Baker by Nature

A Baking Blog by Ashley Manila

Orange Ricotta Cheesecake

Silky smooth and bursting with flavor, this Orange Ricotta Cheesecake is a total showstopper!!! Top with orange infused cranberry sauce for the ultimate holiday dessert! Bonus: this can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to two months.

Orange Ricotta Cheesecake

Orange Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe

One thing we always have on hand? Ricotta cheese! As a good Italian girl, I make my own. But there’s no shame in store bought ricotta! A lot of people associate ricotta cheese with savory recipes like lasagna or baked ziti, but I actually use it most in my baking. More specifically, for baking cheesecake! Ricotta cheese gives cheesecake a silky smooth texture and the most delightful tangy taste. If you haven’t tried baking with it yet, you’re totally missing out!

Ricotta Cheesecake Recipes:

The holiday season in full swing, and is perfect dessert recipe for special celebrations! The cheesecake base is made with orange juice, fresh orange zest, and creamy ricotta cheese. And the topping is a brown sugar cranberry sauce that’s spiked with grand marnier! We served this for a Friendsgiving gathering last week and it was DEVOURED!

Orange Cheesecake Ingredients

  • Graham Crackers Crumbs : You can buy them pre-crushed, or buy sheets of graham crackers and blend them into crumbs using food processor.
  • Granulated Sugar: Our sweetener for the cheesecake and crust.
  • Unsalted Butter: Our binder for the graham cracker crust. Salted butter will work in a pinch!
  • Cream Cheese: Bricks of full-fat cream cheese works best. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature or softer before you begin.
  • Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese: Also at room temperature!
  • Vanilla Extract: Just a dash enhances all of the flavors:
  • Eggs: Use large eggs, and bring them to room temperature before you begin.
  • All-purpose Flour: Just a touch thickens up the cheesecake base.
  • Orange Juice: Fresh OJ works best! I suggest buying 3 to 4 heavy oranges to ensure you have enough.
  • Orange Zest: Finely grated!
  • Cranberries: Fresh or frozen will work!
  • Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and depth of flavor to the cranberry sauce.
  • Grand Marnier: Just a splash enhances the orange flavor! Optional, but oh so delicious!
  • Water: plain H20 thins the sauce without adding any sweetness.

PRO TIP: BE SURE NOT TO OVERBEAT YOUR CHEESECAKE BATTER! THIS ALLOWS TOO MUCH AIR INTO THE BATTER, AND WILL CAUSE THE CHEESECAKE TO EXCESSIVELY RISE IN THE OVEN, THEN COLLAPSE WHEN REMOVED. TO MAKE A SILKY SMOOTH BATTER WITHOUT OVERBEATING, FULLY BLEND THE CREAM CHEESE BEFORE ADDING THE REMAINING INGREDIENTS.

How to make Orange Cheesecake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter and stir until well combined. Press the crumb mixture down into a lightly greased 9-inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes. Place pan on a cooling rack and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325.
  2. In a large bowl using a hand held electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and ricotta cheese until completely smooth. Add in the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Then add in the eggs and yolks. Stir in the flour, mixing just until combined. Then quickly stir in the orange juice and zest, mixing just until it’s incorporated in the batter.
  3. Pour filling into prepared pan. Place cheese cake into water bath. Then place the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit, undisturbed, for 45 minutes inside the oven with the door shut. The cheesecake should be still slightly wiggly.
  4. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, run a knife very gently around the edge of the cake, and let it sit in the pan for another 15 minutes before covering the pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least 6 hours. It’s very important to cool completely before serving.
  5. When ready to serve, top with cranberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy! You can also serve the cranberry sauce in a small bowl, on the side.

Do I have to make a Water Bath for this Cheesecake?

