I don’t have an extensive cheesecake repertoire – I mean, how many cheesecakes does a person need to bake (and eat) in a given year? (OK, don’t judge me for 2020…) There’s the New York style one, with the filling so thick it clings to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter. Speaking of which, I make one with a peanut butter filling and a chocolate cookie crust that’s really yummy, and of course there’s pumpkin, with all the spices and a smoky bourbon caramel sauce. But of all the cheesecakes, this Mascarpone Cheesecake is the creamiest, dreamiest, vanilla cookie crusted, lemon scented, raspberry drizzled…and I can say all of this without bragging because I didn’t invent this recipe, it’s adapted from Gourmet magazine.
Mascarpone takes the place of some of the regular cream cheese in the filling, and it’s what gives this cheesecake its supreme creaminess.
The crust is made from Nilla wafers – you could substitute graham crackers in a pinch, but the sweet vanilla flavor of the Nilla wafers is distinctive and really makes a difference. The recipe makes a generous amount of crumbs, most of which form the crust; the remainder get sprinkled over the top of the finished cake like a streusel topping. Helping the crumbs adhere to the top of the cake is a thin layer of lightly sweetened sour cream. It adds another level of creaminess, and also does a nifty job at covering up any cracks that might form in the top of the cheesecake (I’m just saying).
It doesn’t really need this – it’s actually quite enough on its own – but I like to add a drizzle of tart, jewel-toned raspberry sauce for its beautiful color and bright fruity flavor.
The raspberry sauce is versatile and adaptable. It’s fantastic over vanilla ice cream, pound cake, chocolate cake, Cracker Pie, and many other things. For the flavoring in the sauce, choose a liqueur that complements the flavors in the rest of the dish. I often make it with Amaretto – raspberry and almond work beautifully together – but since this Mascarpone Cheesecake doesn’t have any almond flavoring in the filling, in this case I’d opt for Chambord to amplify the raspberry flavor. Vanilla extract makes a fine substitute.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Cheesecake must chill for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight) before serving, so I always plan to make it one day ahead.
- It keeps in the fridge for 5 days. If you want to keep leftovers longer than that, tightly wrap the unused portion (in one chunk or precut into slices) and freeze for up to a month.
- The raspberry sauce keeps for weeks in the fridge, and can be frozen for up to a couple of months.
To see this cheesecake as part of an Italian-themed menu, complete with a game plan with timing for all steps, read the post for Saturday January 9, 2021.
Adapted from Mascarpone Cheesecake, Gourmet, December 2003
Mascarpone Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 9 ounces Nilla wafers
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 20 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- Zest of one lemon
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- Fresh raspberries for serving
- Raspberry Sauce for serving (recipe follows)
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle position. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
- Step 2 Finely grind the Nilla wafers using a food processor. Add the crumbs to the melted butter and stir with a fork until blended. Remove ¼ cup of the buttered crumbs to a small cup and set them aside, then press the remainder of the crumbs onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared springform pan. Put the pan on the foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes until it’s golden brown. Remove the pan to a rack and cool the crust for 25 minutes, leaving the oven on and keeping the foil-lined sheet handy.
- Step 3 Beat the cream cheese, mascarpone and ¾ cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each. Add the lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt if using Diamond Crystal brand, or 1/8 teaspoon of Morton’s. Mix on low speed until combined, then pour the filling into the crust. Return the pan to the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Step 4 Bake the cheesecake until it’s set and puffed at the edge but soft in the center, about 50 minutes. The center should be soft enough to jiggle if you gently jostle the pan, but should not be soupy. Remove the pan to the cooling rack and let the cheesecake cool for 20 minutes, leaving the oven on.
- Step 5 Stir together the sour cream with the remaining ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of kosher salt. Gently spread the topping over the cheesecake, leaving a ¼-inch border around the edge. Return the cheesecake to the foil-lined pan and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until the topping is just set.
- Step 6 Remove the cheesecake to the cooling rack. Carefully run a sharp knife around the edge between the cheesecake and the side of the pan, but don’t unlock the pan. Sprinkle the top of the cheesecake with the reserved buttered Nilla wafer crumbs. Cool the cheesecake completely, then chill, loosely covered, for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, before removing the sides of the pan to slice and serve.
Raspberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed if frozen
- ½ cup (2 ounces or 57 grams) confectioner's sugar
- 2 tablespoons Amaretto, Chambord or Grand Marnier liqueur, or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1 Put the raspberries and confectioner’s sugar in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Step 2 Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the seeds.
- Step 3 Stir the liqueur or extract into the strained raspberry juice. Chill the sauce until needed.
This is the best cheese cake I have ever baked. I made for Thanksgiving gathering and as I understand it was a hit. The only thing I changed was the crust. I used crushed vanilla oreo cookies. Today as I’m tying; have another cheese cake cooking and I added real rum extract and vanilla extract. After all its Italian. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Thank you, Diana, I’m so glad you liked it. I love the idea of vanilla oreo cookies in the crust – I’ll have to try that!