By Marla the Chef in Red, www.marlathechefinred.com

Ingredients

¾ c salted butter, softened (European butter, if available)

1 ¼ c granulated sugar

15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature

2 tbsp sour cream of plain Greek yogurt

3 lg eggs, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp pure lemon extract

Zest of 1 large lemon

2 ½ – 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1 lemon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp kosher salt

1 ½ c all-purpose flour

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or use baking spray on 8- or 9-inch springform pan; then dust with flour or powdered sugar.
2. In a stand mixer or in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes (longer if using all-natural cane sugar).
3. Scrape down sides; add ricotta cheese and sour cream, blend until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing 30 seconds on medium speed each time, until all eggs are incorporated. Pour in vanilla extract and lemon extract, lemon zest and lemon juice, and mix to combine. Note: the mixture will appear curdled but don’t worry, that’s how it should look. It will come together in a beautiful batter after adding the dry ingredients.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients, 1/3 c at a time, with mixer on low speed. After it has all been added, scrape down sides of the bowl and mix just until combined and you can no longer see the flour. Do not overmix.
6. Spoon batter into prepared springform pan, smoothing out to make an even, flat top. Give the pan a few taps to settle the batter and eliminate air bubbles.
7. Bake for 45-65 minutes until cake is completely set in the middle and a toothpick comes out clean and dry. Remove to a wire rack and cool 15 minutes; then remove collar from the pan and allow cake to cool completely on wire rack. (Note: If using an 8-inch pan, bake it a little longer, closer to 60 minutes. If cake browns too much, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the top.
8. Before serving, dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve warm, or at room temperature, or cooled.

 

Tips:

• All cheesecakes can be finicky at times. If you take it out of the oven too soon, it might look gorgeous at first but then the middle sinks as it cools. Bringing all ingredients to room temperature before using them will help reduce this problem, as well as baking the cake just a little while longer.
• This is a great make-ahead dessert as the flavor gets better with time. Store on the counter, wrapped in plastic wrap, or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for up to 7 days; or freeze for up to 3 months.

Variations:

• Use almond extract instead of vanilla.
• Add 1 c fresh or frozen blueberries tossed in a tablespoon of the flour mixture and then hand-fold into batter. Other berries could also be used
• Top with fresh quartered figs (stems removed), laying the figs on top of the batter.
• Sprinkle coarse sugar (Turbinado or Demerara) on top before baking.
• Serve with a small dollop of crème fraiche, whipped cream, or just some berries.
• To make gluten-free, replace the regular flour with half gluten-free all-purpose flour and the other half gluten-free almond flour. It will yield a moist crumb and delicious gluten-free ricotta cake.

 

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