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Almond Ricotta Cheesecake

Mum and my sister Beatrice and the kids stopped by for a visit today, so I thought I'd make dessert. One of the signature cakes at the restaurant where I work is a ricotta cheesecake. It's light and fluffy and not as creamy, smooth, or sweet as a cream cheesecake. My vegan version is more dense, but just as moist and browned beautifully. The almond ricotta worked very well, but I'd like to try a cashew or macadamia ricotta for an even creamier texture.

 Almond Ricotta Cheesecake
Yield: One 9-inch cake
Earth Balance buttery spread, softened, for pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
3 cups almond ricotta cheese
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon or orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Amaretto
3 tablespoons Enger-G Egg Replacer
3/4 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and sugar a 9-inch springform pan. Combine almond ricotta, flour, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla extract, Amaretto, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk warm water and egg replacer until light and fluffy. Fold in egg replacer into ricotta mixture using a rubber spatula until just combined.
Pour batter into pan, bake until center is firm and top is deep golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar or top with strawberry preserves and "sour cream."

Almond Ricotta
3 cups blanched almonds, soaked in water overnight
1 1/2 cups water
Salt
Blend almonds, water, and a pinch of salt until light, fluffy, and creamy.

Almond Sour Cream
1/2 cup unsweetened almond yogurt
Pour yogurt into saucepan and reduce by half on medium low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Allow to cool slightly before spreading on cheesecake.

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