Award-winning chef. Successful restaurateur. Iron Chef judge. Social media star. Donatella Arpaia has done it all. Still her favorite thing to do is working in the kitchen, creating inspiring dishes using the freshest, most authentic ingredients—including Galbani® cheese. Explore her latest menu ideas and learn tricks of the trade from this inspirational entrepreneur.

Donatella’s Slice of Joy Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CHEESECAKE

8 Large eggs
2 cups Granulated sugar
½ cup Almond flour
1¼ tsp. Cinnamon
¼ cup Limoncello
1 Lemon, zest and juice
2½ lbs. Galbani® Whole Milk Ricotta, drained


FOR THE TOPPING

1¾ cups Cold heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 cup Confectioners’ sugar
1½ cups Galbani Mascarpone, room temperature


FOR THE GARNISH

1 cup Cranberries
¾ cup Water or orange juice
1 tbsp. Granulated sugar
3-5 Italian amaretti cookies, grated into crumbs

METHOD

  1. In the refrigerator, drain Ricotta overnight in a colander lined with paper towels or cheese cloth.

  2. Set rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  3. Grease 10” or 12” spring-form pan thoroughly with baking spray or butter.

  4. To prepare the cheesecake batter, in a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until light yellow.

  5. Add in granulated sugar, almond flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, limoncello, lemon juice and zest, and stir until incorporated.

  6. Add in Ricotta ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly.

  7. To make the Mascarpone cream topping, in a separate cold bowl, whip heavy cream, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar. Slowly add in Mascarpone, whipping until the topping becomes stabilized.

  8. Fold 2 large tbsp. Mascarpone cream topping into the cake mixture. Place the remainder of mascarpone cream topping in refrigerator.

  9. Pour cake mixture into pan. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon over the top, and swirl through the mixture with a toothpick.

  10. Bake the cake in the oven for about 90 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

  11. Cool cake on a wire rack. Cover, and chill until ready to serve.

  12. To prepare the cranberries for garnish, boil the cranberries gently in water or orange juice with sugar.

  13. Carefully lay the cranberries out individually on a non-stick tray and allow to cool down and harden.

  14. To serve, frost the cake with a layer of Mascarpone cream topping and decorate with cranberries and cookie crumbles.

Donatella's Tips

Pairings

  • Wine & Spirits
  • Beer
  • Proteins
  • Fruits & Vegetables
  • Nuts, Grains & Starches
  • Flavors, Spices & Condiments