Lush, creamy, amaretto-spiked mascarpone cheesecake — topped with your favorite fresh fruits of the season. Infinitely riffable via the fresh fruits topping - it's the boozy cheesecake I love making all year long.
This is my riff on a recipe from Ottolenghi & Helen's book Sweet — massively simplified edition. The mix of mascarpone and cream cheese makes it taste exceptionally light, especially considering there's 5 eggs in there.
What Makes This Mascarpone Cheesecake Worth Making
- Ground almonds in the crust — adds a nutty twist to the classic graham cracker crust.
- Blind baking the crust keeps it from getting soggy when the batter goes in. Don't skip it.
- 2 parts mascarpone to 1 part cream cheese — that ratio is what makes the filling taste exceptionally light.
- Room temp ingredients are non-negotiable. Having all the ingredients come to room temp before mixing together ensures that the batter will be silky and smooth.
- Amaretto liquor, made from a base of apricot kernels and bitter almonds, enhances the flavor of the almonds in the crust and the almond extract in the batter.
- The batter quickly and easily comes together in a food processor. No fuss.
- No water bath. Baked directly in the oven.
- The fruit topping is the riff — making the cheesecake adaptable to every season so we can enjoy it all year long. Stone fruit in summer, figs and pears in fall, citrus in winter, strawberries in spring. If it's a fruit, it can go on top.
- Cool it completely before slicing — it needs time to firm up so it slices clean. Worth the wait.
I’m all about playing with seasonal variations and this cheesecake becomes the perfect slightly tangy, sweet, and boozy treat, ready to be topped with so many seasonal possibilities.
How to Make this Amaretto & Mascarpone Cheesecake
- Cream cheese, mascarpone, and eggs all need to come to room temp first — at least 30 minutes out of the fridge. Cold ingredients = lumpy batter.
- Crust and filling both come together in a food processor.
- Bake in a springform pan.
- Let the cheesecake cool completely for clean slicing.
Here's the Amaretto Mascarpone batter poured into the springform pan, all ready to be baked:
Cheesecake is all done and ready to be topped!
The topping is just fruit — whole, halved, or sliced — roasted for 25 min, then sprinkled with sugar, drizzled with amaretto and water, and roasted for another 10 min. Done.
In the summer, try stone fruit and berries. In the fall, try apples, figs and pears. In the winter, try candied citrus slices. In the spring, try strawberries and rhubarb. If it's a fruit, it can be a topping for this cheesecake!
Cooks Tips
- Cream cheese and mascarpone must be completely softened. Firm cream cheese will not produce a smooth batter.
- For clean slicing, let the cheesecake cool completely (at least 3 hours and up to overnight). Wipe the knife between cuts.
- Get creative choosing your fruit topping — it's a choose-your-own cheesecake adventure.
To date, I’ve topped this cheesecake with:
plums & sliced almonds
figs & sliced almonds
balsamic roasted strawberries (3 ingredients mentioned above + balsamic)
and we shall see what fruit inspiration the upcoming winter season shall bring!
This cheesecake is as good to look at as it is to eat!
Stoked on cheesecake? Same! Check out my No-Bake Cheesecake, and Purple Sweet Potato Cheesecake.
If ya try this recipe, I'd love to hear about it - leave a comment below and let me know, and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too.
Keep exploring for more seasonal recipes and colorful produce guides designed to inspire ya to play in the kitchen.
Let’s make waves in the kitchen.
Amaretto & Mascarpone Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 10 graham crackers
- 1/2 cup sliced roasted almonds set aside 1 tablespoon
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Cheesecake
- 16 oz mascarpone
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 5 eggs lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup amaretto
- 1 orange zest & juice
- 1/2 pod vanilla bean, scraped can sub with 1 1/2 teaspoons of extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- pinch kosher salt
Fruit Topping
- fruit of choice around 12 small stone fruits or 1-2 pints of berries/figs
- 1 tablespoon amaretto
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sliced & roasted almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
- Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until small crumbs are beginning to form. Add the almonds, salt and sugar and melted butter; pulse until all is incorporated.
- Press the graham cracker almond mixture into the bottom and sides of the springform pan. Chill the crust in the fridge for 15 minutes, then bake for 10. Allow the crust to cool completely. Lower the oven to 350 F degrees.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the mascarpone, cream cheese, Amaretto, vanilla bean (or extract), almond extract, sugar, zest and juice of 1 orange, and a pinch of salt. Pulse, scraping down the sides as needed, and run again, slowly adding the eggs and running until all ingredients are mixed together.
- Pour the mascarpone cheesecake mixture over the cooled crust. Bake at 350 for 1 hr and 5-15min. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight to set. (Cheesecake can be stored, chilled, for up to 3 days).
- When ready to serve, pre-heat oven to 400 degreese. Spread fruit of choice, cut side up, on tray. If using berries, there may not be a need to cut. Roast for about 25 minutes, or unit fruit is soft.
- Take out of oven, sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with amaretto and 1 tbsp of water. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set fruit aside until cool enough to handle.
