Crustless Ricotta Cheesecake

This wonderful ricotta cheesecake has a delicate, airy texture and a pleasant lemon-vanilla flavor.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Rest time 4 hours

Total Time 5 hours

Servings slices

Calories 261kcal

1 tablespoon melted butter for the baking dish
2 (15 oz) containers whole milk ricotta cheese (room temperature; 30 oz total; not low fat)
1 teaspoon stevia glycerite (or ⅔ cup sugar or granulated sweetener)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch or coconut flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest
4 large eggs room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9-inch pie plate with a little butter. Cover the bottom with a parchment paper circle and brush it with more butter.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the ricotta, sweetener, vanilla, cornstarch, and lemon zest.
Add the eggs and whisk just until combined. Don't overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate. Bake until the cake is set, about 45 minutes. When done, the sides will be puffed and browned. The center will be firm to the touch, but giggly underneath.
Cool the cake for 2 hours in the pan on a cooling rack, then cover and refrigerate it for at least 2 more hours and preferably overnight.
Slice the cake. Place the slices on paper towels to absorb any extra moisture.
Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days, on paper towels to absorb moisture. Replace the paper towels at least once a day - they will become soaked.

The lemon zest is a must. Sometimes it’s optional, not in this recipe.
Add the eggs at the end and don’t over mix the batter. You don't want to introduce too much air into the batter.
All ingredients should be at room temperature, so remove them from the fridge 2 hours before you start making the cake.
The batter will reach the top of the baking dish, so make sure to grease the sides all the way to the top.
Please use whole-milk cheese in this recipe, not reduced-fat.
The nutrition info assumes that stevia and cornstarch were used.
This cake actually improves after a day or two in the fridge. The paper towels soak up extra liquid and it becomes creamier.