Birthday Cake Cheesecake (With Ricotta - No Cream Cheese!)
It's time to celebrate! This fluffy birthday cake cheesecake is the perfect decadent dessert for your baking bestie! It's made with ricotta and whipped egg whites, and without cream cheese.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1½ cups graham crackers crumbs (from about 9 graham crackers or 1 whole sleeve)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (half a stick)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Rainbow Sprinkle Cheesecake
- 26 ounces ricotta (both whole milk ricotta and part skim milk ricotta work) (at room temperature)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (add lemon juice too, if you prefer a stronger lemon flavor)
- 4 large eggs, separated (at room temperature)
- 12 ounces plain Greek yogurt (1½ cups) (at room temperature)
- ⅓ cup Jimmies rainbow sprinkles (shaped like rods)
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make sure an oven rack is in the middle of the oven. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. It should look like coarse wet sand, and it should mostly clump together when you press some in the palm of your hand. If it's too dry and just falls apart, add another 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
- Spread the crust mixture into your springform pan, and press it down with your hand or the bottom of a drinking glass in an even layer.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until it is golden brown. Let it cool while the cheesecake filling is prepared. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Make the Cheesecake
- In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the ricotta, cornstarch, granulated sugar, almond extract, and lemon zest until it’s creamy, after 2 to 3 minutes on low speed.
- Add just the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Place the egg whites in a separate clean mixing bowl & set aside.
- Add the Greek yogurt to the ricotta mixture. On low speed, mix again until it’s well combined. Give the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl a few scrapes with a silicone spatula to ensure everything is well mixed. Set aside.
- Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks (after about 5 to 8 minutes).
- Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the ricotta mixture.Then gently fold the rainbow sprinkles into the mixture. Set aside.
Prepare the Water Bath
- Bring a full kettle of water to a boil.
- Tightly wrap the outside of your springform pan with at least two layers of extra large aluminum foil, so water doesn't get into the pan when it's submerged halfway in the water bath. Make sure the foil fully covers the bottom and all the way up the sides of the pan.
- Pour the cheesecake batter onto the cooled crumb crust in your springform pan.
- Place the springform pan in the middle of a large Dutch oven or roasting pan with sides that are at least as tall as the springform pan.
- Pour the boiling water into your Dutch oven or roasting pan so the water level comes about halfway up the sides of the aluminum foil-lined springform pan. (Now you have a water bath!)
Bake & Cool the Cheesecake
- Carefully transfer the water bath into the oven. Bake the cheesecake for 60 minutes, then begin checking the cheesecake to see if it's done.Give the pan a gentle jiggle. The cheesecake is done baking once the center is jiggly, and the outer edge is set and doesn't move. If it's still jiggly around the outer edges, bake for another 10 minutes and check again.
- Once the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven and crack the oven door open so the cheesecake can start cooling slowly inside the oven as it cools. After 30 minutes, close the oven door and leave the cheesecake to continue cooling slowly inside for another 1 hour. If you take the cheesecake out too soon, it’ll crack since it will cool too quickly.
- After 1.5 hours, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it continue to cool to room temperature on the counter still in the water bath for at least another hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, loosely cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil, and chill in the fridge to fully set it for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- Run a knife around the edge of the springform pan to loosen it. Release the sides of the pan. Optional: Top with whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and birthday candles. Slice and enjoy!! <3
Notes
- Have all your ingredients (especially the ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt, and eggs) at room temperature. This will ensure everything combines evenly and become silky smooth.
- Egg whites whip up better when they're at room temperature. So after separating your eggs, place the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl and just set them aside on the counter until you're ready to whip them.
- Cool your cheesecake slowly! Rapid temperature changes will cause it to crack, like going from a hot oven to a cool countertop.
- If your cheesecake does crack, just cover it with whipped cream, fresh or canned fruit, or ice cream. No one will ever know. ;)
- Use the sprinkles shaped like rods called "Jimmies". They don't allow their colors to bleed as easily as the tiny sprinkle balls (called nonpareils).
- Store your birthday cake cheesecake in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 248kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 9gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 155mgPotassium: 113mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 353IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 134mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!