Lidl had a ‘Taste of Italy‘ special this week so I stocked up on a few Mediterranean bits & bobs when I popped in. I bought a couple of tubs of ricotta, not quite knowing what I was going to do with them. Of course… Italian cheesecake!
I fancied making it with a crunchy base using amaretti biscuits but I couldn’t find any in the shops. No need to panic, I improvised and made my own almond crumb base.
I’ve made a fair few different cheesecakes in the past. I think this is almost up there with the all-time favourite Gordon Ramsey version.
It’s best served cold, straight from the fridge, perhaps with an after-dinner espresso.
Fancy giving it a try? Pin the recipe for later!
Italian Cheesecake with almond crumb base
Ingredients
For the base
- 40 g/1½oz butter
- 150 g/5oz ground almonds
- 30 g/1oz caster sugar
- pinch of salt
For the cake
- 500 g/1lb 2oz ricotta cheese
- 150 g/5oz caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- juice from ½ lemon
- 25 g/1oz plain flour
- 15 g/½oz flaked almonds toasted (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF
- Grease an 18cm/7-inch loose-bottomed cake tin
- In a medium saucepan, add the butter and put over a low heat until melted
- Remove from the heat add the almonds and sugar and combine well
- Tip the mix out into the cake tin and press uniformly into the base using the back of a spoon
- Bake the base for 10 minutes, set aside and allow to cool
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta and caster sugar until smooth
- Gently beat the eggs in a measuring jug before adding gradually to the cheese & sugar mix. Stir well after each addition
- Mix in the vanilla extract and then the lemon juice
- Sift the flour into the mix and combine well
- Pour the mixture on to the almond crumb base and bake for a hour
- After the hour, turn the oven off and leave the door ajar allowing the cake to cool in the oven
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the toasted flaked almonds over the top
- Allow to cool in the tin completely before removing
