When I was young, cakes and biscuits were a scarcity. So much so that I thought that when we were given them it seemed only on birthdays and special occasions that I would receive them. I would grab a small bag and place some sweeties in it and keep my stash for later. Strange hoarding behaviour I do admit. Monte Carlos were the bees knees. Not only were they from Monte Carlo and that is where they have princes and princesses (no they weren’t of course, but to a hungry child’s mind they were) but they had pink and white icing sandwiching them together and ripples on the cookie bit which seemed so…so…ritzy (don’t you just love that word?).
When I was little older but not much, I came across a recipe for the Monte Carlo cookies and proceeded to make them. They weren’t too bad actually probably owing to the fact that I used butter in them and not shortening or whatever they tend to use nowadays. The smooshing together of both halves was less successful though and I have visions of a particularly messy looking jumble of cookies. Putting six aside for us we thought that we’d give the remainder to someone else. No-one else was home but my sister and I and so we knocked on our favourite neighbour’s door. She wasn’t home.
So we knocked on our other neighbour’s door, the one we didn’t like very much, and handed her a plate of the cookies. She looked at me, a flour smeared child with sticky jam coated fingers and quite frankly some atrocious looking cookies and took the plate hesitatingly and closed the door. I’d like to say that we became friends after that but we didn’t. She was just one of those neighbours that wasn’t very friendly and being given some strange looking home baked cookies clearly wasn’t going to melt her heart. Nor was it meant to. Perhaps she heard that she was a second choice recipient 
In any case, I needed to bring a cake to a friend’s house and I immediately thought of the recipe that I saw on Adrasteia’s blog for the Italian Ricotta Cheesecake. The recipe and video is originally from Maeve O’Meara’s fantastic Italian Food Safari show. The cake was said to be very close to the famous Pasticceria Papa ricotta cheesecake. While I was baking it I was tasting it and it seemed quite accurate. And if you do attempt it do watch the video as I misunderstood the pastry directions at first. You are to cut out the base (which is really a shortbread given the ingredients) and you bake that first. Then you re-roll the sweet buttery pastry and cut out sides and then smoosh the raw pastry together joining it with the cooked pastry base and then fill it with a smooth ricotta filling.
I omitted the orange peel as I don’t particularly like that but kept the sultanas. I also used my favourite ricotta, the gloriously smooth Paesanella ricotta. I then sat back and prayed that it would work. Would it be like the famous Pasticceria Papa cheesecake? Only time would tell and I dutifully placed it in the fridge to firm up overnight. I sliced it the next day and was impressed. The biscuit base was slightly more golden cooked that the Pasticceria Papa one but that could be easily fixed by baking it for less time. The filling was beautifully smooth and I think the key was the excellent ricotta and the fact that it was beaten until very smooth. It wasn’t too sweet just like the Pasticceria Papa one too and tasted like a pretty good imitation of it.
I’m pleased to say that it got a better reception than my Monte Carlo cookies.
So tell me Dear Reader, what can you remember cooking when you were little?
And rather excitingly, I was named one of the Top 50 Bloggers by Kidspot! I know I don’t have any kids but I’m guessing that being a child at heart helped! 
Italian Ricotta Cheesecake
Recipe from Italian Food Safari
Ingredients
- 1 x 26 cm disc of shortcrust pastry-baked (see below)
- Extra shortcrust pastry to line the pastry ring (see below)
- 3 eggs
- 60 g sugar
- 350 g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 650 g ricotta cheese
- 80 ml cream (35 % fat)
- 50 g sugar
- 80 g blanched almond meal
- 80 g diced orange peel- candied or citron
- 100 g sultanas, soaked in rum or brandy
- Icing sugar and cinnamon to dust
Sweet Shortcrust Dough
Makes 650 g pastry
- 1 egg (55g) (The pastry can be made without egg)
- 100g castor sugar
- 200g unsalted butter
- 300g plain flour
Preparation for pastry
1. To make the pastry, cream the butter and sugar until light and pale. Add the egg, and continue creaming until absorbed.
Mixing dough until just combined
2. Stop mixer and add the flour, mix only until combined. The dough will be very sticky, wrap in plastic and chill prior to use. Knead the chilled dough lightly first to soften (between two sheets of cling wrap makes it a bit easier), roll out with a small amount of dusting flour.
Rolling out the dough between cling wrap
The baked base
3. Take a round 26cm springform tin (you don’t need to butter the tin). Place the round base over the rolled out pastry and trace a circle of pastry and place it on the base and bake at 200C/400F for 15-20 minutes until golden (I’d even suggest baking it for less time to make it more like the Pasticceria Papa one. Roll out the extra pastry and press the dough onto the wall of the ring forming the sides for the cheesecake . Smear the pastry onto the edge of the base to seal the join. Trim off any excess dough with a paring knife. Put aside for filling.
