Cheesecake with Ricotta and Mascarpone (Sicilian)

italian-siciliancheesecake Luxurious, light, and easy to make, this creamy Sicilian cheesecake is perfect for desserts, holidays, and every kind of celebration. You might have heard that baked cheesecakes need a water bath - and most do, but not this one. You can put this cheesecake directly into the oven and look forward to a perfect result - every time. There is also no need to make pastry because we will make and use a really easy crushed cookie crumb to line the base of the springform pan. Just two ingredients and you will have the very best cheesecake base you've ever tasted. Thanks to the magic of ricotta and mascarpone this quiche is light, velvety, rich, and creamy - perfect for every occasion.

Base:
1¾ cups cookie crumbs (6 oz/185 g)
½ cup unsalted butter, melted (4 oz/115 g)

Cheesecake:
2 lbs whole milk ricotta (32 oz/900 g)
4 eggs
1 cup mascarpone
1 cup superfine (castor) white sugar
½ cup semi-sweet dark chocolate, chopped (2 oz/60 g)
3 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
2 Tbsp. Marsala wine
3 tsp. orange zest, finely grated
½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Butter a 9" (23 cm) spring form pan with a removable base.

For the Base:
Combine the cookie crumbs with melted unsalted butter in a medium bowl.

Spread evenly onto the base of the prepared pan then press with fingertips or the back of a spoon until well compressed and flattened.

Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

For the Filling:
Process the ricotta and sugar in the food processor until smooth.

Add the eggs and whizz until well combined.

Add the mascarpone, cornstarch (corn flour), Marsala wine, orange zest and cinnamon. Process to mix well. Don't over mix or the mascarpone can split.

Put in the dark chocolate then pulse until just barely combined without breaking up the chocolate too much.

Pour into the prepared base and smooth the surface.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the sides are puffed up, the middle is still a little jiggly and the surface is browned.

Leave in the oven for 1 hour with the door ajar. Use a wooden spoon to hold the door open just a little.

Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. Then refrigerate overnight or for a few hours to chill and set completely.

To Serve:
For best results, remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 10 servings.

Cook's Notes:

For the base, use shortbread, graham or other plain cookie.
If you have a food processor, use it rather than a stand mixture so as not to aerate the mixture too much.
Before baking, tap the cheesecake pan gently on the bench to remove any possible air bubbles.
Don't overbake your cheesecake - see the tips above for checking doneness. Never insert a knife into the center as this may cause the cheesecake to crack during cooling.