Grandma's Italian Cheese Cake

In addition to having many of Mom's recipes, I also have a number of her mom's recipes. Now, I do not remember Grandma making this particular cheesecake recipe, but when I saw the main ingredient was ricotta cheese, I had to give this one a try.

As you can see in the photo in Grandma's own handwriting, her recipe calls for four pounds of ricotta cheese. So, when I made this recipe, I cut the recipe in half; and, still I had two cheesecakes. Not that there is anything terrible about having too much cheesecake. Grandma's recipe is a bit sparse on directions. There is no mention of what pan to use. For cheesecakes, it is common to use a springform pan with removable sides. I do not own springform pans, so I just used an 8-inch round pan and a 9-inch round pan. Be sure to thoroughly grease the pans.

This cheesecake recipe does not call for a crust, but, if you wanted, you could add a classic graham cracker crust or a crust made from amaretti cookies. Also, you could add either lemon or orange zest or almond extract for a different flavor. I have seen similar recipes online that recommend draining the ricotta. I did not do that this time, but I might consider doing so next time.

Italian Cheese Cake

• 2 pounds ricotta
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 250. If needed, drain the ricotta. Mix together the ingredients for three minutes (per Grandma). Pour into a well-greased pan (one springform pan or two 8-inch round pans). Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Allow to thoroughly cool or refrigerate overnight before cutting. Enjoy!