Smooshing and smearing the uncooked dough on the sides to meet the join with the cooked pastry base
Preparation for filling
Paesanella’s ricotta
4. Whisk the eggs and sugar, (60 g) until thick. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then add the ricotta and beat until smooth. Add the cream, then gradually add the whisked eggs. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
5. Fold in the almond meal, glacé fruit and sultanas. Transfer into the prepared base.
6. Bake at 180 ° C for one hour. Cool with the oven door ajar. When cool, dust with icing sugar and cinnamon
Serve at room temperature and store uneaten cheese cake in the refrigerator.
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97 Comments | Add your own
I love your recipe posts Lorraine! This cake looks so scrumptious, and it has such perfect colour and look to it!
This looks spectacular. I love how tall and thick the slice is. I made an apple pie in early middle school and was too young to realize I couldn’t substitute oil for butter in the crust. It actually tasted alright but looked a mess and even my dad wouldn’t try it haha.
Can I put in an order? That looks delicious, and I can actually EAT ricotta on this stupid diet (4 days to go!)
Congrats on Kidspot top 50, hey, you share my kids
but I’ll scragfight you for the title 
(Kidding! xx)
That’s such a pretty cake!
I’ve never had a ricotta cheesecake, obviously this needs to be rectified. It looks lovely, and I keep on thinking how good it would be with some ice cream or berries!
Congratulations on top 50
Well done! Your ricotta cake looks wonderful…
I really love baked cheesecakes and this looks wonderful!!! I bet it would be lovely with some fresh bluberries piled on top!
I love ricotta cake- I saw them make it on food safari and was always wondering how close it was to the real thing. Looks good- although the version I like doesnt contain raisins.
Wow, what a nice cheesecake…I never made with ricotta…it sure looks so creamy and yummie!
I think I’ve only eaten ricotta cheesecake a couple of times but it had chocolate bits through it rather than raisins and orange peel. I really love the height of this one. Very impressive!
I’ve never made cheesecake like this before, Lorraine, but it looks fabulous!!
I made doughnuts when I was a girl – baked ones, with lashings of sweet icing. 
I’ve been curious about ricotta cheesecake and you’ve completely sold me on it. It’s really lovely, Lorraine! As a kid I remember my favorite thing to make with my mom and sis were chocolate chip cookies.
Wow, considering how closely guarded their recipe is, this is amazing! Cant wait to try!
I love Papa’s (not just for ricotta cake but also the cannoli) but this looks like a pretty good recreation! Well done!
That is so cute! And what a delicious looking cake mmm.
I can’t remember cooking when I was younger, but I loved when my Mum made butterfly patty cakes, custard tarts and toblerone mousse
Thank-you, thank-you, THANK-YOU! I have been searching and tasting and testing for months to find this cheesecake recipe! Can’t wait to try this one. Do you think it’s best with or without the pastry layer on top, like Papa’s?
I love baked cheesecake but have never come across one with a pastry (shortbread) crust like this – sounds like two lovely desserts in one. The depth makes it look so generous!
I really want to give this recipe a go, its so big and tall & luscious
Great find and thanks for sharing Lorraine.
Mmmm, lets see. Childhood cook-a-thons were mostly centred around baking something or other; Mum was a great pie maker and my brother and I were always allowed to make whatever pie concoction we could dream up with the left over pastry – we found out sadly that a pie filled with smarties looks & tasted awful on its own, but mixed in with ice cream, well now… that’s another story (we secretly believe to this day that McDonalds stole our recipe for their cookies & cream smoothy);)
My favourite! I know someone else who made this from the video and loved it so I can’t wait to try it myself.
zomg awesome ive been searching and searching for a recipe that is similar to pasticceria papa’s ricotta cheesecake woot cant wait to give this a try on the weekend!
Congratulations on being named in the top 50 food bloggers; that’s quite an honor!
I remember cooking spaghetti with my mom. There was a recipe in my kids cookbook that cooked the noodles into the sauce. I remembered it being so yummy!
This cake looks delightful. I’ll definitely be bookmarking it!
