Squacquerone Cheesecake! A sweet and simple European-style cheesecake, made with delicious squacquerone cheese.
 |
| Squacquerone Cheesecake |
Hello hello! Happy new year everybody! I hope everybody had a nice Christmas and New Years, wherever you are in the world, and I hope you are keeping safe and well.
I'm starting off this year's posts with a sweet little cheesecake recipe! I made this cheesecake with a new (to me) cheese: squacquerone. Late last year That's Amore Cheese contacted me, asking if I wanted to try some squacquerone and potentially try making a cheesecake with it. (Clearly, my love for cheesecake is a very strong part of my brand). The answer was, obviously, yes.
 |
| Squacquerone |
So, squacquerone. I've learned that it is a fresh cheese from the Emilia Romagna region in Italy, which is ultra soft and wobbly, with a mild tangy taste. It's kinda like a mix between cream cheese, mascarpone and ricotta. In other words, delicious! I believe the traditional way to eat it in Emilia Romagna is in a piadina with rocket and prosciutto (YUM), but it's also nice spread on crusty bread, or (duh) in cheesecake!
I baked a simple cheesecake with the squacquerone, making a scaled down, small-batch, version of my favourite German cheesecake (which is traditionally made with quark). The squacquerone worked really well, making a light textured, tangy cheesecake. If you can get your hands on some squacquerone, definitely give it a go! It's the type of simple and delicious cake that would be equally welcome as dessert, afternoon tea, a snack, or even breakfast with a nice strong coffee.
Here are some other things I made and ate with the rest of the squacquerone:
Spread on crusty bread for breakfast. (Especially delicious with excellent fruit toast).
 |
| Squacquerone and Toast |
This was part of a more generous weekend breakfast spread where we had cheesecake, fresh fruit and coffee.
 |
| Squacquerone Breakfast |
I also made a couple of pizzas with it! The cheese melts really well and goes lovely and brown in the oven. (I used the Nigella recipe for pizza cassereccia from How to be a Domestic Goddess for the base). I did one with loads of toppings - tomato ragu, mushrooms, prosciutto, salami and squacquerone...
 |
| Squacquerone and Prosciutto Salami Mushroom Pizza |
...and a simpler one with garlic butter, parsley and the squacquerone. Zomg, delicious!
 |
| Garlic Squacquerone Pizza |
So garlicky. So cheesy. I'm in love!
 |
| Garlic Squacquerone Pizza |
I served the garlic bread with cold cuts, rocket and more fresh squacquerone. (Inspired by to the traditional rocket-proscuitto-squacquerone flavour combo). Love this idea for a relaxed weekend lunch with drinks!
 |
| Squacquerone Garlic Pizza and Cold Cuts |
But back to the original point of the post - the cheesecake! It's a very easy affair, using the all-in-one method, and no water bath required. The only thing I would caution is to place a tray under the springform if yours isn't watertight, to catch any drips that might come from the pan. Otherwise, have fun!
 |
| Squacquerone Cheesecake |
Enjoy!
Squacquerone CheesecakeA recipe by Sarah CooksIngredients50 grams flour125 grams caster sugar100 grams softened butter3 eggsZest and juice of 1/2 a lemon1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon baking powder500 grams squacquerone cheese, at room temperatureA few tablespoons breadcrumbs and extra butter, to prepare the tinMethodPreheat the oven to 170C.Place all ingredients (apart from the breadcrumbs and extra butter) in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until combined.Butter the base and sides a 20cm springform tin and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, turning the pan to coat the base and sides with a thin layer of breadcrumbs. Discard any excess.Scrape the cheesecake mixture into the tin and level the top with a spatula or palette knife.Place the springform tin onto a baking tray (to catch any drips or leaks) and put in the oven.Bake for 30-45 minutes or until just set. You may need to cover with foil halfway through to prevent it from burning.Allow to cool completely before gently springing from the tin.Makes 1 x 20cm cheesecake
Have you made this recipe? Leave a comment below! Tag me on Instagram @sarahcooksblog and hashtag #sarahcooksblog
Sarah received complimentary squacquerone from That's Amore Cheese but was not compensated nor obliged to blog or post about it.
Posts
0 comments