Have your cake and eat it too! This flourless and moist cheesecake made with Corsican cheese brocciu (or ricotta), eggs, and lemon zest is a traditional cake of this lovely Mediterranean island.
You can easily turn this naturally gluten-free and low in carbs cake into a complete guilt-free dessert by replacing refined sugar with a sugar substitute.
Throughout history, Corsica has been tossed around like a ping-pong ball and was continuously occupied since the Mesolithic era. It was ruled by Republic of Genoa, Italy, Britain, France, occupied by British again, and it was even briefly independent but ultimately sold to the French.
If it were a car, it would be a lemon. Wonder if that's why this lemon cheesecake, aka fiadone, is their signature cake.
For the longest, Corsicans felt closer to Italy than France, and not only geographically. During the first half of the 19th century, the people of Corsica belonged still to the Italian cultural world.
Corsicans stared having a stronger attraction to France mid-century due to the knowledge of the French language, which thanks to the mandatory primary school started to penetrate among the local youth.
Napoleon's existence alone constituted an everlasting link between France and Corsica. He was born in the island's capital.
I don't know about you, but history fascinates me. When you're this old and have lived in three countries, your memories are also of historical size, lol. Thus an occasional blast from the past. You probably remember it from the recent Cuban grilled salmon post.
I especially like ancient history. Being a GENEALOGY nerd, I love discovering and analyzing migrations of my ancestors and I learn a lot along the way.
I like it even more when there's food involved and I learn the origins of a dish. Wouldn't you like to be able to travel back in time and find out who came up with this popular family cake of Corsica? I certainly would. I'd just have to rebrand my blog then to something like Flashback Jas, ha!
Thanks to the Corsican with a sweet tooth who, with meager ingredients, whipped up this delicious cheesecake, my family truly indulged in it and I know yours will too. Like the island itself, it is partially a product of French and Italian influences.
Baked in a fun shaped mold (like the flower one I found at Aldi's), it makes a perfect treat to bring to Mother's Day brunch. It is light, cheerful, and delectable.
Ingredients:
- ricotta or Corsican brocciu cheese
- eggs
- sugar
- lemons
- vanilla extract
- salt
Step by step instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- With an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cheese, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low speed until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a greased 9-inch round cake pan (or flower-shaped silicone mold), and bake until the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. If baked in a pan, run a knife around to loosen.
- Let cool completely then turn over onto a serving plate and chill for at least an hour (the colder the better).
- Serve topped with whipped cream if desired.
Corsican Lemon Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ricotta or Corsican brocciu cheese
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- With an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cheese, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low speed until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a greased 9-inch round cake pan (or flower shaped silicone mold), and bake until the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. If baked in a pan, run a knife around to loosen.
- Let cool completely then turn over onto a serving plate and chill for at least an hour (the colder the better).
- Serve topped with whipped cream if desired.
April J Harris says
What a beautiful cheesecake, Jas! I'm really interested in genealogy and family food history too, so I know what you mean. I like that this recipe uses Ricotta. It's perfect for any celebration. Pinning and sharing. Thank you so much for sharing, and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party.
Jas says
Hi, April! Thank you so much for stopping in and commenting every time! Genealogy is such a time sucker, but I love getting lost in its research 🙂 Hope your week is off to a great start! XO
Amy says
You deserved to be featured on Sugar & Spice. Congratulations!
Jas says
Amy, I'm really grateful for the feature! XO
Miz Helen says
Your Corsican-Lemon Cheesecake looks fabulous, a very special cheesecake! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday for the party this week. Hope you have a great week and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Jas says
Thanks a bunch, Miz Helen!
Amy says
Your pictures are always so pretty! I love cheesecake and I love lemon so I’m definitely going to have to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing at Sew It Cook it Craft it link party.
Jas says
Amy, thank you, it means so much! XO
Sandra L Garth says
Our Aldi's needs to step up their game, I've never seen a pan like this in our store. Regardless of the pan shape I'm looking forward to making this it looks very good. Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, and I hope your week is going great.
