• If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth but still long for something creamy and delicious, savoury baked ricotta cheesecake with exotic tomatoes is for you. It has the lightness of traditional sweet cheesecake, but with amazing cheesy flavours. Top with juicy tomatoes and it’s the perfect savoury pastry.

    If we can convince you that some sweet cheesecakes are worth eating, check out baked cheesecake with Bar One topping or no-bake granadilla cheesecake cups.

    Recipe by Sarah Dall 

    Savoury baked ricotta cheesecake with exotic tomatoes

    By Food & Home Entertaining Serves: 10
    Cooking Time: 1 hr 30 mins + 2 hrs, to set

    Ingredients

    • Cheesecake base

    • 125g cream crackers
    • 85g butter, melted
    • Cheesecake filling

    • 2 x 250g tubs cream cheese
    • 400g ricotta
    • 15ml (1tbsp) cake flour
    • 150g Parmesan, grated
    • Pinch salt
    • 3 extra-large eggs
    • To serve

    • 300g exotic tomatoes, sliced/halved, to serve
    • 200g vine tomatoes, to garnish
    • Fresh basil, to garnish

    Instructions

    1

    Preheat the oven to 230°C. Grease and line a 23cm springform cake tine.

    2

    For the base, blitz the crackers to a fine crumb in a blender or food processor and fold in the melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared tine.

    3

    For the filling, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the ricotta, flour, Parmesan and salt and gradually beat into the cream cheese until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour the filling on top of the crust.

    4

    Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven, 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 100°C and bake for a further hour. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool, 1 hour.

    5

    Refrigerate the baked cheesecake to set and cool completely, 1 hour.

    6

    Using a palette knife, loosen the sides of the cheesecake and remove from the tin. Place on a serving platter and top with sliced and halved exotic tomatoes. Garnish with vine tomatoes and fresh basil to serve.