Italian Easter Cake Recipe

This is a different sort of cheesecake, more like a pie. It is a traditional dish for Italian families at Easter, but your family and guests will enjoy it no matter what their nationality!

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 3 lbs ricotta cheese
• 6 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons butter

Crust:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2 Add eggs to cheese and then mix in sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and lemon juice.
3 Mix crust ingredients until they form dough.
4 Divide the dough into 2 balls: 2/3 of dough in one and 1/3 in another. On a lightly floured board, roll out the larger ball until it is about 12" long and 16" wide. Place the dough in a 9" x 13" glass baking dish. Press together any cracks with your fingers. Trim the dough so and save any trimmings.
5 Pour the filling into the crust and dot with butter.
6 Roll out the remaining dough and cut into strips. Criss-cross the dough in a wide lattice formation over the top of the filling., like a lattice pie crust.
7 Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the cheese comes out clean.
8 Serve at room temperature.