Recipe by Katie Caldesi and Giancarlo Caldesi. Photo by Helen Cathcart.
While cassata cakes are famously decorative, this Ricotta Cake (Torta di Ricotta) captures that classic Italian cake elegance in a lighter, more manageable recipe. With layers of airy sponge cake, a creamy ricotta filling, and a topping of nuts and dark chocolate, this dessert makes a perfect Italian cake for the holidays or any special occasion.
This Ricotta Cake (Torta di Ricotta) is an ideal holiday dessert for anyone looking to bring Italian flavors to their celebrations. It’s light yet indulgent, with classic ingredients and festive flavors. Plus, it can be made ahead, so you’re not scrambling on the big day—just let it chill, slice, and enjoy a taste of Sicily with every bite.
Serve this Italian ricotta cake as is; it doesn’t need extras. Whether for a holiday gathering or an Italian-inspired dessert any time of year, this Torta di Ricotta will be your new go-to Italian recipe for the holidays.
“This triumphant cake is based on the colourful iced cassata cakes you see all over Sicily, only it is a much lighter version that is not difficult to make. There is an expression in Sicilian dialect, ‘You are as beautiful as a cassata’ – how romantic to be likened to a cake! If you can find potato flour, do use it as it will make the sponge lighter; if not, use cornflour. You can find potato flour in Asian shops or Italian delis. If you can get hold of sheep’s ricotta all the better, for these cakes are traditionally made with ewe’s milk, which has a pleasant, tangy taste.”
For more authentic Sicilian recipes and inspiration, order a copy of Recipes from Sicily by Katie Caldesi and Giancarlo Caldesi—it’s a treasure trove of Italian flavors straight from the heart of Sicily.
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TORTA DI RICOTTA
Ingredients
- 5 eggs, separated
- pinch of salt
- 150 g (5 oz/generous ⅔ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 75 g (2½ oz/ ½ cup) potato flour or cornflour
- 75 g (2½ oz/ scant ⅔ cup) ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
- finely grated zest of ½ lemon
- 150 ml (5 fl oz/ scant ⅔ cup) marsala
- 25 ml (1 fl oz) water
- 750 g (1 lb 10 oz/ 3 cups) ricotta
- 150 g (5 oz/ generous ⅔ cup caster) (superfine) sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 25 g (1 oz/ 2 tablespoons) dark (bittersweet) chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
- 100 ml (3½ fl oz/ scant ½ cup) whipping cream
- 250 g (9 oz/ 1 cup) ricotta
- 1 tablespoon runny honey or caster, superfine sugar, to taste
- 200 g (7 oz) toasted flaked almonds or hazelnuts or pistachios
- 25 g (1 oz/ scant ¼ cup) coarsely grated dark (bittersweet) chocolate
- 25 g (1 oz/ scant ¼ cup) icing (confectioner’s) sugar
- butter, for greasing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3) and grease and flour a 23 cm (9 in) cake tin. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks in a spotlessly clean bowl with a pinch of salt. Slowly pour in 100 g (3½ oz/scant ½ cup) of the sugar while whisking. Mix the yolks with the remaining sugar in another bowl, until pale and creamy, then use a spatula to fold the two together. Sift in the two flours, add the lemon zest and fold them in. Pour into the prepared tin and cook for 30–35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre. When cooked, remove from the tin and allow to cool on a rack. Meanwhile, make the filling by draining the ricotta and mixing the ingredients, except for the chocolate, together in a bowl.
- Carefully cut a 1 cm (½ in) thick disc from the top of the cake and set aside. Next cut a 2 cm (¾ in) disc, leaving you with a final one of 1 cm (½ in). Lay one of the shallower discs back in the tin with the outside surface downwards. Next cut a circle from the thicker disc so that you are left with a ring of around 1 cm (½ in) – this will make the border around the hole for the filling. Place it into the tin and eat the centre as a cook’s treat! Mix together the ingredients for the syrup and brush two-thirds over the sponge.
- Fill the hole with the ricotta filling mixture. Melt the chocolate briefly in a microwave or in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Spread the melted chocolate over the final disc of sponge with a palette knife. Invert this over the cake and press down lightly. Brush on the remaining syrup. Leave the cake to rest in the fridge for at least 6 hours and up to a day. Turn out of the mould.
- Whip the cream to form soft peaks and fold into the ricotta and honey or sugar. Use a palette knife to spread this evenly over the cake. Finish the coating with a sprinkling of nuts, grated chocolate and icing sugar. Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour or up to a day before serving.