Sicilian Baked Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe – Authentic Italian Easter Dessert

Learn how to make authentic Sicilian baked ricotta cheesecake (Crostata di Ricotta), one of Italy’s traditional Easter desserts, delicately flavored with cinnamon, orange zest, and chocolate.

EASTER MORNING, THE ITALIAN WAY

Christmas may be Italy’s biggest family holiday, but Easter breakfast is its most unexpected feast.

Instead of a quick coffee before lunch, Italian tables fill with sweet breads, savory pies, cheeses, cured meats, boiled eggs, and regional cakes.

Every part of Italy contributes something different.

Lombardy brings Colomba.

Rome prepares Pizza Pasquale.

Naples bakes Casatiello.

Perugia has its famous cheese bread.

And Sicily offers beautiful ricotta desserts like this baked ricotta pie.

It’s one of those mornings when breakfast quietly becomes lunch.

Sicilian baked ricotta cheesecake recipe
Sicilian Easter ricotta pie

WHAT MAKES SICILIAN RICOTTA PIE DIFFERENT?

Although often called an Italian ricotta cheesecake abroad, this dessert is actually much closer to a crostata.

Instead of a biscuit base, it uses fragrant pasta frolla, filled with sweetened sheep’s milk ricotta scented with cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest, and chocolate chips.

The result is lighter than many cheesecakes and unmistakably Sicilian.

If you can find sheep’s milk ricotta, it’s well worth using—it gives the filling its characteristic richness and delicate flavor.

HOW TO MAKE SICILIAN BAKED RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Prepare the shortcrust pastry first and let it rest while you make the filling.

Then simply line the pan, add the ricotta mixture, decorate with the traditional lattice, and bake until beautifully golden.

Like many Italian pastries, it’s even better after resting for a few hours.

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Authentic Sicilian Baked Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe

Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6
Author Claudia Rinaldi | Gourmet Project

Ingredients

for the pasta frolla

  • 10.6 oz 0 flour 300 gr
  • 5.3 oz butter 150 gr - fridge-cold
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 5.3 oz confectionary sugar 150 gr
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 vanilla bean

for the filling

  • 21 oz ricotta 600 gr - sheep ricotta if possible
  • 5.6 oz sugar 160 gr
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 orange zest
  • 2.5 oz chocolate chips 70 gr
  • a few drops of milk
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon confectionary sugar
  • a 9-inch cake or pie mold

Instructions

Making the pasta frolla

  1. In a stand mixer (low/medium speed, kneading hook attached), mix the butter, sugar, and honey.

  2. Beat the egg yolks and salt in a small cup, then add to the mixer bowl. Mix briefly.

  3. Scrape the vanilla bean and add the seeds. Mix again.

  4. Sift the flour twice and add it to the bowl. Mix just until the dough forms and no longer sticks to your hands.

  5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preparing the filling

  1. In a large bowl, smooth the ricotta using a wooden spoon.

  2. Mix in the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, chocolate chips, and orange zest.

Assembling and baking

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

  2. Roll out the dough and cut out a 10-inch disc. (Tip: Rolling it on parchment paper makes transferring easier.)

  3. Cut out ½- to 1-inch strips from the remaining dough.

  4. Place the dough disc into the mold and prick the bottom with a fork.

  5. Pour in the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Arrange the dough strips over the filling in a lattice pattern.

  6. Brush the surface with a mixture of beaten egg and milk.

  7. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden.

  8. Let cool, then sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Enjoy your Sicilian Easter ricotta pie—a taste of tradition in every bite!

Claudia