By Lindy Van Schalkwyk, last updated on November 2, 2024
If you are looking for a new extravagant dessert idea, then you have to try our luscious flavor-packed Italian Amaretto cheesecake recipe!
This is only one of many amazing cheesecake recipes that we have on our site. So, make sure to go have a look at them all!
What Is An Italian Amaretto Cheesecake Recipe?
Amaretto is a sweet Italian liqueur that is often made from apricot kernels, bitter almonds, or peach pits. The liqueur is popular for sweet desserts as it breaks up the flavors while enhancing undertones.
For this recipe, we decided to make a delicious crust with Amaretti cookies, filled with an Amaretto cheesecake filling. And, we have decided to top it all off white a white chocolate frosting and decorations.
Now, it is easy to add more Amaretto to the frosting if you’d like to, but for kids, we don’t recommend it without the alcohol being cooked off.
What Do You Need To Make This Italian Amaretto Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients for the Crust
- 15 ounces Amaretti cookies
- 3/4 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoons fine caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for the Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 16 ounces full-fat mascarpone cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup fine caster sugar
- 1/3 cup Amaretto liqueur
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
Ingredients for the White Chocolate Frosting and Garnish
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- White chocolate balls, for garnish
Equipment
- 10-inch springform cake pan
- Non-stick baking paper
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food processor, optional
- Mixing bowls
- Electric or hand mixer
- Rubber or silicone spatula or bowl scraper
- Cooling rack
- Plastic wrap
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
Italian Amaretto Cheesecake Recipe – Step By Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Amaretti Cookie Crust
Before you start, preheat your oven to 320ºF (160ºC). Then, line a springform cake pan with non-stick baking paper and cooking spray. Set these aside.
To make the crust, add the cookies to a food processor and pulse until you have a uniform fine crumb. Then, add the remaining ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
Press the crumbs into your lined baking pan and even it out with the back of a flat cup or measuring spoon. Then, partially bake the crust for 8 minutes. Once baked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature.
Step 2: Make the Cheesecake Filling
For the cheesecake filling, beat together the cream cheese and mascarpone in a large mixing bowl. You can also add the sugar so that it dissolves as you beat the soft cheeses. Beat for roughly 3 minutes or until the mixture becomes fluffy.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the Amaretto liqueur and the cornstarch to make a smooth slurry. Then, add the slurry to your beaten cream cheese mixture along with the vanilla extract and fine salt.
Once mixed well, add one egg to the mixture. Beat well until it has almost been fully incorporated. Then, add another egg. Repeat the process until the final egg has been added.
Make sure to been mixing until you have a smooth uniform cheesecake batter.
Step 3: Bake the Cheesecake
Pour your smooth batter into the Amaretti-lined crust. Do not bang the cake pan on the sides. it will remove any air bubbles and create a flat dense cheesecake.
Bake the cheesecake in your preheated oven for roughly 1 hour. Only the center two inches should jiggle if you shake it.
Then, switch the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool for 1 hour. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely at room temperature.
Finally, wrap the entire cheesecake in plastic wrap and allow it to set inside the fridge for at least 8 hours. We recommend leaving it in overnight to ensure it sets correctly.
Step 4: Make the White Chocolate Frosting
While your cheesecake is setting, about 30 minutes before you want to decorate it, start making your frosting and garnishes.
To make this frosting, first, melt together the cream and white chocolate in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir until you have a smooth mixture. Allow this mixture to cool.
In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter on a low speed for roughly 30 seconds or so. Add the vanilla and make sure everything is well combined. Then, add the cooled white chocolate mixture and keep mixing on a low speed. Make sure to scrape the sides to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
Finally, add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time. Continuously scrape down the sides while making the frosting.
Step 5: Assemble your Italian Amaretto Cheesecake Cecipe
To assemble the cheesecake, first, carefully remove it from the springform cake pan. Then, place it on a cake platter or another serving board.
Frost the cheesecake however you’d like. We love piped details around the edges that will enclose your white chocolate garnishes.
Then, garnish the cheesecake with your decorations however you see fit. It will largely depend on the type of garnishes you have.
Read more about The Best Cracker Jack Banana Cheesecake – Quick Easy Recipe
Tips and Tricks For Our Italian Amaretto Cheesecake Recipe
- If you don’t have a food processor, have a look at this tutorial on pulsing ingredients in a similar way. This technique is just as effective and a lot cheaper!
- If your white chocolate frosting is too thick, add a teaspoon of additional heavy cream. Do not add too much at a time, or the frosting will separate. And, if you want to make the frosting thicker, simply add a quarter cup of sifted powdered sugar at a time.
- If you want to make your own white chocolate garnishes but have no idea where to start, this is a fantastic tutorial to look at. It shows you the basics and is a starting point for you to practice some techniques.
- If you’d like, you can make an Amaretto sauce for cheesecake using a simple recipe of cream and liqueur. You can also add some instead of the cream in our recipe above.
