Baked ricotta cheesecake with berries

Description

At a glance

Nutrition rating

Allergy/intolerance

Serves

This recipe creates a light cheesecake which is a perfect summer dessert with fresh fruit. The filo provides a paper-thin outer shell instead of pastry or biscuit base and facilitates cutting.

Ingredients

3 sheets filo pastry
oil spray

Ricotta filling:
4 eggs
½ cup castor sugar
750g ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon flour
grated rind of one orange
2 tablespoons mixed peel (optional)

Berry accompaniment:
1 punnet (250g) blueberries
1 punnet (250g) strawberries
2 tablespoons castor sugar
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other liqueur

Methods/steps

1. Cut filo into circles of about 32cm in diameter.

2. Line an ungreased 20cm springform pan with filo, spraying or brushing lightly with oil between sheets. The filo should sit above the final level of the filling but this excess can be trimmed away after baking.

3. Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add castor sugar and beat again until mixed in.

4. In a separate bowl, beat ricotta until smooth and add vanilla, flour, rind and peel. Combine with egg mixture.

5. Pour into the lined pan, smooth top and bake in a moderate 180 C oven for 50-60 minutes or until the centre of the filling is firm. Allow to cool and refrigerate before serving.

6. Cut into wedges and serve with berry sauce topped with sliced strawberries and blueberries.

To make accompaniment:
Reserve 3 or 4 of the strawberries for decoration. Puree the rest coarsely with sugar and liqueur.

Additional Tips

Variation:
Fresh mango or passionfruit pulp could be substituted if berries are not in season.

Preparation time: 30 mins Cooking time: 60 mins

Nutrition per serve:
500 kilojoules (119 Calories), 3.4g fat (including g saturated fat), g carbohydrate (including g sugars), 3.4g fibre and mg sodium. Read our nutrition rating system.