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    Ask Chef Dennis » Recipes » Blood Orange Ricotta & Mascarpone Cheesecake Recipe

    Blood Orange Ricotta & Mascarpone Cheesecake Recipe

    Published: Jan 15, 2012 · Modified: Nov 15, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley · 47 Comments·This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    4.95 from 19 votes
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    pinterest image for ricotta-mascarpone cheesecake

    My Blood Orange Ricotta & Mascarpone Cheesecake is perfect for the holiday season.

    Ricotta cheesecake topped with blood oranges

    I remember my first encounter with blood oranges,  we were in Rome and it was Christmas day, and had gone down to breakfast in our hotel before heading out to the Vatican to see Pope John Paul.

    It was a continental breakfast with delicious pastries, cheese, fruit and of course juice. I decided to start with juice and the offerings were a reddish juice that assumed was pink grapefruit, and a normal orangish juice, that I of course assumed was orange juice.

    After tasting what I thought was orange juice, I knew had made a mistake because it was grapefruit juice,  and when I questioned our server, I was told the other red tinged juice was, in fact, blood orange juice. It was love at first taste!

    After all these years, I still wait for blood oranges to come into season, they’re available in the US  from November to May and are grown in Texas and California,  the cooler fall and winter nights help develop the distinct maroon color.

    The varieties grown in the US  seem to vary in sweetness,  but It really doesn’t matter to me if they’re not as sweet as I remember, because the memories are…..sigh  

    The best blood orange juice I ever had was in Pompeii from a little cart where it was freshly squeezed while we waited, it was so good I went back for more. So you see even if our blood oranges aren’t as sweet as those grown in Italy, my memories add more sweetness to them!

    This year’s blood oranges proved to be a little on the tart side, but the color was beautiful and having bought more than I would eat, I knew I had to come up with a good use for the remainder. It really was an easy decision, they would be a wonderful addition to a ricotta cheesecake!

    The tart-sweet orange with its hints of raspberry would be the perfect compliment to my ricotta cheesecake, and the color of the blood oranges would be a delicious contrast from the pale creamy color of the cheesecake!

    ricotta -mascarpone cheesecake with blood oranges

    Ricotta cheesecakes are not for everyone, and honestly, I do still enjoy a New York style cream cheese cheesecake, but every now and then I miss that flavor and texture of a good ricotta cheesecake!

    I find that by using mascarpone it smooths out the texture and adds some richness to the dessert. Feel free to use cream cheese if you can’t find mascarpone it will still be a delicious alternative to the New York style cheesecake.

    But I promise you’re friends and family will love my Blood Orange Ricotta & Mascarpone Cheesecake!

    More Recipes You’ll Love!

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    • Classic New York Cheesecake Recipe
    • Mascarpone Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe
    • Torta di Ricotta Recipe – Holiday Italian Cheesecake

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    Ricotta cheesecake topped with blood oranges
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    4.95 from 19 votes

    Blood Orange Ricotta & Mascarpone Cheesecake

    the perfect blend of ricotta and mascarpone make up this classic Italian cheesecake. Serve up deliciousness with my Blood Orange Ricotta & Mascarpone Cheesecake.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time1 hr 10 mins
    Total Time1 hr 25 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Italian
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 410kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    Crust

    • 12 lemon creme cookies* or traditional graham cracker crust
    • ½ stick of butter melted

    Cheesecake

    • 16 oz ricotta cheese
    • 16 oz mascarpone
    • 8 oz Greek yogurt
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 6 large eggs
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • grated peel of one Lemon or lime
    • juice from one-half Lemon or lime
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla
    • ½ teaspoon Salt

    Topping

    • 3 blood oranges skin removed, and sliced (remove seeds)
    • 2 tablespoons 0range marmalade peach or apricot preserves will also work
    US Customary – Metric
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    Instructions

    • preheat oven to 375 degree’s F

    Crust

    • in the bowl of a food processor pulse your choice of cookie for crust until smooth
    • add melted butter and combine.
    • press crust into the bottom of prepared springform pan, and partway up around the sides of the pan.
    • Bake crust for 7-10 minutes, and allow to cool.

    Cheesecake

    • In the bowl of your mixer blend together the ricotta cheese, mascarpone, and Greek yogurt blend until smooth.
    • Add eggs one at a time until well blended.
    • Add sugar, flour, salt, grated lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla.
    • Blend well until very creamy.
    • Pour mixture into a prepared springform pan and Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until the cake has set in the middle.
    • The top of the cheesecake can get brown, if you are not topping it or prefer a lighter top, cover with foil for half of the time in the oven.
    • Remove from oven and allow to cool

    Topping

    • place the orange marmalade in a small pan and over low heat allow it to liquify
    • after allowing the cheesecake to cool, place the orange slices on the top of the cheese cake.
    • using a pastry brush, brush the marmalade on the oranges and all exposed areas on the top of the cheesecake.
    • Use enough of the marmalade so it has a nice glaze.
    • allow the cheesecake to set up in the refrigerator overnight for best results*

    Notes

    * I used Italian lemon cream cookies for my crust. Normally I use digestive biscuits, but you can also use graham crackers, or go crustless.
    *Cheesecake needs time to set up, I would recommend a minimum of 6 hours refrigerated before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 112mg | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 830IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 0.9mg
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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Halimah

      January 01, 2022 at 9:40 pm

      This looks great! Can this cheesecake be frozen after it is made? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        January 02, 2022 at 6:30 am

        Yes it can be frozen. I would wait until defrosting to add the topping.

        Reply
    2. maria nestro

      December 03, 2018 at 4:51 am

      5 stars
      hi chef Dennis

      can you tell me the size pan to use for this ricotta cheesecake? can the recipe be doubled for a larger cake? and if so what would be the cooking time? I have made your tiramisu and it was a hit at a holiday dinner. thank you so much and have a Happy and Blessed Holiday!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 03, 2018 at 9:32 am

        hi Maria

        I use a 10-inch springform pan. You can double it for a larger cake but it can affect how it cooks and you can end up drying out the outside while the middle cooks. If you want to make it larger I would suggest using a baking rectangular baking pan so it cooks more evenly.
        As for cooking time if its a rectangular pan, it shouldn’t take too much longer but the best bet is to check the middle with a toothpick to make sure its done.

        Reply
    3. Sheelagh@anirishvillagepantry

      January 21, 2012 at 8:53 am

      5 stars
      Ooh, this looks right up my citrus alley. Love blood orange juice and as we have a lot left over from marmalade making – this delicious cheesecake sounds like an ideal candidate. Thanks Dennis 🙂

      Reply
    4. Alida

      January 18, 2012 at 5:09 pm

      5 stars
      I love ricotta and use it a lot in my cooking. This cake looks amazing and I like the combination with the oranges.

      Reply
    5. Cheryl and Adam @ pictureperfectmeals.com

      January 18, 2012 at 12:21 pm

      Chef, you have our hearts in your kitchen. Cheesecake and blood oranges, how is it possible to have anything so good this side of heaven? Congrats on the Top 9 yesterday, beyond well deserved! Hope you and yours are well and the back’s not giving any problems.

      Reply
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