Ice Cider with Crustless Italian Cheese Cake
Crustless Italian Cheese Cake
This is the dessert version of the classic "apples and cheese" pairing. The bright acidity of our ice cider cuts through the incredibly rich and creamy not-so-sweet cake, an ideal pairing of contrasts.
For years, we've listed "crustless Italian cheese cake" as a suggested ice cider pairing at our farmers market stand. Sometimes people laugh at the specificity: crustless? Italian? But the distinction is important. So different from the sweet and gooey cream cheese cake, this version should probably be called a ricotta cake, except that like cheese cake, it has no flour. And every Italian I've ever served it to gives it 5 stars.
CRUSTLESS ITALIAN CHEESE CAKE
This recipe evolved from a New York Times recipe book from the 1970's that belonged to my mother, but it barely resembles the original at this point.
1.5 lbs Crosswinds Farm Creamery Morning Glory Cheese (or some other soft cheese like low moisture ricotta, fromage blanc, or even chevre if you like a goat cheese)
1 1/2 cup sugar maple syrup (if you use a wetter cheese like ricotta, you may want to use sugar)
4 farm fresh eggs (using dark yellow yolks makes this cake a beautiful color)
3 table spoons arrowroot powder
2 table spoons lemon juice
1/2 cup melted and cooled grassfed butter (like Kriemhild Dairy Meadow Butter)
2 cups sour cream
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-Preheat the oven to 325 F
-butter and flour a spring form pan
-put the ingredients in a big bowl and cream with electric beaters until the batter is silky smooth.
-bake for 1 hour
-turn off oven and the cake inside for another hour
-serve well chilled
A couple of notes on this recipe:
If you can get your hands on the Morning Glory cheese, your cake will be superior. This cheese is incredible for baking with. It has the perfect smooth texture and thick consistency, and a nice tang.
Some variations include:
-grating lemon zest into the batter
-topping the cake with fresh, in-season fruit like berries or cherries
-adding more or less sweetener, depending on your tastes
Pair this dessert with Essence Ice Cider!
- Autumn Stoscheck