Italian Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and position rack in center of oven (too high or too low of rack placement will cause baking problems).

Lightly grease (butter) or spray with cooking spray a 9-inch springform pan or cake pan and then sprinkle with some flour, rolling the pan and tapping the sides over the sink to evenly coat the whole pan and get rid of any excess flour.

In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the ricotta cheese, salt, sugar, flour, and egg yolks approximately 2 minutes of until the mixture is smooth.  NOTE: Do not over beat the mixture. You want to avoid beating air into the mixture. Too much air will make the cheesecake fall.

In a separate clean bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, whisk the egg whites approximately 1 1/2 minutes or until stiff peaks form and the egg whites triple in size.  Using a large spoon or spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cheese mixture until blended (do not use a mixer to do this).

Pour the prepared cheesecake filling mixture into the prepared springform pan and give a good tap on the counter to make it level.

Place cheesecake in center of middle oven rack.  Bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until the filling is just set and does not jiggle.  Midway into baking, turn the cheesecake so it browns evenly.  Remove from oven and let cool completely for approximately 2 hours on a wire rack before refrigerating.  NOTE: The cheesescake will deflate during the cooling process.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  To remove from springform pan, slide a small knife around edges of cake to loosen it and remove sides of the springform pan; transfer onto a decorative serving plate.

To serve, top with fresh fruit or berries of your choice, such as strawberries.  Finish with a dusting of confectioners sugar.  Adding the confectioners sugar right before serving is good because the sugar will dissolve if you do it any sooner.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.