Creamy Sicilian Cheesecake

Cheesecake is probably one of my least favorite recipes to make, hence why there aren't very many cheesecake recipes on the blog. I also find them heavy and overwhelmingly sweet, so they aren't my favorite dessert to eat either.

But inspiration for a Sicilian ricotta cheesecake struck, and I knew I just had to share it with you! This version is far more balanced in sweetness with a lighter filling thanks to the ricotta. 

For more cheesecake recipes, try Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies, Vanilla Cheesecake Bars with Caramel Mousse, and Mini Blueberry Cream Cheese Chantilly Tarts.

Why you'll love this ricotta cheesecake

• Classic Graham Cracker Crust: Though I add brown sugar instead of granulated sugar to my crust, it's still a pretty classic graham cracker crust that's essential to a homemade cheesecake. 
• Balanced Sweetness: A generous amount of salt in the crust and a perfect cheese to sugar ratio in the filling ensure these cheesecake is not overwhelmingly sweet. 
• Creamy Ricotta Cream Cheese Filling: Ricotta takes this cheesecake to a whole new level of creaminess! Once you try it, you'll never make another cheesecake again. 

Ingredient Notes

Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you'll find notes on why I chose certain ingredients, as well as ingredient substitutions. 

• Graham Crackers: If you're lucky enough to find graham cracker crumbs at the store, use those! But if not, use 2 sleeves of regular graham crackers and pulse them in a food processor.
• Butter: You'll need a ½ cup or one stick of butter melted for the crust.
• Salt: The crust very sweet, so I recommend adding a generous amount of kosher salt to balance it out.
• Sugars: I prefer to add brown sugar to graham cracker crust, but you can swap it out for granulated sugar. You'll also need 1 ¼ cups of granulated sugar for the filling.
• Cream Cheese: Only use full-fat cream cheese BLOCKS for cheesecake filling.
• Ricotta: The star of the show and what makes this a Sicilian-inspired cheesecake!
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is added to the filling to aid in thickness.
• Eggs: You'll need 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk at room temperature. Be sure to mix them in one at a time on low speed!
• Vanilla: For best flavor, add a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste to the filling. You can also substitute it with vanilla extract.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

The process of making this ricotta cheesecake is remarkably simple. It just requires some patience and self-control to not open the oven! If you follow the steps carefully, I promise you'll achieve a rich & creamy crack-free cheesecake. For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Make the graham cracker crumbs. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. If your food processor is big enough, go ahead and add the sugar, salt, and melted butter, and pulse until fully combined.

STEP 2: Mix in ingredients. If your food processor is not big enough (like mine), pour the graham cracker crumbs into a bowl and add the sugar, salt, and melted butter, and mix until fully combined

STEP 3: Pack the crust. In a lightly greased springform pan with parchment lined on the sides, pack the crust into the pan and up the sides. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely. 

STEP 4: Mix the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with hand-held electric mixer), add the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, and cornstarch. 

STEP 5: Whip the filling. Mix the ingredients on LOW speed until fully combined and smooth.

STEP 6: Add the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl in between each addition. Add the vanilla with the egg yolk. 

STEP 7: Fill the crust. Scrape the bowl down again, and pour the filling into the cooled graham cracker crust. 

STEP 8: Bake the cheesecake. Bake the cheesecake in the center of the oven at 325 degrees four about 1 hour with a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack. The boiling water creates steam and encourages even cooking. Allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven with the door cracked for one hour, and then at room temperature for another hour.

STEP 9: Chill and top the cheesecake. Chill the cheesecake in the fridge overnight, then top with fresh strawberries and enjoy!

Cheesecake Topping Ideas

• Fresh strawberries
• Whipped cream
• Salted Caramel Sauce

Storage Tips

I recommend storing this Sicilian cheesecake covered in the fridge for up to one week. I would not recommend freezing it, as this would likely change the texture of the filling. 

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x