Baking With Kids – Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

Domestic, Kids

My most eager baker assisted me with this one. Actually, it’s gotten to the point now where I’m the one assisting her, which I totally adore! She gets really into it and unlike the usual ‘dump, stir, lose interest’ category that most kids fall into (including Wee One #1), she really wants to be involved in every part of it. So sweet!!

The weird thing about cooking and baking your way through cookbooks is there will eventually be a recipe no one wants to try. For some reason the word ‘cheesecake’ doesn’t sit right with the kids, and my husband and I are not huge fans of dairy. Well, correction. Dairy isn’t a fan of either of us. Once it was out of the oven though, and the whole house had this wonderful cheesecakey smell going on, the kids caved and each had a piece. And then another. And then more the next day till it was gone.

This was recipe #11 from Baking With Kids!

Crust:
4 tablespoons butter
4.5 ounces plain wheaten crackers – we used graham crackers
1 tablespoon sugar

Topping:
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Filling:
1lb tub ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
1 cup sour cream
2 extra large eggs
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, ground
2 medium unwaxed lemons


The recipe has you crushing crackers, you could just use ground graham (or wheaten) crackers.



Melt the butter and mix it in with the crumbs and the sugar.



Mix it till it’s mostly combined.


Once it’s in the well greased springform pan, press the mixture flat.



Now mix the ricotta and sour cream in a big bowl with your mixer (or a spoon).



Crack the eggs into a separate bowl to avoid shells in your cheesecake!



Tip the egss in!



She likes to watch the kitchen power tools very carefully.



Now add the icing sugar and the ground almonds. This is also when we grated the lemons and added both the zest and the juice from the lemons to the mix.



Sooooo creamy. Pour it over the crust!



Normally I’d say ‘sprinkle the slivered almonds on top and away you go’ but this Wee One is very specific about the placement of each almond sliver.



It’s her work of edible art!

Bake at 300F for 1 1/4 hours, then turn off the oven and leave it inside without opening the door for another 1 1/2 hours till the oven cools off. Then take the cheesecake out of the springform and serve it either as it is or with fresh berries!

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