Strawberry Hazelnut Ricotta Cheesecake
Creamy Italian ricotta vanilla cheesecake with a hazelnut crust. Topped with sweet strawberries and toasted hazelnuts.
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan
- heavy duty aluminum foil
- large roasting pan
- Food processor
Ingredients
- ½ cup skinned hazelnuts, chopped
- 1½ cups vanilla wafer cookies
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 12 ounces fresh ricotta cheese, all water drained
- 16 ounces full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
For the Cheesecake Topping:
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- ½ cup chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
- Begin by making the crust: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9 inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan in two layers of aluminum foil.
- Using the food processor, grind up the nuts and put them in a mixing bowl. Next, grind up the cookies and add them to the bowl, along with the butter. Stir this mixture until it's well combined. Press this on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.
- Put the ricotta in the food processor, and process it until it's smooth. Add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, and process until well combined and no lumps are left. Add the eggs and process until just combined. Pour this filling into the crust.
- Place the springform pan into a large roasting pan. Place this in the preheated oven. Then, pour in hot water, until it comes halfway up the cheesecake pan. Bake for one hour.
- Cool on a wire rack for a couple of hours, and then cover and refrigerate for at least four hours more. But, preferably chill overnight. Remove the sides of the pan.
- For the topping: Mix together the strawberries and the sugar. Sprinkle the hazelnuts all over the edges of the cake. Top the cake slices with some strawberries and serve.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!