Ok, so normally my answer to this question is “yes!”. But for this recipe, I say it’s up to you! If you don’t use one, it may crack. But since you’re covering the top with cranberry sauce, it won’t matter too much. That said, I always use a water bath because, in addition to reducing the likelihood of cracks, it helps the cheesecake bake slowly and evenly. This ensures the perfect creamy cheesecake texture!

If you are going to use a water bath, here are a few tips:

  • The best type of pan to use for a water bath is a roasting pan, or any other large pan with sides at least 2 inches high. You need a pan with high edges so you can put enough water into the pan without it overflowing.
  • The best way to prepare a water bath is to place the wrapped cheesecake pan into the roasting pan, place the pan into the oven, and then – very carefully – add 2 inches of water into the pan.
  • Since this recipe uses a springform pan, you’ll need to wrap the pan first with aluminum foil to prevent water from coming through the bottom. To quote Mary Berry, “nobody likes a soggy bottom!”. So play it safe and use MULTIPLE layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. You’ll want to bring the layerS all the way up the sides of the pan, and in a crisscross pattern.
  • If you’d like to avoid a water bath, you can place the roasting pan on the rack beneath the cheesecake. This work about 60% of the time for me.

AND IF YOU TRY THIS ORANGE CHEESECAKE RECIPE, LET ME KNOW! LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND DON’T FORGET TO SNAP A PIC AND TAG IT #BAKERBYNATURE ON INSTAGRAM! SEEING YOUR KITCHEN CREATIONS MAKES OUR DAY.

More Ricotta Recipes:

Orange Ricotta Cheesecake

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Orange Ricotta Cheesecake

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Yield 9" Cheesecake

Silky smooth and bursting with flavor, this Orange Ricotta Cheesecake is a total showstopper!!! Top with orange infused cranberry sauce for the ultimate holiday dessert! Bonus: this can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to two months.

Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 7 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Orange Ricotta Cheesecake:

  • 4 blocks of full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature (32 ounces total)
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature 
  • 1 and 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest, finely grated 
  • 5 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour 

For the Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup water 
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated 
  • 12 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
  • 2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier 

Instructions

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly spray a 9" springform pan with non-stick spray.
  2. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with heavy duty tinfoil. I recommend doing several diligent layers here to ensure no water creeps through when you place the pan in the water bath. Set pan aside. 
  3. In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter; stir well to combine.
  4. Firmly pat the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Place partially baked crust on a cooling rack and set aside while you prepare the filling. 
  5. Reduce oven to 325 degrees (F).

For the Orange Ricotta Cheesecake:

  1. In the body of a high power blender, food processor, stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a very large bowl using a hand held mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and ricotta cheese until completely smooth, scraping the bowl as needed. 
  2. Add sugar, vanilla, and orange zest and beat smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add in the eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
  3. Add in the orange juice and gently stir until it's evenly combined. Finally, fold in the flour. 
  4. Pour filling into prepared crust and, using a silicone spatula, smooth the top. 
  5. Place the cheesecake pan into a large, deep pan. Fill the pan with 2 inches of hot water. This is your water bath and will help ensure your cheesecake comes out crack free.
  6. Carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn oven off and let the cheesecake sit, undisturbed, for 30 minutes, inside the oven with the door shut. The cheesecake should be still slightly wiggly.
  7. Remove cake from oven and gently run a knife very around the edge of the cake. Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack and cool completely, then loosely cover the pan with saran wrap and chill for at least 6 hours.

Cheesecake will keep, covered in the fridge, for 5 days. Cheesecake may be frozen for 2 months. Thaw overnight before slicing.

For the Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce:

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water, orange juice, and both sugars to a boil. 
  2. Add orange zest and cranberries and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and Grand Marnier. 
  4. Pour sauce into a bowl and cool to room temperature. 
  5. Spoon over cheesecake right before serving. 

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American

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  3. Christine says

    I usually find ricotta cheesecakes to be gritty. Your pictures show a nice, creamy texture. Is the cheesecake as creamy and smooth as it appears? Thank you.

    Reply

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