You know I don’t like overcomplicated cakes. Just easy and possibly healthy and good-tasting stuff.
So you may understand why I go for a ricotta cake (an Italian cheese, in case you did not know) any time I need something easy, quick and good. Besides, it’s a real lifesaver any time you have celiac guests, because it has no flour in it.
As I skimmed through the net to see if there were other alternatives to my basic version, I found out that the recipe I’ve always used is in fact the base for a Jewish-Roman traditional cake called cassola. I completely ignored that! The traditional cake has spices and a small glass of liquor in it, but the fundamental ingredients are just the same. A real coincidence!
So here we go. Ingredients are really easy to kind in any pantry:
300 gr ricotta
3 eggs
100 gr sugar
1 lemon
25 gr starch
4 tbs chocolate chips
Icing sugar for decoration
First of all we must separate yolks and egg whites. Yolks go into a bowl with the sugar. With the help of a mixer whisk them well, then add the cheese, the starch, and the juice and zest of the lemon.
In another bowl whip the egg whites until it forms stiff peaks, and then incorporate them little by little. As last finishing, put the chocolate chips into the dough.
Pour the dough into a baking pan covered with greaseproof paper, and bake it at 180 degrees for some 30/35 minutes.