine that day. So, I just used a regular cake pan, but cut some parchment papers-long rectangle shape and place them across. when I separated the cake from the pan, I just lifted those 4 papers up. It worked pretty well!
2. It is very important to mix ricotta cheese and sugar well until well blended to get a soft smooth texture.
3. After thought, it would be also tasty if I made some lemon glaze and drizzle on top before I serve!

A very light texture cheesecake with a hint of lemon!

Little dots for an extra touch.

Enjoy it! =]