Saint Valentine's Cake

A cake with ricotta cheese and chocolate and a large heart to celebrate Saint Valentin

CROSTATA DI RICOTTA

For the shortcrust pastry:     

• 300g flour                             
• 150g butter                            
• 150g sugar                            
• 2 egg yolks                           
• 1 egg                                     
• a pinch of salt                                     
• a pinch of cinnamon

For the cream:

•  400 gr Ricotta cheese
• 150 gr  sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 yolks
• 50g sultanas or 2 ebs. cocoa powder 
• 2 tbs. rhum or cognac 

Prepare the shortcrust  pastry: mix the butter and the sugar  then pour in the flour.

Add the egg yolks ,the egg , the cinnamon and the salt. Knead quickly. 

Form the dough into a ball and leave aside for one hour. 

Then,roll out 2/3 of the pastry and line the cake mold with it.

Place in a  preheated oven at 180 - 200 °C and bake for approximately 10  minutes. .

Meanwhile prepare the cream:mix the ricotta cheese with sugar,add the eggs, yolks and sultanas and rhum. 

Then pour it on the shortcrust pastry. Level  the surface .   

Use the remaining pastry for decorating the cake. 

Then cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 180°C

….AL CIOCCOLATO  add two tablespoons cocoa powder to the ricotta cheese

How to use bread left overs

Typical of Italian Cooking is the capacity of using left overs, so let’s us  use bread for this cake wonderful for morning breakfast or served with gelato oe crema pasticcera

Torta Nicolotta

300g stale bread                         

1l milk                               

6 spoonfuls sugar                        

2 spoonuls unsweetened cocoa   

100g sultanas                       

1 spoonful pine-nuts               

2 eggs        

6 amaretti                             

1 packet vanilla powder

1 spoon of brandy

50g butter

Shelled almonds

Break the bread in pieces. Place it in a dish ,add the milk and leave to soak for 30 minutes. When the bread has softened, make it into a pulp, squeezing it.

Add the melted butter and the other ingredients. 

Pour the mixture into a greased dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Place a few flakes of butter on top. Place in the oven for 1 hour at 175°C. Decorate with the almonds.