This Italian Lemon Cheesecake is made light and fluffy with the addition of ricotta cheese. It’s got plenty of fresh lemon flavor!
This delicious lemon cheesecake post is sponsored by Philadelphia Cream Cheese. All opinions remain my own and I am proud to partner with brands I love. Thanks for supporting the growth of Miss Allie’s Kitchen.
My all-time favorite flavor for desserts has to be lemon. This Italian Lemon Cheesecake, with it’s fluffy texture from ricotta cheese takes the cake (or the cheesecake).
Sure, sometimes, I’m in the mood for chocolate things. Or maybe caramel or cookie flavors. But refreshing lemon desserts are an all-the-time craving I have.
This is a new thing for me. When I was growing up, I was a TOTAL chocoholic (I can definitely get down with this simple chocolate cheesecake) but the older I get, the more I have to be in the mood for chocolate to want it. The funny thing is – as my husband ages…I think his chocolate sweet tooth has definitely increased 🙂
The thing I love so much about the combo of lemon and cheesecake is the creamy plus the citrus working together. It’s both decadent (thanks to the best cream cheese ever – Philadelphia Cream Cheese) and refreshing at the same time. The only downside is…it makes you want to eat the entire cheesecake in one sitting, haha.
What makes this cheesecake Italian?
I’m calling this Italian cheesecake because of the addition of ricotta cheese. Ricotta originates from Italy. It is primarily made from cows milk and is a result of using leftover milk whey up. The leftover milk whey coagulates after other cheeses are made resulting in creamy, light, and sort of grainy ricotta.
If you use just ricotta in cheesecake, you won’t get the same stability as you would when you use just Philadelphia Cream Cheese. But, when you add a bit of ricotta to Philadelphia Cream Cheese while assembling cheesecake (like in this lemon cheesecake), you get the airy texture from the ricotta and the perfect cheesecake stability and flavor from the cream cheese. It just may be my favorite cheesecake variation.
How do you make cheesecake so it doesn’t crack?
There are 3 very important steps to follow when making cheesecake to ensure that it doesn’t crack. They are all very important in this Italian Lemon Cheesecake because it does have a delicate texture.
- Room temperature ingredients – it’s important to have room temperature ingredients (specifically the Philadelphia Cream Cheese and ricotta) so everything is smooth. Chunks of cream cheese can cause cracks.
- Water bath – you need to turn your oven into some sort of “steam room” by using a water bath. My water bath hack involves placing a baking dish of boiling water on the rack under the lemon cheesecake in the oven to get the same effect without the hassle.
- Cool the cheesecake in the oven – when your cheesecake is cooked (look for firm edges but a slightly jiggly center) turn the oven off, prop open the oven door, and let the cheesecake slowly cool in the oven for an hour before cooling to room temperature on the counter. After that, you can cool the lemon cheesecake in the fridge.
If you keep these 3 simple steps in mind and follow my recipe below, you’ll have a creamy & dreamy Italian Lemon Cheesecake on your hands in now time!
Love cheesecake? Check out my Brownie Cheesecake Bites!
PrintItalian Lemon Cheesecake
This Italian Lemon Cheesecake is made light and fluffy with the addition of ricotta cheese. It’s got plenty of fresh lemon flavor!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + 4 hours cooling time
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour + 4 hours cooling time
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian American
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 6 graham cracker sheets
- 4 Tbsp. melted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
For the cheesecake:
- 3 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/4 cups full-fat ricotta cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon (about 2 heaping tsp. lemon zest)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
For serving (optional):
- about 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
Instructions
- Before beginning, set all of the ingredients out on the counter so they can come to room temperature. This ensures a creamy cheesecake.
- Preheat the oven to 325F and set a large pot or kettle of water on the stove to boil. This is for the makeshift water bath. When the water boils, pour it into a casserole dish set on the bottom rack of the oven, filling it 3/4 of the way full with boiling water. This turns the oven into a steam room and prevents cracks.
- To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs are formed. If you don’t have a food processor, place the graham crackers in a zip top bag and crush into crumbs then mix the crust ingredients together.
- Press the crust into the bottom of a springform pan and set it aside.
- To make the cheesecake filling, add the cream cheese and ricotta to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Beat the cream cheese and ricotta with the paddle attachment of the stand mixer or a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until smooth. The ricotta will leave a somewhat grainy texture to the mixture, but you don’t want any big lumps.
- Then, add the sugar and beat for another minute before adding the heavy cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Mix until the liquid is well incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Finally, beat in each egg, one at a time, until just combined. When the cheesecake mixture is completely mixed together, pour it into the springform pan on top of the crust.
- Slide the pan onto the middle rack of the preheated oven (with the makeshift bath in place on the bottom rack) and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the sides of the cheesecake are set but it still jiggles slightly when nudged in the middle.
- Turn the oven off and prop the oven door open. Allow the cheesecake to cool for about an hour in the oven and then let it cool for about an hour on the counter before chilling until cold in the fridge, about 2-3 hours.
- When the cheesecake is cool, remove it from the springform pan, dust it all over with powdered sugar and extra lemon zest, if desired. Slice with a hot, clean knife, and serve!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 301
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 252 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 104 mg