Here’s a pressure cooker cheesecake recipe inspired by my friend and fellow karate classmate, Susanna – it’s a one-of-a-kind cheesecake featuring both ricotta and mascarpone cheese – sorry Philly, I’ll whip you into a cheesecake next time.
Apologies for the bruises on my arms during this recipe in the video as our class simulated combat the evening before filming.
Italian Cheesecakes Don’t Exist. Sorry.
There are no “Italian Cheesecakes” – in fact, in Italy cheesecake is called “Cheesecake.” When a fellow Italian discovers that I’m half American their next question is, seriously, whether I know how to make cheesecake.
Sure, Italians have made cheesecakes and the most popular one that I know is from Giada De Laurentiis – who’s recipe inspired my limoncello mini-cheesecakes in a jar. But don’t ask me to share an original Italian cheesecake recipe. It doesn’t exist.
What Italians are really good at doing is making tarts, and they even fill them with ricotta and mascarpone custards- which is what Lael Hazan – Marcella’s daughter in law – mistakenly refers to as “Italian Cheesecake” (technically, it’s a cheese-filled tart, or “Cheesetart” : ).
And, when it comes to tarts, there’s a fellow mom who’s tart is famous at the local karate school my son and I attend. When Susanna brings her Mascarpone Chocolate Chip tart at an event – it’s the first to go and last to be forgotten. When an event is in the planning stages- we turn a supplicative look towards Susanna waiting for her to declare that her special tart is on the menu.
So, of course, I begged Susanna for her tart filling recipe so that I could work from there to Italianize cheesecake even further. Her Mascarpone filling didn’t lend itself very well to the typical American – stand-up-from-the crust cake so I adjusted the ratios a bit and improvised (with cornstarch) to keep the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom and to make the cheese firm enough to stand on its own. With Susanna’s flavor combination and my tweaks to bring it closer to a classic “cheesecake”, I hope to have brought a recipe that will turn into a must-make pressure cooker classic.
Kiaiii!
More cheesecake variations
The untold secret of pressure cooker cheesecakes, besides the ones I will reveal to you shortly, is that no actual “conversion” is necessary for the pressure cooker. You can use any conventional cheesecake recipe in the pressure cooker without any changes to the ingredients or quantities – the changes are literally just the container in which the cheesecake is cooked in and how it is cooked.
So, what is your absolute favorite conventional cheesecake recipe?! Let us know or link to it below, in the comments!
| Pressure Cooker | Accessories | Pr. Cook Time | Pr. Level | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 L or larger | steamer basket, heat-proof bowl(s) | 30 min. | High(2) | Natural |
(per serving)
- Serves: 1 cheesecake
- Serving size: 1/16th
- Calories: 332.2
- TOTAL Fat: 22.9g
- TOTAL Carbs: 25.9g
- Sugar Carbs: 18.9g
- Sodium: 44.8mg
- Fiber Carbs: 1.3g
- Protein: 6.3g
- Cholesterol: 81.1mg
- 5 tablespoons (75g) butter
- 1.75 ounces (50g) Amaretti cookies or biscotti, crumbled
- 1.75 ounces (50g) Digestive cookies or gram crackers, crumbled
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
- ½ cup (75g) mini un-sweetened chocolate chips, divided
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250g) mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup (250g) ricotta cheese
- 2 cups (500ml) water
- Melt the butter and mix the cookie crumbs into the butter.
- Pour the crumb mixture into the cheesecake mold and, using a flat-bottomed glass, press into an even layer. Pace the mold into the freezer.
- Add three large pinches of cornstarch to the chocolate chips and mix well. Set aside.
- Prepare the pressure cooker base by pouring in 2 cups of water and add a steamer basket or rack.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugar and, using a fork, mix until the egg break-up.
- To the mixing bowl add the cinnamon, vanilla, mascarpone and ricotta cheeses, and the remainder of the cornstarch. Mix the ingredients until well combined.
- Fold in half of the starch-covered chocolate chips and pour the cheese mixture into the container with the cookie crumb crust.
- Sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips and lower into the pressure cooker, onto the rack or steamer basket, uncovered.
- Close the lid and set the valve to pressure cooking position.
- Electric pressure cookers and stove top pressure cookers: Cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.
- When time is up, open the pressure cooker with the Natural pressure release.
