Creamy Cheddar and Ricotta Cheesecake

The addition of milk and ricotta in this recipe makes for a light, fluffy and creamy cheesecake.



Cheddar and Ricotta Cheesecake

Ingredients

110g cheddar cheese slices, roughly torn
40g butter
125ml milk
70g ricotta cheese
20g plain flour
15g corn flour
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
80g sugar

Method

Grease and line an 8 inch square baking pan with baking paper. If using springform pan, wrap the outside of the pan with 2 layers of aluminium foil as the cake will be baked in a water bath.

Prepare a large roasting tin (large enough to fit the baking pan in). You can start boiling some water for the water bath.

Preheat oven to 150C.

Place cheddar cheese, butter and milk in a bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Stir the ingredients until dissolved and the mixture turns smooth and creamy. Remove from heat. Then stir in the ricotta until evenly mixed. Sift the plain flour and cornflour into the mixture and fold through until smooth. Then, stir in the egg yolks.

In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Then add the sugar and whisk until the point when it's almost stiff (but not too stiff!). Fold one third of the egg white into the cheese mixture, then fold in the rest until evenly mixed. Do not overmix as it will knock out all that lovely air from the egg whites.

Pour into the lined baking pan, and place it in the roasting tin. Place the roasting tin halfway into the oven and carefully fill the roasting tin with boiling hot water, until it comes halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake for 50 minutes until the middle is just set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door slightly ajar (I wedge some mittens in between the doors). Let it cool in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove and set aside on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Serve cold.