GF Almond, Orange, Chocolate-Chip Cannoli Cheesecake

Aurelia Brogan
Nov 23, 2020
3 min read

Almond, Orange, Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cheesecake

A cheesecake meets a cannoli and they live happily ever after in this special dessert! The chocolatey-crunchy almond topping, the orangey-honey glaze, the hint of Amaretto…each little bite is smooth, creamy, crunchy and reminiscent of a cannoli. Even though I can't be with family this year, eating this reminds me of my Italian heritage and our family holidays together. Food has a way of giving us comfort in that way. Since I didn't want traditional pie with gluten free crust this Thanksgiving, I decided to make this gluten free delight. It's delicious enough for everyone to enjoy, and not just a whole gluten free pie that only I would probably eat alone. This would be perfect for a beautiful Italian-inspired Christmas dessert too. Next year when we have company over again, I'll make this lovely cake again. It's not too complex and the steps can be broken up when you little bits of time over a couple of days. Or you could do it all at once. I made the crust the night before (much like I do with all my pies) and took a couple of shortcuts so that I could spend time making all the elements stand out. This is smaller than a regular size cheesecake, but even still it's quite large even for 4 people. I read somewhere that you can also freeze cheesecake if you have a lot left over, so I think I'll try that with half of this cake. I'll let you know how it is at Christmas when I defrost it. Wherever you are Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you Happy and Safe Holidays!

Course: cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Cannoli, cannoli cheesecake, Cheesecake, chocolate chips, Cream cheese, Easter Gluten free, GF Cookies, Orange, Ricotta

Servings: 8

Ingredients

Candied Almond Crunch

1 cup almonds
1/2 cup pecans
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp sugar

Gluten Free Graham Cracker Candied Almond Crust

4 1.41 oz packages Nairn's gluten free graham crackers– or 5.5 oz approximately of another brand.
3 tbsp butter
1 cup candied almond crunch-you can use store-bought candied almonds if you need to save time.

Filling

16 ounces Cream cheese- not too cold
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 eggs
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp amaretto liquor
zest from one orange
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Honey Orange Glaze

2 tbsp honey
juice from one orange

Other ingredients for topping

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup almond crunch
2 tbsp orange glaze

Instructions

Almond Crunch

Mix all ingredients in a small pan over the stove on medium-high heat. Cook for 3 minutes until bubbly and syrup has begun to coat the nuts.

Transfer to a tin-foil lined small cookie sheet and pop these in your oven or toaster oven at 350° for 8-10 more minutes until roasted and syrup is almost gone. This should yield 1 cup for your crust, and a bit more to reserve for your topping.

Crust

In a food processor add all ingredients and pulse.

Place in a spring form pan and press with a bottom of a measuring cup or glass until it is compact and beginning to go up the sides of the pan about an inch.Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes until golden, but do not overcook or burn.

Filling

Beat the cream cheese until smooth about 3 minutes, scraping the edges of the bowl so it all has the same consistency and you don't get lumps. Add the sugar and beat another 3 minutes until fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating in between and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the ricotta and mix again until blended.

Place 1/2 the cornstarch and liquid flavorings and zest in a small bowl to dissolve the cornstarch. Add this to your mixture and blend. Mix the other 1/2 of cornstarch in chocolate chips and mix that into your batter.

Cover the outside of your springform pan with tin foil so that the cheesecake doesn't seep out. Pour filling into cooled shell and bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the middle is just a tiny bit jiggly but it is set. (Your oven may vary in terms of time, so check it at 1 hour.) I turned off the oven, opened the door a large crack and let mine set for another 15 minutes to firmly set the cake. Skip this step if you like it more creamy and less firm.