Lorraine,this is a beautiful cake! Not quite ritzy
but my kind of cake …rustic simplicity. And what gorgeous photos! A setting fit for kings and queens…:) I don’t quite recollect the first thing I used to bake when I was a kid but I do vaguely remember that the recipe called for cinnamon- I checked the dictionary to find the Chinese term for cinnamon and told my mother what I needed. We then went to a Chinese medical hall and when the man brought out a few twills of cinnamon sticks, they promptly concluded that I had made a mistake and we left without getting it…needless to say, I felt deflated.
I adore Pasticceria Papa’s ricotta cake – it’s one of my favourites, and I’m so glad that you have found a reasonable replica! I shall have to try it – or maybe I’ll just drive over to Haberfield and get a slice (better for my waist you understand if I don’t have the opportunity to eat the WHOLE thing!)…
I was totally obsessed with butterscotch! Before I found my real savoury tooth, I tried constantly to master a smooth buttery butterscotch – simple things..
*SQUEEL* I don’t think I’ve liked any other cheese cake varieties since I tasted Papa’s. I mean, I don’t dislike the other cheesecakes but… nothing tastes as good as Papa’s =)
That is one regal looking cheesecake. Divine!
And congrats on your award. You work so hard on your blog that you deserve any and every accolade that comes your way. Bravo!
Oh my gosh, that cheesecake looks so good! The shortbread crust is fantastic, and the two cheeses? Delicious! I’m going to have to save this one! Congrats on your award too! Though I LOVE to bake now, the only thing I ever remember making as a kid(teenager) was oatmeal cookies:)
I LOVE Pasticceria Papa ricotta cake and your one looks exactly the same!
I’ll put this in my “to cook” list.
Yum that looks delicious!
I remember making butterscotch self-saucing pudding a lot as a kid – especially on school holidays when we’d make it & eat it for lunch
When I was little I used to make “snacks” for my dad. The snacks were made up of sweet biscuits topped with toothpaste and frozen peas. Until I was 20 I was convinced that he actually ate them, I have no idea how he managed to pretend without me knowing!
Ricotta cheesecake is the business! Yummmm
YUM!!! I LOVE cheesecake and ESPECIALLY Italian Cheesecake!
Well deserved re Top 50! WHOO HOO!
CONGRATS on being a big kid at heart
OH my goodness, this is just huge and gorgeous and lovely, Lorraine! I want one of those tall, beautiful slices!
Kids love masterchef, and kids love NQN!
Congratulations! It must be nice to know you touch so many peoples hearts.
Hmmm, I made a souffle all by myself when I was 6,(remember those old hand egg beaters?)it took ages, but I don’t remember much else!My mum always gave me the freedom to express myself in the kitchen.. so thanks, mum x
Lorraine, this is divine. I’ve always wanted to make something like this. Retro Rose will go crazy!
Ooohhh number 29 I would have put you higher. I used to love a coffee ricotta cheesecake all the cafe’s around here used to sell and it looked a bit similar. Was so delicious can imagine yours is just the same.
Oh, I do love cheesecake, and I was half thinking of trying this as my first ever attempt at makng one myself…. but then you started talking about cutting and rerolling and smooshing and I decided to leave cheesecake making for another day.
Also, *applauds* for leaving out the orange peel. Icky stuff!
That is one fantastic looking cheesecake.
The only thing I baked from scratch was apple pie in Home Economics class when I was thirteen years old. We were told not to wash the sliced apples, but I did so anyway because I felt a little grossed out that many of us had been handling them. It turned out to be the right thing to do, because the pie turned out well, and everyone else’s was all watery inside.
Can you send me a slice through the internet? Hahaha yum!
What fab looking cheesecake! Just the way I like it – tall ans cheesy – and I don’t mind sultanas (or orange peel!). I loved Monte Carlos for the same reason – pink and white swirly icing – the perfect girly biscuit!!
i love papa’s ricotta cheesecake! so addictive…
Love a ricotta cheesecake but never thought about trying to make it myself. Yours looks lovely! I had to laugh about your attempt at making Monte Carlos – my only childhood cooking experience was a spongecake. I did it so well that I spent the next 20 years cooking sponges!
I lurve this cake from Pasticceria Papa! Making it would just have all the mystery & magic of it disappear (and alert me to what goes into it) but by gosh I wish I could eat it right now! Yum!
1KG of cheese! Now that is a cheese cake.
A splendid cheesecake! So talll and delicious looking!
Cheers,
Rosa
Have to try this. It looks absolutely scrumptious! My hubby will love this. But first, I’ll have to try your zebra cheesecake.