Servings And Preparation Times For This Italian Amaretto Cheesecake Recipe
| Preparation Times | Baking Times | Servings |
| 25 minutes | 1 hour | 8-10 |
Italian Amaretto Cheesecake Recipe – In Conclusion
We are sure that you will love this Italian Amaretto cheesecake recipe as much as we do. It is the perfect romantic date night dessert or a guilty pleasure treat!
If you have any other recipes you would like us to make, let us know in the comments below and we will get right to it!
FAQs
[rank_math_rich_snippet id=”s-b3a47d6b-c138-4787-aa53-274bad6557d8″]
Italian Amaretto Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
- 10-inch springform cake pan
- Non-stick baking paper
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food processor, optional
- Mixing bowls
- Electric or hand mixer
- Rubber or silicone spatula or bowl scraper
- Cooling rack
- Plastic wrap
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Crust
- 15 ounces Amaretti cookies
- 3/4 cup salted butter melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoons fine caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for the Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 16 ounces full-fat mascarpone cheese softened at room temperature
- 1 cup fine caster sugar
- 1/3 cup Amaretto liqueur
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 large eggs room temperature
Ingredients for the White Chocolate Frosting and Garnish
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup salted butter softened at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- White chocolate balls for garnish
Instructions
- Before you start, preheat your oven to 320ºF (160ºC). Then, line a springform cake pan with non-stick baking paper and cooking spray. Set these aside.
- To make the crust, add the cookies to a food processor and pulse until you have a uniform fine crumb. Then, add the remaining ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
- Press the crumbs into your lined baking pan and even it out with the back of a flat cup or measuring spoon. Then, partially bake the crust for 8 minutes. Once baked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature.
- For the cheesecake filling, beat together the cream cheese and mascarpone in a large mixing bowl. You can also add the sugar so that it dissolves as you beat the soft cheeses. Beat for roughly 3 minutes or until the mixture becomes fluffy.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the Amaretto liqueur and the cornstarch to make a smooth slurry. Then, add the slurry to your beaten cream cheese mixture along with the vanilla extract and fine salt.
- Once mixed well, add one egg to the mixture. Beat well until it has almost been fully incorporated. Then, add another egg. Repeat the process until the final egg has been added.
- Make sure to been mixing until you have a smooth uniform cheesecake batter.
- Pour your smooth batter into the Amaretti-lined crust. Do not bang the cake pan on the sides. it will remove any air bubbles and create a flat dense cheesecake.
- Bake the cheesecake in your preheated oven for roughly 1 hour. Only the center two inches should jiggle if you shake it.
- Then, switch the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool for 1 hour. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely at room temperature.
- Finally, wrap the entire cheesecake in plastic wrap and allow it to set inside the fridge for at least 8 hours. We recommend leaving it in overnight to ensure it sets correctly.
- Step 4: Make the White Chocolate Frosting
- While your cheesecake is setting, about 30 minutes before you want to decorate it, start making your frosting and garnishes.
- To make this frosting, first, melt together the cream and white chocolate in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir until you have a smooth mixture. Allow this mixture to cool.
- In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter on a low speed for roughly 30 seconds or so. Add the vanilla and make sure everything is well combined. Then, add the cooled white chocolate mixture and keep mixing on a low speed. Make sure to scrape the sides to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
- Finally, add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time. Continuously scrape down the sides while making the frosting.
- To assemble the cheesecake, first, carefully remove it from the springform cake pan. Then, place it on a cake platter or another serving board.
- Frost the cheesecake however you'd like. We love piped details around the edges that will enclose your white chocolate garnishes.
- Then, garnish the cheesecake with your decorations however you see fit. It will largely depend on the type of garnishes you have.
Notes
- If you don't have a food processor, have a look at this tutorial on pulsing ingredients in a similar way. This technique is just as effective and a lot cheaper!
- If your white chocolate frosting is too thick, add a teaspoon of additional heavy cream. Do not add too much at a time, or the frosting will separate. And, if you want to make the frosting thicker, simply add a quarter cup of sifted powdered sugar at a time.
- If you want to make your own white chocolate garnishes but have no idea where to start, this is a fantastic tutorial to look at. It shows you the basics and is a starting point for you to practice some techniques.
- If you'd like, you can make an Amaretto sauce for cheesecake using a simple recipe of cream and liqueur. You can also add some instead of the cream in our recipe above.
Lindy Van Schalkwyk is a culinary specialist with a background in Advanced Cooking, Advanced Pâtisserie, Media Communications and Nutrition. She has gained invaluable experience in the culinary industry having worked in some of the top restaurants in Africa in 2016 and 2017. Her expertise in nutrition has enabled her to develop recipes for special dietary needs. In 2018, Lindy began working in the Food Media industry, focusing on recipe development, recipe writing, food writing and food styling.