Absolutely delicious this ricotta cream cake with strawberries is easy and simple. The part of the cake is a semplified sponge cake which is perfect to be covered with light cream. The cream itself is made with Italian cow’s milk ricotta cheese, whipping cream and gelatin which makes it spreadable and delicate. Furthermore, the cream contains a secret ingredient – orange blossom scent. Just a little bit to give it a special aftertaste that blends perfectly with the freshness of strawberries.
180gstrawberries + 6 strawberries for the decoration
orange flower fragrance to tasteI used about 2 teaspoons
Instructions
Instructions easy sponge cake
Warm up butter with milk until the butter is completely melted. Turn off the flame and set aside to cool down.
Beat whole eggs (strictly at room temperature) with the sugar for about 8 – 10 minutes until they become light and frothy and double the volume.
Add vanilla extract, milk and butter and stir to incorporate.
At this point add sifted flour and gently incorporate it with movements from the bottom to the top.
Lightly grease a round 18 – 20 cm wide baking pan and cover it with baking paper. I used a baking tray with a removable bottom but a springform pan is fine. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake in a preheated static oven at 165 °C and bake for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and being careful not to burn yourself, remove the cake from the pan, put it upside down on a cooling rack and let it cool down completely.
Ricotta cream
While the cake is cooling down, take organic lemon peel (I used 2 strips), remove the white part and place them in a small saucepan with milk. Turn on the flame and slowly bring it to the boiling point. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes. While waiting, whisk ricotta with sugar
Remove the lemon peel and heat the milk again. Turn off the heat and add previously squeezed gelatin. It must melt in the milk, it must never boil in the liquid.
Add the milk to the ricotta and mix well. At this point add orange blossom aroma to taste.
Whip cold cream and divide it into two parts. Add the first part to the ricotta mix and gently incorporate it. Add a tablespoon of icing sugar to the rest of the whipping cream and briefly whisk it to incorporate it. Put the rest of whipping cream in the refrigerator.
How to assemble ricotta cream cake
Cut off the top of the cake and divide the cake in half.
Place the base of the cake in a baking pan you used for the baking. Add a layer of ricotta cream and sliced fresh strawberries. Continue with the cream and another layer of strawberries for one or two more times.
Cover with the remaining sponge cake and add more ricotta cream. Make it smooth and decorate using a piping bag and whipped cream you have set aside. If the ricotta cream is too soft wait 1 hour and decorate later.
Put the cake in the refrigerator for a few hours until the cream thickens. Remove the cake from the fridge and remove the pan. Use a spatula to smooth the cream on the edges to create a naked cake effect (be careful not to press too hard or the strawberries will slide out).
Decorate with halved strawberries and serve.
Notes
Waiting time: 2 – 3 hours to stabilize the cream.The nutritional values are generated automatically for indicative purposes only and are therefore not completely accurate.