I only remember ever cooking when I was 18. the closest thing I got to cooking as a child was rubbing the skins off roasted peanuts for my mum. I only really got to cook once my parents left us at home alone
did someone say rum-soaked sultanas? yippee-ki-yay!
lovely cheesecake – will bookmark this for some time as love the sound of a cheesecake that is baked and not too sweet
love hearing about your generosity with cookie when young – quite frankly having 6 brothers and sisters meant always having many to share with and we didn’t take food to the neighbours – well not the kids, but my mum did!
This looks delicious Lorraine. I will definitely try it. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
Argh- Lorraine- I’m going to have to stop reading your blog- I am supposed to be working on my own writing this weekend and now know that I will, without a doubt, spend it trying to cook this recipe. Last time i Was in Sydney I flew home with a ricotta cheesecake – everyone thought I was a little batty when I was like- PLEASE don’t squash it
My boyfriend’s sister loves Ricotta Cheesecake. I had to pass on this recipe. It looks absolutely delicious (even though I don’t eat cheese because it makes me sick).
I love Monte Carlos too! And the pink icing gives it that slight chewiness… this ricotta cake looks GORGEOUS! The one I made before was simpler- no pastry sides, but it didn’t look as good, so definitely will give this recipe a go next time
This looks so good that i’m not going to make it because I know i’ll scoff the lot (I know myself, and there are some foods I just can’t have in large quantities lying around the house…).
I remember making the most wonky, but painfully homemade-from-scratch mince pies every year. Enormous batches for us, the guests at Christmas, the postman, milkman, and school teachers. God knows what they thought of them!
Briony xx
Oh yum! And it looks so easy to make. May do so for my birthday next month!
x
I’ve been making my own version of Ricotta cheesecake for years and I suppose each region in Italy has their own twist on the recipe, although the Sicilians can claim this one as their own!
I love orange peel and often add citron as well, my filling is very generous and my family and friends always beg for more.
As a child I loved making Griddlecakes or pikelets as we know them here. Growing up I discovered that I loved to spend time in the kitchen with my mum and was fascinated watching her make everything from scratch so that is where you’ll find me most of the time.
lately recipes with orange peel/rind have been a hit and miss for me too and i’ve made myself a rule to omit it if it’s not a central ingredient. loving this cheesecake recipe and let me just say, you are a very neat baker!
My favourite type of cheesecake except I’d add extra peel, love that citrussy hit when biting into the creamy ricotta bake, this one’s a keeper!
Perfect cake, Lorraine. They must have been head over heels when they tasted it. For some wacky reason I can only eat tiny pieces of cheesecake so never make it… maybe a huge party would do for this baby!!!
MMM, this definately goes on the to-do list for my upcoming get together.
I remember helping my mom bake buns when I was too young for school yet. And I did start baking on my own pretty young. I made a chocolate and peanut butter pie, which did turn out well, but I didn’t know my father HATES baked peanut butter. Being a dutiful dad he did eat a slice to support my budding baking effort. The chocolate cookies the following week went over better LOL!
You know I love the ones with soft cheese … ricotta,mascarpone, quark! This one looks like a winner all the way! I love it, and am bookmarking it. Loved your post; what a horror you were as a kid Lorraine…teehee, just like me! Congrats on making the top 50! You are the best! ♥♥♥
OK, so A BIG THANK YOU. Cannot describe how much I love the Papas Cheesecake, so being able to do something similar is too tempting.
PS – you and I must be twins separated at birth. I, too, recall feeling like Monte Carlos were the BEST, and baked some pretty often as a kid (I mustn’t have been as discerning as you as I remember being pretty impressed with myself). Plus I agree that Paesanella ricotta is spectacular.
Wow. That’s a beautiful cheesecake! Thank you for showing the steps, especially about the base. I have yet to try a full-sized cheesecake like this (I’m terrified). Enjoyed your story about the cookies and hard-soul neighbor
Oh my goodness, are you trying to kill me with that picture of delicious cheese cake? It looks to die for.
I wasn’t allowed to cook as a kid, only to watch. I remember watching my dad make pita bread a lot.
Congrats on your award!
*kisses* HH
Happy Tuesday!
hm…I remember baking cookies! The cake looks and sounds amazing, bookmarked!
Oh yumm!! I’ve never tried a ricotta cheesecake, but that looks delicious. And intriguing, with the sides and whatnot!
Belgian biscuits – spicy cinnamon biscuits – also were joined together with icing.
I will definitely try your cheesecake recipe as it is not too rich, being mainly ricotta, and I love the idea of almond meal.
My fave cheesecake recipe many years ago was a Robert Carrier recipe with cottage cheese – once again, not too rich. I used to rely on his recipes, as they always worked, even croissants!
MUST try this recipe…. Love cheesecake!
Hi Lorriane!
