Age-old  Italian Cheesecake – Simplicity at  its best!!

Cheese cakes have been since ages, since from nearly 500 years old history states about it. Ancient Roman-style cheesecake uses honey and a ricotta-like cheese along with flour and is traditionally shaped into loaves. Italian-style cheesecake uses ricotta cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and sometimes barley flakes. This type of cheesecake is typically drier than American styles. Going ahead, we will be proceeding with the preparation of Ricotta Cheese first, and then with the preparation of the Ricotta Cheese Cake!!

Preparing the Ricotta Cheese:
30 minutes for preparation + 1 hour to drain

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon 2% milk
• 2-3 cups of whole milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Method:

1. Slowly bring 2% milk, whole milk, and salt to a rolling boil in a heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
2. Add lime juice, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture curdles, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain for 1 hour.
4. Discarding the liquid.
5. Ricotta cheese can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Recipe – Ricotta Cheese Cake:

Serving: 12, depends on the size of your ramekins
30 minutes for preparation + 50 minutes to bake + 1-2 hours to cool

Ingredients:

• Ricotta cheese made from 2% milk & whole milk
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cap full vanilla essence

Method:

1. Take Ricotta cheese in food processor and process till smooth.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F/180 degrees C.
3. Take the processed Ricotta cheese and all the above ingredients in the mixing bowl, and whisk them till smooth.
4. Batter is ready to be poured into prepared ramekins.
5. Boil a pot full of water for the water bed.
6. Prepare ramekins for baking by spraying a non-stick oil like PAM inside the ramekins. And place them in a baking tray.
7. Spoon in the batter, dividing it equally among the ramekins.
8. Pour in the boiling water into the baking tray, making sure the water does not get inside the ramekins.
9. Bake for 45-50 minutes in the preheated oven of 350 deg F/180 degrees C.
10. Half way thru’ baking rotate the baking tray.
11. Insert a knife/toothpick into the cake. If the knife/toothpick comes out clean then it is done.
12. When done, take out the cheese cake to cool outside.
13. Let them cool atleast for 1-2 hours before you plate them.

Once cooled, you can even refrigerate them over night and then plate them.

For more visual details visit Savi’s Kitchen for Homemade Ricotta Cheese Cake. And like Savi’s Kitchen on facebook.

On this page, each recipe is stored in a FB photo album, explaining the ingredients &/or the techniques used in preparing that particular recipe. The ingredients & the techniques used to achieve each step of the recipe is explained in the description part of each photo. Hope you prepare and enjoy… 🙂