- When fruit is cool enough to handle, spoon mixture over the center of the cheesecake. Sprinkle with reserved almond slices and enjoy.
Notes
- Cream cheese and mascarpone must be completely softened. Firm cream cheese will not produce a smooth batter.
- For clean slicing, let the cheesecake cool completely (at least 3 hours and up to overnight). Wipe the knife between cuts.
- Get creative choosing your fruit topping - it's a choose-your-own cheesecake adventure.
Just remembering eating this delicious cake my mouth is mouthwatering ??????
You are too cute!!! That was so fun when I made this for ya :). You ate the fig one! ??
Honey wants to know how to subscribe to your blog!
Thank you!!! There’s a sign up bar on the bottom of my homepage :). Let me know if she has any issues. Love and appreciate it! ?
You've cooked that cheesecake perfectly. It looks so good! I must try it!
Thank ya so much!!! Really appreciate it :). And would love to know how it goes for you when ya try it! ✨
It looks amazing, Daniela! I can guarantee you that I'm going to be making this soon! I can't thank you enough for sharing this!
Absolute pleasure!!! Thanks so much for the feedback! And please let me know how it comes out when ya make it! And what fruit you choose to top it with :). ?
Absolutely gorgeous dessert! Who needs a centerpiece around the holiday when you can have this gorgeous dessert in the middle of your table! Pinned!
Thank ya so much!!! Please let me know what you end up topping it with if you make it! So many fun options! Can even add some roasted cranberries to really Holiday it up :). ?❤️?
I love cheese and surely this is for me. So gorgeous and love the option of seasonal fruits to it. Everything in this recipe to super delicious.
Thank ya so much Veena!!! Love and appreciate the feedback and would absolutely love to hear your thoughts if ya make it :). Def wanted to make this cake adaptable to each and every season hence hence the versatility in fruit topping! 💜😘
Wow! This cheesecake looks absolutely delicious! And your photos are stunning too!
Thanks so much for the sweet feedback Michelle!!! Love and appreciate it :).
Such a gorgeous cheesecake! I love the addition of ground almonds in the graham crust. The fruit toppings are all beautiful, too!
Thanks so much Colleen! Yes the almonds add such a delicious touch to the crust! Thanks so much for the feedback ~ really appreciate it :)!
This looks so delicious! I really love that you added nuts to the crust -- what a fun extra flavor! I've GOT to try this sometime! ~Amy
Ya you do Amy! And please let me know how it goes! I’d really love to hear :). And the almonds in the crust are indeed *very* yummy! 😘
This amaretto mascarpone cheesecake looks like the dessert I've been craving forever. Thank you so much for adding all the need to knows too so that I can make this foolproof recipe.
Absolute pleasure!!! So stoked to hear its the dessert you've been craving forever :). Please keep me updated if ya make it ~ would love to hear how it goes!
You had me at Amaretto! This sounds so decadent. We're growing figs so I'm saving this recipe for when they're in season!
That’s so rad you’re growing figs!!! Please let know how it goes when ya make it ~ id love to hear! 💜😘
What a decadent cheesecake! I love the mascarpone in there...such a stunning dessert. I can't wait to make this!
Thanks so much Tammy!!! Really appreciate the feedback and would absolutely love to hear how it goes when ya make it :)! 💜😘
What a beautiful cheesecake! And I love that you use the roasted vegetables on top. A very unique twist, but you are so right that it makes this cheesecake very adaptable to any season.
Yes exactly! It’s adaptable to every season but they’re fruits and not veggies on top... though I’d love to hear how it goes if ya top it with veggies! The idea is to use what’s in season and have it be easily adaptable to every season all year long :). And thank you for the sweet words on my cheesecake! 😘
Your photos are great! I love the flavors of the cheesecake.
Thanks so much Nicole! Love and appreciate the feedback! And please let me know how it goes if ya make it :). 💗😘
Wow that cheesecake looks amazing!! The flavour combo sounds perfect, will have to attempt to make this one soon.
So stoked to hear! Thank ya so much and please let me know how it goes! And which fruit ya decide to top it with :). 💜😘
Cheesecakes are my weakness. When I see one, I must immediately have it on my table. I'm saving this delicious recipe and making it asap. I absolutely love the topping. I bet this taste heavenly good!
Hehehe! Def let me know how it goes when ya make it! I’d absolutely love to hear and thank you so much :). 💜😘
This almost looks too pretty to eat ....almost (I would definitely inhale this, no regrets). I am absolutely blown away by how gorgeous this cheesecake is! Your photos are so inspiring. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hehehe yes keyword is *almost.* Thanks so much for the super sweet words on my photography!!! Much appreciated :)! 🙏
Made this for Christmas and it was amazing! I’d like to bring to a dinner banquet but need to leave out the amaretto. Any suggestions for a substitute?
So super stoked to heat that Shana!!! Thanks so much for the feedback! Are you looking for a non alcoholic substitute? You can also simple leave it out... :).
What does “1 zest & juice lemon“ mean as far as measurements?
Hi! It means the zest & juice of 1 lemon ~ I'll change the format so it's easier to understand :)!