Enjoy these deliciously moist Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins for a weekend brunch or to make ahead for a grab-and-go weekday breakfast. Filled with bananas, English walnuts, and topped with coconut to give the muffins a nice crunchy top.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread is moist and tender, flavored with pumpkin puree and yummy mini chocolate chips. It’s lovely with a cup of coffee or to serve at your next tea party!
This Ricotta Cheesecake with Apple Topping is so delicious. It uses my base recipe for Italian Cheesecake, but is perfect for fall with bits of sweet apple topping, English walnuts, and drizzled with caramel sauce. So good. My family loves it.
(New photos added to this recipe on 11/2/21)
This type of Italian dessert is so easy to put together, too. I love how the semolina flour makes a light self-forming crust. Much easier than making a graham cracker crust.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Coat the bottom and sides of a 9″ springform pan with cooking spray, then dust pan with about 2 tablespoons semolina flour, tapping out the excess.
In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup sugar and the lemon zest. Process until moist about 15 seconds.
Processing the sugar and lemon zest will bring even more lemon scent and flavor to this cheesecake.
Add the ricotta and cream cheese and process until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed.
Mix in the semolina flour, egg yolks, apple juice, lemon juice, and salt. Process again until combined about 15 seconds. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium high until light and foamy. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and whip on high until they form firm peaks about 2-3 minutes.
Add a third of the egg whites to the cheese mixture, stirring until combined. Lightly fold in the remaining egg whites until just incorporated.
Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Lightly tap the pan once on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the cake is just set, but still jiggles when shaken. (It is okay for an Italian cheesecake to crack on top, as this is part of its settling process.)
Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for another 2 hours before removing from pan.
Core, peel, and dice one large apple into small pieces. I used a Jonathan apple, but Granny Smith or Golden Delicious, or even our favorite, Honey Crisp would work as well.
In a small saucepan, combine diced apple, brown sugar, lemon juice, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until the apples are nice and tender and the sauce has thickened just slightly. Cool completely.
Serve individual slices of cheesecake with apple topping, and English walnuts (if desired). If you’re not into nuts, don’t use them. But I highly encourage you to drizzle each serving with caramel sauce. Yum!
This recipe will serve 8-10 people.
See more Desserts Here. See more Italian Recipes Here.
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