Def. book marking this for when I have more time.
I love the papas ricotta cake!
I’ll report back to you on how I go hehe
thank you so much for sharing
Ah! Finally a recipe that looks vaguely like the original! Definitely trying this one. Although, Papa’s ricotta cake is nothing compared to what you can get at Sulfaros up the road!
My two strongest baking memories from my childhood are making the AWW choc chip cookies and my mums recipe for quiche lorraine with her
fun times!
I used to make jam drops with my mother. I put the jam on top – a very special job.
Oh WOW, this looks like a lot of work, but with a wonderful result. What a grand cake. Perfect!
With this gorgeous cheesecake, I’m sure you would do the Pasticceria Papa chefs proud, Lorraine! Thanks for sharing the recipe… I’ve always loved the ricotta cheesecake and cannolis at Pasticceria Papa!
So perfet. And precisely executed! amazing right?
What a lovely Blog. I love the recipe by the way, Italian Ricotta Cheesecake is a very interesting cake thanks for sharing this one. If you wont mind I’d love to guide Foodista readers to your post. Just add the foodista widget to the end of this post so it will appear in the Foodista pages and it’s all set, Thanks!
i’ve made a lot of cheesecakes, but come to think of it, i’ve never made a ricott one before. now i’m curious to try one.
Italian Food Safari is the best! I just made Guy Grossi’s Tiramisu with his recipe from the show. They’ve got some of the best desserts, I might try your ricotta cake next time!
I love this post with childhood memories – plus the cheesecake looks pretty good, too! My sister and I made lots of failed toffees – stick jaw! Lots of runny chocolate fudge! And we loved to make hot dogs using a packaged batter mix you could buy back then – I think it may still be available!
Congratulations on your award!
I made this yesterday – it was delicious! It’s the first time I made a cheesecake and it worked perfectly! Thanks for the recipe and instructions!
Looks, delicious.I’ve made a similar cheese cake & it’s yum.
Love the height as well.
Congratulations on the top 50! That cheesecake looks heavenly.
PS. I think orange peel sucks too. Rawr, get outta my cakes
oooooh this looks incredible! Just the recipe I was after, thanks!
I remember banging out a winner of a chocolate cake, and that became my signature dish from the age of 12 until 18!
that was the only thing I ever made completely by myself when I was younger.
Heidi xo
Thanks so much for posting this!! I went to pasticceria papa’s just last week and have been searching for a recipe that is similar to their ricotta cake. I’ll definitely be trying this!
Hi Lorraine – happy 2011 btw – just made this for pur fily for new year and it went down very well! Thank you for this great recipe; we will definitely be making it (and eating it) again =D
You need to convert the mesurments to US mesurments please.
What did you think of the texture? I found that it still didn’t quite match the consistency at Papa’s & was more ‘set’ instead of the slightly gooey consistency.
Just made this and it turned out perfectly!!! Thanks NQN!
Thanks to the people who actually baked this yummy sounding cheesecake. Had to go through all posts to find out what it actually turned out like! Sounds great. Thanks
I was craving for ricotta cheesecake and googled the recipe. I saw this recipe and gave it a shot. I did do a small cheat this time hehe because I had frozen store bought short crust pastry in the freezer – I bought 2 the other day to try it out (first time I’ve ever used store bought pastry!). The cake is now in the oven baking. Cant wait to taste it!!! Thanks for the recipe.
I just made this cheesecake and it looks amazing and tastes even better! I left out the sultanas and orange peel but it is still wonderful! Thankyou for the recipe which even a newbie like me could cook!
Hi Lydia- I’m so glad that you liked it! And I was wondering what it would be like without the sultanas and orange peel (some friends don’t like them) so I’m glad to hear that it is good still without them!
Yummoooo……made it for the first time and it was delicious, my husband isnt a fan of cheese but he loved it!!! Thanks for the recipe:-)
Hi Lorraine,
If I halved the recipe, how long would I have to bake it for? Going to attempt baking this today!
HI Kc-Try perhaps 45 minutes, until it is slightly wobby in the centre but not liquid
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[...] I thought that there was no better way to usher in Spring than with this gloriously golden concoction. She was kind enough to furnish me with her mum’s recipe. I expanded on it a bit and added vanilla as I think that pineapple and vanilla go together better than my shoes and Spring. I decided to use the buttery almond pastry recipe from the Italian Ricotta cheesecake. [...]
[...] from Not Quite Nigella has done some of the Papa groundwork before me. She had already baked an Italian Ricotta cheesecake based on a recipe featured in Maeve O’Meara’s Italian Food [...]
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