Jas says
I don't think it's a regular item, but with Mother's Day coming I think they have special offers. It was inexpensive too, so I had to have it. 🙂
Lisa says
This looks delicious. I love the idea of baking it in the flower mold --makes it so pretty. Thanks for the recipe. Pinned it!
Jas says
Thank you much, Lisa! It's the little things... 🙂
Linda on Poinsettia Drive says
What a beautiful cheese cake Jas. I've never seen or heard of this recipe before. I must share.
Jas says
Please do, Linda! I hope you'll try it too 😀 Thank you very much for stopping in. x
frugal hausfrau says
Oh my that cake is gorgeous! Brocciu sounds like a lovely cheese. I had to look it up. I sometimes am a little jealous of the huge variety of items that are available everywhere while in the US everything seems the same. Or at least maybe if you're not actively searching and mail ordering!
Happy FF, Jaz
Mollie
Jas says
I agree, Mollie. If I'm lucky, our local store will have international cheeses but usually never the one I need, ha! I'm even having a hard time finding Mexican guava paste. 🙁
Debbie says
Hi Jas, cheesecake is one of my favourite desserts and this is one I've not heard of before, so will be pinning to try in the future. I am hopeless at history, I enjoy taking it in at the time, but soon get my facts muddled. Zakynthos, where I live is full of history, the island was occupied by the Turks and the Venetians at different times. And their mark has been left.
Popped over from#SweetInspirations
Jas says
What a beautiful place to live, Debbie! I'm super jealous. It's on my bucket list!
Europe is full of history and although I cared less about it while in school I enjoy learning about it now. It started with my displacement and trying to accept that the country I was born and raised in is no longer the same country. It helped to know that it was changing during the history, from being independent to being occupied by the Turks, the Austro-Hungarians, as a part of different regions, and then independent again.
Beverly says
This looks like a slice of creamy deliciousness, Jas! Pinning. Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle Party!
Jas says
Thank you, Beverly! We like it a lot 🙂
Cate says
I love trying different kind of cheesecakes, and anything with lemon, so I definitely will give this one a try. I also love the cake mold you used! Pinning now…
Jas says
Thank you, Cate! We should be best friends, lol. I'm obsessed with cheesecakes, especially fusions. Perhaps you'll find some you like from my small collection here. 😀
laura says
mmmm this sounds so interesting! I love your cake pan!
Jas says
Thanks much, Laura! Cakes come out so easily from silicone molds, but they do need to be placed on a baking sheet or the batter would be everywhere before it reaches the oven, lol.
Anna nuttall says
Jas this is just the perfect lemon cheesecake - ever! Perfect for spring and warmer weather. Thank you for this recipe. xx
Jas says
Awe, thank you, Anna! I think so too. It'so light and refreshing. Hope your weekend is super! x
The Girl Next Door says
Ooh, the cheesecake looks just lovely!
I love desserts with lemon in them, and would love a bite of this! 🙂
Jas says
Thank you so much!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Absolutely Stunning Jas! Loving the texture of this cake with just a handful of ingredients and love that mould too. We are huge lemon fans. Can't wait to try this recipe. Pinning!
Jas says
Thank you, Bobbi! Hope you'll like it as much as we did. Hope you're having a lovely weekend.
Mrs Shoes says
I'd really like to try this one, but here in Canada all the containers are marked in metric. I don't own a kitchen scale - I guess I am just not that serious of a cook, but I'd still like to try this recipe if I didn't have to haul the bathroom scale into the kitchen and bleach it down just to weigh cheese.
Is it possible to note the amount of cheese in cups?
Jas says
Hi, Mrs Shoes. Of course, I'm also more comfortable with metric. So, one kilo ricotta would be about 3 1/2 cups. You can use 4 cups. You really can't mess it up 🙂 Just make sure your pan is deep enough like a regular cake pan, not a pie dish. Happy baking!