Italian Ricotta Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Cream butter and gradually add sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, while continuing beating. Add brandy. Add flour and baking powder. Mix into a dough until the consistency is like Play-Doh®. Press dough into a greased and floured 9x13-inch pan. Refrigerate for 2 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat ricotta cheese in a large bowl 4 to 5 minutes on high speed. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add sugar and heavy cream and beat until blended. Fold in egg whites.
• Spoon 1/2 of the mixture into the crust. Sprinkle 1/2 of the zests and 1/2 of the cinnamon on top. Repeat with remaining filling, zest, and cinnamon.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and let cake cool in the oven for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and chill completely before serving.

Steps:

• Place the ricotta into a fine mesh sieve and nestle this over a bowl, place into the refrigerator overnight to allow the excess moisture to drain out before proceeding with the cassata recipe.
• Place the ricotta into the bowl of a mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until the curds smooth out. Mix the drained and beaten ricotta with 1 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, chocolate chips and half the candied fruit. Set aside.
• Lightly oil a 10-inch springform pan with canola oil. Slice the sponge cake very thinly so that the springform may be lined with it in an even layer. Line the sides and bottom of the pan with the sponge cake. Pour the ricotta filling into the cake-lined pan. Place a final layer of cake over the ricotta filling; this now creates the bottom to the cassata. Before serving, the cassata will be inverted onto this cake bottom. Refrigerate the cassata overnight to firm the filling.
• Invert the springform pan on a wide platter. Open the hinge and remove the springform sides and bottom.
• The cassata may now be finished by either covering with a heavy coating of the remaining powdered sugar or may be coated with a thin layer of green marzipan. Either way, the remaining candied fruits should be used to decorate the finished cassata. Slice thinly and serve.

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 1800c, gas mark 4, 1600C for convection oven.
• Spread some margerine on an 18cm diameter cake tin, and sprinkle flour lightly on it.
• Sieve the flour and add the baking powder.
• In a bowl, rub in the butter and sugar, until the mixture becomes creamy. Use an electric beater for good results.
• Add the egg yolks and beat well until it becomes foamy. Add this to the ricotta. Mix well with your hands.
• Start adding flour, little by little, mixing well continously.
• Place the mixture in the cake tin and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cake has risen and turned golden. Let the cake cool for an hour in the cake tin.

Steps:

• For the cake:.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter and flour a 9" cake pan.
• In a bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add the eggs, lemon extract, milk, ricotta, flour and lemon zest, and beat well for 2 minutes on high speed.
• Pour into your prepared pan.
• Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
• Topping:.
• Combine the blueberries, lemon, sugar and 1/2 cup of water, and cook until thickened. Remove and cool.
• Once the cake has cooled, dust lightly with the powdered sugar.
• Serve a small slice with a spoonful of blueberry topping.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set rack in the middle of the oven.
• Butter and flour a 9-by-2-inch springform pan and tap out excess flour. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, sift sugar and flour.
• In a large bowl, combine ricotta and zest and whisk until smooth. Add sugar and flour mixture and gently mix to combine.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine. Add the vanilla and salt.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for about 55 to 60 minutes, until a light golden color. Make sure the center is fairly firm and the point of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Butter bottom and sides of a 12-inch springform pan.
• Sprinkle bottom and sides of well buttered pan with Graham cracker crumbs.
• In a large bowl, beat drained ricotta until very smooth.
• Gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar and egg yolks, beating after each addition.
• Beat in flour, lemon rind, and vanilla.
• In a small bowl, beat cream until cream holds its shape, but is not too stiff.
• In a smaller bowl, beat egg whites with remaining sugar until stiff; combine with whipped cream and fold into ricotta mixture.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake 1 hour.
• Turn off heat and allow cake to cool in oven with door closed (about 3-4 hours).
• Remove cooled cake from oven, carefully remove sides of pan, store cake (well wrapped) in refrigerator.
• Before serving, lightly sprinkle top of cake with Confectioner's (powdered, 10X) sugar.
• Cake may be served chilled or at room temperature.
• Note: Center of cheese cake will be lower than the sides when it is cooled.
• This is not a defect!
• It is supposed to be this way (makes it easier to hold the topping if you choose to use one).
• VARIATIONS: Add raisins, chopped citron or chopped maraschino cherries to the batter.
• Top cheese cake with crushed sugared strawberries or cherries before serving.
• Cover bottom of crumbed pan with drained, sweetened crushed pineapple, applesauce or sliced apples before adding batter to pan.
• Pie crust pastry may be used instead of Graham crumbs to line pan.