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Cheesecake fans, you are in the right place! Today’s Christmas-themed cheesecake is this lovely Ricotta Mascarpone Cheesecake scented with orange and topped with cranberry puree. It also happens to be a gluten free cheesecake. It is not hard to make, but it looks pretty fancy! For more cheesecake resources and recipes, please check out my Cheesecake Recipes page. overhead shot of 3 slices of orange ricotta mascarpone cheesecake on white plates

Cheesecake for the Holidays

I love cheesecake. I could eat my weight in cheesecake. That’s why I rarely make it, because bad things would happen. I am weak in the face of cheesecake, and I know my limitations. But, it’s The Holidays. And holiday calories don’t count, especially if you don’t cut the dessert into slices but just take little bites off the entire thing. I read it on the Internet. Also, if I put a clothespin on my nose so I can’t smell the cheesecake while I eat it, then it will help me lose weight. I’m pretty sure I read that on the Internet too. whole cheesecake spread with cranberry puree and decorated with mascarpone cream piped on to look like a big snowflake

This Cheesecake is Gluten Free

I realize that you are currently reading this post on the Internet, but I want you to believe me when I tell you that this ricotta mascarpone cheesecake is delicious. Truly. It also happens to be a gluten free cheesecake, if that is a concern for you. In my mind, I pictured a very Christmasy dessert with a green crust, white filling and brilliant red topping. In practice, the entire thing is a bit more subdued, but only in appearance.
  • The crust is buttery and nutty, which is unsurprising since I made it with ground pistachios and butter.
  • The filling is smooth, rich and creamy and subtly flavored with orange.
  • I used three cheeses in the filling: cream cheese, ricotta and mascarpone. Honestly, I had some ricotta leftover that needed a home, so I thought, “Why not let all the creamy cheeses join in?” And so I did.
You could certainly flavor the cake more assertively with orange, or flavor it however you like. I went with a light flavor since the cranberry topping is really intense.

A New Job for Leftover Cranberry Sauce

I just took the leftover orange-ginger cranberry sauce I made for Thanksgiving, heated it up and thinned it out with some cranberry juice and then pureed and strained it. Feel free to use your favorite cranberry sauce recipe to top your cheesecake.close up shot of slice of gluten free cheesecake with cranberry puree on top and a pistachio crust

Orange Ricotta Mascarpone Cheesecake

Jennifer Field
Orange ricotta mascarpone cheesecake has an intense cranberry puree topping and a gluten free pistachio crust. The subtle red and green colors make it a nice choice for a Christmas cheesecake.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 12

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 2 cups 10 oz shelled pistachios
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2-3 Tablespoons butter

For the Filling

  • 2 blocks (16 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 8 oz about 1 cup mascarpone cheese, softened
  • 8 oz whole milk ricotta , drained well in a fine mesh strainer for at least 2 hours
  • 7 oz 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • zest of half an orange
  • 4 large eggs

For the Topping

  • 1 ½ cups of your favorite cranberry sauce , pureed and strained. It should be thick like pudding.

For the Whipped Mascarpone Cream

  • 4 oz 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 Tablespoons cold mascarpone cheese

Instructions
 

For the Crust

  • Grind the pistachios, sugar and salt together in your food processor. Use the pulse function so you don't accidentally end up with pistachio butter. Once the nuts are finely ground, drop in 2 tablespoons of butter and pulse until the nuts are starting to clump together a bit. Press some into a measuring spoon to see if it will hold together. If so, you're good to go. If not, add the additional Tablespoon of butter and pulse again.
  • Press the nut mixture evenly into the bottom and about 1" up the sides of a 9" or 10" spring form pan.
  • Bake at 350F for ten minutes and remove from oven. If the crust has puffed up at all (mine did), just use the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup to smoosh it back down again. Let cool on a rack, and set the oven down to 300F.
  • For the Filling
  • Cream the three cheeses together on low speed until smooth, creamy and lumpless. Scrape the mixing bowl as needed.
  • Still on low speed, mix in the sugar, vanilla, salt and orange zest and mix until completely smooth.
  • Mix in the eggs, one at a time--yes, still on low speed--making sure one is completely incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bowl as needed.
  • Scrape the batter evenly into the spring form pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
  • Bake in the center of the oven until set-but-jiggly, about 1 1/2 hours. The internal temperature should be about 165-170F. Start checking early, because you don't want to over-bake, and my oven might bake differently than yours.
  • Turn the oven off, crack the door open, and let the cake cool down slowly for about an hour. Run a thin knife or metal spatula around the inside of the spring form to make sure the cheesecake doesn't stick to the sides.
  • Remove to a cooling rack and let come to room temperature, then cover and chill overnight.

For the Topping

  • When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the sides of the spring form pan, and evenly spread on the topping. Since we didn't bake with a bain marie, the edges will be slightly higher than the rest of the cake, making a perfect place to spread the topping. Tada! Put the sides of the pan back on to make the next part easier. Cover the pan and refrigerate until the topping is well chilled.

For the Whipped Mascarpone Cheese

  • Put the whipping cream, sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk until the whisk starts to leave tracks in the cream, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the mascarpone and whisk well to incorporate. Once the mascarpone is introduced, the cream will thicken up quickly. Be careful not to over-whisk or the mixture will become grainy. Take it to barely stiff peaks.
  • Take the sides off the spring form yet again, and spread over the cranberry or pipe in a Festive Holiday Manner.
  • Enjoy!

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Notes

Since nuts are oily, and you're also adding some butter to the mix, some of the oils may leak out the bottom of the spring form during baking. Make sure to bake on a cookie sheet to prevent it from burning on the floor of your oven.
The filling bakes up smooth, creamy and delicious. Even if you don't make this entire cheesecake, consider making the filling for whatever is your favorite crust and topping combination. Flavor it however you like. I think you'll be really pleased with the texture of the finished cake.
Did you make this recipe?Please tell us what you loved!
ricotta mascarpone cheesecake on a plate with a bite taken out of it. And there you have it, friends. Today’s post was short on words but long on flavor. If you love creamy cheesecakes with fruity topping,  this ricotta mascarpone cheesecake is right up your alley. It is familiar enough to find many fans with just enough of a twist to be a bit different. And whether you’re gluten-free or you just don’t like graham cracker crust, give this gluten free cheesecake a try. It’s pretty fantastic! Thanks so much for reading today friends. Have a lovely day.

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10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Jenni,
    This was soooooo beautiful, you inspired me to make one similar. I used my normal cheesecake recipe, but swapped out some of the cream cheese for the marscrapone cheese, and added the zest of one orange. I just used my normal crust as I didn’t have the pistachios. I made a simple cranberry sauce adding orange zest and juice and pureed and strained. It was the perfect tartness and consistency. The whipped marscarpone cheese on top was wonderful. I did the baking and my daughter did the decorating (she is the artist, I’m the baker). It was just lovely and everyone Ooo’d and Ahhh’d and gobbled it up! Thank you for sharing this! It was beautiful and the combination of the cranberry, orange and the cheesecake was perfect!
    Have a wonderful Holiday and again, thank you for sharing your talents with us! 😀

    Eva

    Reply

    1. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me, Eva!! Sounds like it went over really well, and how fun that you and your daughter could make it together! I would love to see a photo if you have one! Happy, Happy holidays to you and your family!

      Reply

      1. Hi Jenni! I shared the photo with you in Google+. It’s not as pretty as yours, but beautiful in our eyes. 😀
        Eva

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