Electric pressure cookers: Disengage the “keep warm” mode, or unplug the cooker, and open the lid when the pressure indicator/lid-lock has gone down (about 20 to 30 minutes).
Stovetop pressure cookers: Move the cooker off the burner and wait for the pressure to come down on its own (about 10 minutes). - Dab the top of the cake with paper towels to remove condensation and let cool before refrigerating.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before unmolding and serving.
What do you do with the second half of the chocolate chips?
Hi Susan, welcome! It says right on the next step to sprinkle them on top. ; )
Ciao,
L
Hi Laura,
…but somehow the chocolate chips have been turned into *bread crumbs* in step 8, and you haven’t revealed the magic-wand gestures and incantation that bring about the transformation! :-)
Thanks Stuart, Guess there’s still some life left in them….
OMG… Hahaha! I turned them back into chips. What a hysterical error. That’s my aging BRAIN, Susan!!
Ciao,
L
Must has missed that with these aging eyes! Thanks
This sounds amazing and I’m definitely going to try it but I’m a little confused. Above the recipe it has the little chart that says cook time 5-7 minutes but the actual recipe says cook time 30 minutes. What am I missing?
Type-o. Sorry. The correct pressure cooking time is 30 minutes. It’s the same time for both stovetop and electric cookers because the longer time it takes for electrics to release pressure naturally compensates for their lower cooking temperature/pressure.
Ciao,
L
What size silicon cake pan did you use for the cheesecake. I don’t have one so I’ll need to buy it. Your Vanilla Pots de Creme from your cookbook was so good that I can’t wait to try your cheesecake! Thanks.
airoldi, it’s an 8″ silicone pan. The one I used is from the Fagor America expansion kit that comes with the rack, too. The Fagor kit can be purchased only directly from them at this link (not an affiliate link):
https://www.fagoramerica.com/shop2/accessories
I also found similar 8″ silicone molds on amazon, which I link to from here (look at the “cake pans” category):
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-accessory-forms-and-molds/
Ciao,
L
Hello Laura, since I have to eat grain free and low carb , I am planning to replace the cornstarch with some cream cheese . Would that work ? I am preparing this recipe without the crust too . I am not a fan of chocolate ( I know I am really weird ), instead I will use raisins (which I should not – high carb ) but that is a German addition and so good ! Please excuse me for messing with your recipe !
I love your big book and I would be over the moon happy if my fancy Instapot came to high pressure , it decided to only cook on low , after it worked fine for only three times !
Thank you in advance for your response !
Barbara, you would have to replace either all of the Mascarpone or the Ricotta with cream cheese in order to not use the cornstarch.
Ciao,
L
What about using Tapioca starch or Arrowroot starch instead? I have had great results substituting Arrowroot for cornstarch in other recipes. Plus Tapioca comes from the Cassava root so it’s not a grain.
Absolutely, you can use any starch for this recipe.
Ciao,
L
Can this recipe be doubled in an 8” Fat Daddio spring form pan? How long do I cook it?
The recipe is for an 8″ form. You don’t need to double it. : )
Ciao,
L
Was this done in a 6-quart electric pressure cooker? Also, what size silicon pan did you use? The link takes us to an 8-inch pan. Will that fit into a 6-quart IP?
Ginny your 6-quart Instant Pot has a liner that is 8.5″ wide, so an 8″ set will fit. In the video, I’m using a 6qt LUX – the set will fit similarly in your Instant Pot.
Ciao,
L
I love your Hip Pressure Cooking School and I love Cheesecake. When I purchased my Gourmia 8 qt Pressure Cooker, I had no idea that you could make Cheesecake in it. You mentioned that different baking pan materials affected cooking time. If I were to make this cheesecake in an 8″ aluminum cake pan, does the cooking time change? I have a silicone pan on order. I’ve been making stews, soups and wild rice. I love the shortened cooking times. My next project will be this Cheesecake. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to easily find Mascapone and Ricotta cheese in Honolulu, Hawaii, but a restaurant supply store, Chef Zone had both, and they are almost nextdoor to where I work.
Hi – This looks delicious! The remaining corn starch (after the three pinches in the chips) is not mentioned later in the recipe. I assume it goes in the batter. When do I add it?
Can’t wait to make this!
Oops, that’s supposed to be in step 6. I have added it to the recipe. If you watch the video you’ll see where the cornstarch is being used. Have fun!
Ciao,
L