Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake
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Cheesecake seems to be one of those foods that divides us into 2 camps: the lovers and the haters. There are those who can not stand the milky creaminess and abstain from any type of dessert resembling a cheesecake.
Now, me? I have not met a cheesecake I did not like, though I might as well confess that I do have a favorite…
Don’t get me wrong, I love the dense New York Style cheesecake , especially with a treasured, smooth layer of caramel hidden inside, I’m a sucker for caramel! A cool slice on a summer day, or a creamy, vanilla laced wedge with which to end a beautiful meal are always welcome.
However, the cheesecakes I snarfed in my childhood were light, airy, sporting a golden crown and nothing more than a dusting of powdered sugar. For Shavuot, when it is customary to eat dairy products, my mom would serve it chilled, accompanied with fresh strawberries and there was no better cure for the Mediterranean heat! (Well except perhaps her no-bake biscuit cake, but that’s for another time…)
I don’t have my mom’s incredible food available to me far away in the Midwest, so I set out to recreate my her cake, only to discover that the quark cheese used in Israel for this recipe is very hard to find in the U.S.
Ricotta, however, is similar in consistency and quite available. I set out to experiment, bake and bake again; adding chocolate, coffee, vanilla and more. So after some trial and error, plus a few tastings by trusted friends… here it is:
My Ricotta Chocolate Cheesecake!
Notes for Success:
1. Different cookies can be used, such as graham crackers, vanilla or chocolate wafers, butter cookies or even Gluten Free cookies.
2. Ricotta is light, but can be somewhat grainy. For a smoother consistency, place the ricotta in a food processor or blender and process until smooth and silky before using it in the batter.
3. Gluten Free: If you’d like to make this cake Gluten Free, you can substitute the cookies for GF cookies and substitute the flour with equal amount of GF flour. A good choice would be Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 GF flour.
