Cheesecake aux amaretti et au café

Ingrédients

• 1/2 cup (90g) unsalted butter
• 7 oz. (200g) amaretti biscuits
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 4 platinum-grade gelatine sheets (about 1/6oz/8g) or 1/2 oz (16g) standard powdered gelatine
• 4 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1/2 cup (100g) hot water
• 1 cup (250g) mascarpone, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120g) ricotta, drained and at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (100g) icing (confectioner’s) sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3 tbsp. (40g) Kahlúa coffee liqueur
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (200g) whipping (heavy) cream (35–40% fat), cold
• 12 amaretti, to decorate

Préparation

1. 1

   Line the base of the tin with baking paper. Place the gelatine sheets in a small bowl and cover them with cold water; leave to soak for about 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Put the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and melt it in the microwave: 30–40 seconds should be enough. Set aside to cool.

3. 3

   Put the amaretti and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until they resemble sand. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the melted butter. Mix to moisten the crushed amaretti fully, then tip the mixture into the lined tin. Press it down firmly using the back of a spoon or the bottom of a cup. Put in the fridge to set.

4. 4

   Dissolve the coffee in the hot water, drain the soaked gelatine and dissolve the sheets in the hot coffee by whisking energetically for a few seconds. Set aside to cool.

5. 5

   Put the mascarpone, ricotta, sugar and vanilla in a bowl large enough to accommodate all the ingredients, then whisk by hand or with a handheld electric whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Add the cooled coffee mixture and the coffee liqueur and whisk again until well combined.

6. 6

   Put the whipping cream in another bowl and whisk until it forms soft peaks. Do not overbeat or it will curdle: stop as soon as the surface changes from shiny to dull. Use a silicone spatula to gently fold the cream into the mascarpone-coffee mixture in three batches.

7. 7

   Pour or spoon the mixture over the biscuit base, level it off with the back of a spoon or, better, with a small offset spatula, then chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight.

8. 8

   When ready to serve, loosen the sides of the cheesecake with a small knife, remove the ring of the tin and transfer the cake to a serving plate. Decorate the top with amaretti. Cheesecake caffè e amaretti keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge.