Cheesecake is a dessert with very ancient origins, appreciated by all those who are lovers of fresh cheeses. A soft heart of sweet cream, the crunchy biscuit base, the delicious sauces that accompany it: the cheesecake is a very tasty dessert to serve at the end of a meal or for breakfast. There are many variations: cooked or uncooked, with icing, covered in fruit or vanilla jelly, but also diversified by country. In Ireland, for example, it is proposed the Baileys version, while in Asia matcha tea powder or mango is used; in Poland the cheese used is the twarogwhile in Iceland skyr is used. Today we offer you a version of the New York Cheesecake with typically Italian cheeses: robiola and cow’s milk ricotta, with the addition of cream and white yogurt, to be cooked in the oven and enjoyed garnished with creamy fruit or chocolate sauces.

Preparation

1

Turn on the oven, setting it to static at 160°.

2

Melt the butter in the microwave for 20 seconds.

3

Insert the dry biscuits in a mixer and blend them for a few seconds: they must remain coarse enough.

4

Add the melted butter and ground cinnamon. Activate the mixer again and blend everything until a fairly homogeneous mixture is obtained.

5

Lightly grease the pan with butter.

6

Distribute the mixture of biscuits, butter and cinnamon on the bottom and sides of the pan, pressing with your hands to make everything stick well.

7

Place the pan in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

8

Prepare the cream by placing the robiola, ricotta and yoghurt in a bowl. Mix with a whisk or fork.

9

Add the icing sugar and the seeds of the ½ vanilla, which you will have obtained by cutting the pod and scraping the inside. Also grate the lemon peel and mix everything together. (

10

Add an egg, stir to mix. Continue with the other two eggs, adding them one at a time. Then add the cream, the sifted flour and mix the mixture well until it is creamy and homogeneous.

11

Take the pan with the base and pour the mixture inside.

12

Place in the oven and cook for about 1 hour, depending on the power of your oven. The color of the filling should be slightly browned.

13

Take the cheesecake out of the oven and let it cool completely, it will take about 4-5 hours. Don’t worry if it still feels a little soft at first, it will firm up as it cools down! Then remove it from the mold very carefully. If you don’t consume it right away, store it in the fridge.

14

Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Accessories

• Blender or food processor for blending
• 22 cm round cake tin, preferably with a hinge
• Bowl
• Cake spatula
• Whisk for sweets

Advice and tips

The cheesecake can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2-3 daysin a covered cake tin. Alternatively, it can also be frozen and consumed within 1 month.

You can serve your cheesecake with forest fruit sauce or fresh fruit, melted chocolate, caramel. You can also use strawberry or raspberry jam.

For an even tastier result, add a pinch of salt to the biscuit, butter and cinnamon base.

History

Although the modern version of the cheesecake was born in America, in reality there were some versions of a very similar dessert already in the time of Ancient Greece: during the Olympics, in fact, the athletes used to eat cakes made with honey and cheese, to recover from the fatigue of sports. Even the Romans consumed it in quantity, but in a different form: they called it “placenta” and created two disks of cooked pasta with a some cheese sweetened with honey and spices. The modern version of the cheesecake was born at the end of the 19th century, invented by James Kraft, a dairy producer who is still famous thanks to the company that bears his name and which today produces Philadelphia, cheesecakes, ketchup and much more.