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By Janelle
Italian Pear and Ricotta Cake Recipe
In the original, a separate syrup was called for for brushing onto the cake. I left this out but I drizzled the extra syrup from the pears onto the sponge. He also uses the vanilla pod seeds directly in the ricotta filling, but I added them to the pears to infuse the fruit with some of the vanilla too. The original recipe calls for pouring this mixture evenly into two cake tins to a height of 1 centimeter (about 1/3 inch), but as I don't own two cake tins that same size, I poured it into one and sliced the cake in half horizontally.
You can prepare the sponge ahead of time and you can also assemble the entire cake the day before you need it; in fact, much like tiramisu, it's better when it's had an entire day to rest in the fridge. The ricotta mixture will firm up slightly, the cake will absorb the moisture and flavors of the pear syrup, and the whole dessert will slice more neatly.
If you absolutely need to serve it on the day that you have made it, try chilling it in the fridge at least a couple of hours before serving. It will make slicing it a little bit easier. —Emiko
Updated at: Tue, 25 Jun 2024 01:40:08 GMT
Nutrition balance score
Unbalanced
Glycemic Index
61
Moderate
Glycemic Load
44
High
Nutrition per serving
Calories707.7 kcal (35%)
Total Fat43.4 g (62%)
Carbs71.8 g (28%)
Sugars56.8 g (63%)
Protein12.3 g (25%)
Sodium105.2 mg (5%)
Fiber3.4 g (12%)
% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Ingredients
8 servings
For the Hazelnut Sponge
130 gramssugar
3eggs
large
180 gramswhole hazelnuts
peeled, or hazelnut meal
½ cupflour
or potato starch or cornstarch to make it gluten-free
100 gramsbutter
melted and cooled
For the pear and ricotta filling
extra-virgin olive oil
2pears
small, peeled, cored, and cubed
70 gramssugar
1vanilla pod
cut in half and seeds scraped
0.5juice of lemon
pear liqueur
or Kirsch or brandy, optiona
½ teaspooncornstarch
500 gramscow's milk ricotta
200 gramssugar
250 milliliterscream
whipped to firm peaks
confectioners' sugar
for dusting
Instructions
For the hazelnut sponge
Step 1
To make the hazelnut sponge, prepare a 9-inch (23-centimeter) cake tin by greasing with butter and dusting with flour. (If you're making this gluten-free, you can dust with potato starch.) Whip the sugar and eggs together until the mixture becomes very pale and fluffy and doubles or even triples in size. Fold in the hazelnut meal, flour, and butter until just incorporated.
Step 2
Pour into the prepared tin and bake at 350° F (180° C) for about 20 to 25 minutes or until browned and springy on top (or you can do as in di Riso's original recipe, and divide the batter into 2 cake tins, each with a layer about 1/3-inch thick, and bake 10 minutes). Remove from the oven and let cool.
For the pear and ricotta filling
Step 3
Drizzle enough olive oil to thinly cover the base of a small saucepan. Heat gently and add the diced pear, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and liqueur, if using. Stir occasionally until the pears begin to cook and release liquid. Continue stirring so that the pears don't burn and so that the sugar dissolves and the pears soften, about 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch and continue stirring for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to another bowl to help them cool down. Let cool completely.
Step 4
Whip the ricotta and sugar together until very smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream and then the cooled pears, along with some of their syrup. Save a couple of tablespoons of syrup to drizzle on the top and bottom layers of cake.
Step 5
To assemble the cake, it helps to have a cake ring handy, or if not, spring form cake tin (possibly the same one you used to make the sponge so that it is the exact size). Line with parchment paper.
Step 6
Slice the hazelnut sponge evenly and
horizontally so you have two discs. Be gentle: It is a bit of crumbly cake. Place the bottom disc on a serving plate, cut side up.
Place the springform cake tin (minus the
base), greased and lined with parchment paper around the cake. Drizzle 1to 2 tablespoons of pear syrup evenly over the sponge. Then pour over the ricotta mixture and smooth over with a spatula. Drizzle the rest of the reserved pear syrup over the cut side of the top layer of sponge and carefully place it on top of the ricotta filling, cut side down. Chill for several hours, or better, overnight.
Step 7
To serve, remove the cake ring or 5 springform tin and cut carefully into slices with a sharp knife. If you like, you can dust the top of the cake with confectioners sugar for decoration or place a few slices of poached pear on top.
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