Italian Ricotta Cheesecake with Pineapple

This Italian cheesecake is made with whole milk ricotta and crushed pineapple for a unique twist and added flavor. It has a creamy texture and is oh soooo good!

There are several traditional Italian Easter recipes that are very near and dear to my heart. These include Italian Easter bread, Italian rice pie (which can also be made with pastina), and Pizza Rustica (which is a meat and cheese pie). I love them all!

This year I wanted to add something new, and because we all love cheesecake, I baked this Italian pineapple cheesecake. I love pineapple or strawberry with my cheesecake, so this recipe was perfect.

Overview of Process

1. Line a baking pan or pie plate/pan with the pie dough and form a decorative edge around the top if desired (see Quick Tips section below). Refrigerate for an hour or so.
2. To make filling, add eggs, sugar, and cream to medium sized bowl and mix until incorporated.
3. Add vanilla and cornstarch and mix again.
4. Add the drained ricotta and gently mix.
5. Add the drained crushed pineapple and then mix again gently.
6. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
7. When ready to bake, preheat oven, pour filling into prepared pie shell and bake! Note that I made two and learned from my first pie that I should have added the aluminum foil; this is why the pie pictured in the oven doesn’t have the aluminum foil edge.
8. Sprinkle cinnamon powder on cooled pie (optional).

Quick Tips for Success

• Make your pie crust ahead of time and refrigerate it.
• Read tips for rolling out pie crusts.
• Watch how to master decorative edges on your pies (I need practice here)!
• Make sure to strain your ricotta cheese if necessary (some brands are thicker than others) and also strain the liquid from your crushed pineapple. I use either a colander with small holes or a fine mesh strainer.
• Do not overfill your pie shell. Make sure the filling is at least ¼ inch below/lower than the top of your crust.
• Use aluminum foil to cover your crust or it might brown/burn (for “how to”, see photo in blog post).
• Keep an eye on the pie toward the end of the bake time. Check every 5 minutes during the last 10 minutes of baking and extend bake time if needed. The pie is done when it has puffed up slightly but is still a little bit jiggly.

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Pineapple Ricotta Cheesecake

Authentic and delicious Italian cheesecake made with crushed pineapple and ricotta cheese. Recipe can be doubled to make two pies.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 1 minute

Total Time: 2 hours 1 minute

Servings: 14

Calories: 305kcal

Author: Marie

Equipment

• ▢
  8 or 9-inch cake pan or standard pie pan/plate

Ingredients

For the Pineapple Ricotta Filling

• ▢ 3 large (3 large) eggs
• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• ▢ 1 cup (238 g) heavy cream
• ▢ 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) corn starch
• ▢ 1 pound (453.59 g) ricotta cheese drained well, using fine mesh strainer
• ▢ 16 ounces (453.59 g) crushed pineapple drained well, using fine mesh strainer

For the Pie Crust

• ▢ 1 ¼ cup (244 g) all purpose flour
• ▢ ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
• ▢ 5 tbsp (73.93 g) unsalted butter cut into cubes
• ▢ 1 large (1 large) egg
• ▢ 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) grated lemon from one small lemon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking powder

For Decorating the Pie

• ▢ 1 tbsp cinnamon powder

Instructions

To Make the Pie Crust

• In a large bowl, add the sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, and cubed butter. Using your hands, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
• In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and then pour into the dry sandlike mixture and stir until all of the egg has been incorporated.
• Press down and form a dough, knead a few times until there are no dry bits remaining. Form a flat disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap or place into an air tight plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To Make the Pie Filling

• Beat the eggs, sugar, and cream until blended.
• Add vanilla and cornstarch and mix until combined.
• Add ricotta and mix slowly.
• Fold in the pineapple and slowly mix until incorporated.
• If you're not ready to bake, place filling in the refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming.

To Build the Pie

• Grease a 8 or 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter.
• Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and roll out into a circle that is about 12 inches in width, using plenty of flour to coat the countertop and top of the pie crust. Add more flour and flip the crust at least one or twice as you are rolling it out. I find a bench knife or scraper helps me to lift the crust when I want to flip it. See link in notes section for more tips.
• You may want to trim the outer edges to make a neat circle using a pizza cutter or knife. It may help to drape the pie crust over the rolling pin when you are transferring it to your baking pan.
• Line the baking pan with the pie crust and form a decorate edge if desired. See notes for link on decorative edges. Place crust into the refrigerator while you warm up the oven.

To Bake the Pie

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees (you will later reduce temperature to finalize baking).
• Remove pie crust from refrigerator and pour in the prepared filling.
• Filling should be at least ¼ inch or so below the top of the pie crust.
• I used tin foil to protect the edges of the pie from burning. See blog post for a photo of what this looks like.
• Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 50 to 60 minutes.
• The pie will puff up a bit but still be a little jiggly but not overly so.
• After the pie has slightly cooled, sprinkle with cinnamon powder if desired.
• Store pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

Note: I used “Truvia for Baking”, which I estimated to lower sugar to 9 grams per slice. 

Tips: 

• Make your pie crust ahead of time and refrigerate it.
• Read tips for rolling out pie crusts.
• Watch how to master decorative edges on your pies (I need practice here)!
• Make sure to strain your ricotta cheese if necessary (some brands are thicker than others) and also strain the liquid from your crushed pineapple. I use either a colander with small holes or a fine mesh strainer.
• Do not overfill your pie shell. Make sure the filling is at least ¼ inch lower than the top of your crust.
• Use aluminum foil to cover your crust or it can overbake (see photo in blog post).
• Keep an eye on the pie toward the end of the bake time. Check every 5 minutes during the last 10 minutes of baking and extend bake time if needed. The pie is done when it has puffed up slightly but is still a little bit jiggly.

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 612IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 1mg

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Adapted from Susan Russo, NPR “Nan’s Way, The Only Way to Make Easter Pies”