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Desserts

Ricotta cake with a Nutella heart

⏱ 10 min🍳 30 min👤 8 pp★★☆☆☆

Who wouldn’t like to treat themselves to a lovely cake filled with delicious Nutella? This ricotta cake with a Nutella centre is super soft and super delicious, and will not only appeal to children but to adults too. Ricotta is an integral part of the mix, and the Nutella centre helps to give that unique and unmistakable taste and texture. This cake is perfect if you want to prepare something very special for a breakfast or even just as an afternoon snack. However, at both times of the day you can be confident of winning over the hearts of everyone that tries it, and quite certain of tickling their taste buds! If you have already got all the ingredients you need to hand, head to the kitchen and make this amazing cake with a Nutella heart.

Ingredients

Nutritional values 420 kcal / serving
Protein
8g
Carbohydrates
54g
Fat
18g
Fiber
1g

* approximate values per serving

Information
10 minutes Total time
30 minutes Active time
Serves 8 persons
★★☆☆☆ Medium difficulty

Preparation

Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl, beat them with a hand whisk and then add the ricotta mashed up with a fork. Then sift in the flour with baking powder and vanilla, and the melted butter. Grease and flour a 24cm circular cake tin or ovenproof dish and pour in the mixture. Level it well and decorate with several teaspoons of Nutella. Use a toothpick to lightly press down the Nutella and cover lightly with a little of the surrounding dough. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 30 minutes, checking that it’s cooked with a toothpick.

Tips
To make the cake dough properly, mash up the ricotta really thoroughly to make it smooth and velvety - even better, pass it through a sieve. Only then add the Nutella
Trivia
Did you know that ricotta is also produced outside Italy where it is called, for example, ‘sérac’ in France, and by the nickname ‘brocciu’ in Corsica.

Step by step

Work all the ingredients
Work all the ingredients
**Click on the photos to access full step by step!

Additional information

Ricotta and Chocolate Cake

The ricotta and chocolate cake is one of the most beloved in Italian households. It is also widely subject to interpretations and variations. Here we provide some interesting ideas to make it at its best. First of all, you can use a base of shortcrust pastry, for example. On the base, you can spread some Nutella or chocolate cream, and then top it with the ricotta cream. Then bake the whole thing. Another idea could be to prepare the ricotta and chocolate cake by mixing chocolate in flakes or chips into the ricotta cream. Alternatively, you can consider the ricotta and chocolate cake as a true cheesecake, adding, after baking and on top of the ricotta cream, a layer of chocolate glaze. As you can see, there is not just one ricotta and chocolate cake. There are various kinds.

Cow's Ricotta, Sheep's Ricotta, or Mixed Ricotta?

Even regarding the ricotta itself, you are free to choose. Some people prefer cow's ricotta, while others prefer sheep's ricotta. It is not uncommon to also find mixed ricotta, made from both cow and sheep.  In Puglia, for example, sheep's ricotta is widely used. Here, a dessert called "pizza di ricotta alla pugliese" is often prepared. It does not use bases of shortcrust pastry or biscuits (like in cheesecake). Instead, the cream is baked directly in the mold, in the oven. It is a very delicate cream, by the way, without flour. Therefore, it is an excellent dessert even for those who are gluten intolerant. 

Sicilian Ricotta Cake

Another very beloved ricotta and chocolate cake is the Sicilian ricotta cake. Very well known is the Fedora cake, a typical ricotta cake from Trinacria, which carries the aromas and flavors of this magical land. Sponge cake, but also almonds, and of course our ricotta cream. The sponge cake will be a classic soft sponge cake. It will be followed by a cow's ricotta cream with chocolate chips, gently spread in the center of the dessert. Finally, delicate slices of Sicilian almonds decorate the cake. The soaking syrup is made with orange juice and a splash of orange liqueur! A true sweet caress, loved by all Sicilian DOCs and beyond!

The Sicilian ricotta cake is a cake without shortcrust pastry. But based on sponge cake. Therefore, it is an extremely soft ricotta cake, fluffy and high, softer than ever. We could easily refer to it as a grandmother's ricotta cake. Perhaps the Fedora cake is indeed one of the most "original" recipes for ricotta cake. But even those mentioned above, which vaguely recall cheesecake, are excellent.