Spring

Our Very Perfect Birthday Cheesecake, with Rote Grütze

by:
March 15, 2011
5
1 Ratings
  • Makes one 9" cake
Author Notes

At least for us it truly is! As I have been searching for the perfect birthday cake for my son, we've been observing birthday month, all month long, actually starting even last month. His very favorite cake lately has been Junior's cheesecake. Since I won't be back to NYC until late April, and I am not willing to pay their steep delivery fee, I scouted a best New York cheesecake recipe on squidoo that looked just wonderful (http://www.squidoo.com/bestcheesecakerecipe). It uses only cream cheese, but my favorite cheesecake is the German style made with quark. So here I have varied the ingredients, the quantities, and baking directions. This cake turned out perfectly to match both our tastes at the same time. It just might be the fresh ricotta that serves as our bridge here. For garnish, I have served this with our favorite warm Rote Grütze (made with raspberries and blueberries) and a dollop of sour cream with a rosemary sprig. —Sagegreen

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • The crust
  • 1 1/4 cups crushed gluten free gingersnaps
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons light muscovado sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • The batter
  • 12 ounces cream cheese
  • 12 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
  • 8 ounces marscapone
  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups fine organic cane sugar
  • 8 ounces heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot
  • 5 jumbo eggs
  • juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
  • 1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons Tahitian vanilla
  • garnish with fruit preserves, creme fraiche, sour cream or herbal sprig
Directions
  1. Melt the butter in a small pan. As it begins to brown, stir in the muscovado sugar until it dissolves. Pour this mix over the crushed gingersnaps. Mix up thoroughly. Then press into a 9" nonstick springform pan. Pop this in the freezer. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In the mixing bowl place all the cheeses and sugar. Beat until velvety smooth. Add the heavy cream and continue to beat until incorporated. Add the arrowroot. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Slow the mixer down to its lowest setting. Add the eggs one at a time. Finally, pour in the lemon juice and vanilla. Toss in the zest. Mix until everything is as smooth as liquid silk.
  3. Pour the batter into the pan with the chilled crust. Place this pan into a larger pan, which you next fill with warm water just so the bath comes about midway up the springform pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350. Then turn down the temperature to 300 and bake for an hour. Turn off the oven at that point to leave the cheesecake undisturbed for 2 hours. Do not even open the oven door. Then remove and refrigerate. It will be ready to serve after it has chilled, hopefully with no cracks! Serve with a warm or chilled fruit preserve such as Rote Grütze (http://www.food52.com/recipes/6068_rote_grtze_or_red_grits_with_white_wine), lingonberries, creme fraiche or sour cream, and an herbal garnish such as rosemary, lavender, or mint.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • checker
    checker
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames

11 Reviews

stacie December 8, 2014
Hi! Unable to obtain arrowroot, any other good substitutes you recommend or can it be omitted? This recipe sounds delicious.
 
checker April 19, 2011
I have had a wild craving for cheesecake for the last month. This might happen very soon.
 
Sagegreen April 20, 2011
Thanks, Let me know if you try this out!
 
Sagegreen March 17, 2011
Happy to report that my son totally loves this! He usually does not like ricotta or lemon, but already wants another one of these before birthday month ends.
 
ellenl March 15, 2011
This sounds absolutely wonderful!
 
Sagegreen March 15, 2011
Thanks, ellenl. These happened to be all the cheeses I had in my fridge.
 
hardlikearmour March 15, 2011
Love your descriptive writing, especially the line "Mix until everything is as smooth as liquid silk." Aren't you dying for this to be ready to eat???
 
Sagegreen March 15, 2011
Yes, hla, but I am resisting the urge! I think this one will be really nice. It looks beautiful. If I don't write down what I did right away, I forget. And if I don't upload right away, worse I lose my notes! Love uploading the recipe where I know I can find everything.
 
AntoniaJames March 15, 2011
This looks amazing. Love all the lemon in it, and that crust looks divine. I would never have thought to add ginger and cinnamon to a gingersnap crust. Wow. ;o)
 
Sagegreen March 15, 2011
Thanks, AJ. This has browned along the edges beautifully. I hope my son really loves it. He is such a fan of the NYC cheesecake, where I love more of the German quark style. This one will make both of us happy. I sampled the batter!
 
Sagegreen March 16, 2011
Have to report that the crust is a big hit! I had reduced the butter by half, but think the spices make up in taste.