Of all the wonderful ricotta torte and crostate I have made, this one is so moreunpretentious and delightful that I urge you to put it in your dessert repertoire. The cake is moist and sweet, with a hint of orange and the crunch of toasted almond slices in each bite. In Rome, this cake is made with sheep’s-milk ricotta, giving it an additional layer of complexity, and if you do have access, by all means use sheep’s-milk ricotta and follow the same procedures. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, or, to make it fresher, fold into the whipped cream an equal amount of sour cream. Top all with berries in season, or some halved ripe figs when available.

　　

Ingredients

makes a 9-inch cheesecake, serving 8 or more

　　

For Lining the Cake Pan

6 ounces sweet tart dough, 1/3 of the recipe page 266, well chilled

　　1 tablespoon soft butter

　　1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs

　　

For the Cake Batter

3 large eggs

　　1 egg yolk

　　1 cup sugar

　　1 pound whole-milk ricotta (preferably fresh), drained overnight

　　Pinch of salt

　　1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

　　1 cup heavy cream

　　1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted in the oven

　　Powdered sugar for dusting the baked cake

　　Garnishes: see suggestions in introduction to recipe or use heavy cream or ice cream

　　

Recommended Equipment

A 9-inch springform cake pan

　　A baking stone or baking tiles

　　A heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the whisk

　　

Step 1

Separate the springform side ring and bottom disk.

　　

Step 2

Roll the pastry dough into a round, about a foot in diameter. Lay the pan bottom on the dough, and cut around it to make a perfect 9-inch bottom crust. Butter the pan bottom, and place the dough round on top.

　　

Step 3

Butter the insides of the springform, and coat it with bread crumbs. Fit the ring around the dough-covered bottom disk and snap it closed.

　　

Step 4

Set the baking stone or tiles on the center rack of the oven, and preheat to 350˚.

　　

Step 5

Put the eggs and egg yolk in the mixer bowl, and begin whisking at low speed. Add the sugar gradually, and whisk at high speed for 2 or 3 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Lower the speed, add the ricotta in several batches, then whip at high speed for 3 minutes or more, until the mixture is smooth and thick—scrape the bowl as needed. Drop in the pinch of salt and the orange zest, then pour in the cream gradually, whipping at high speed for several minutes (and scraping the bowl) so the batter is perfectly smooth and light.

　　

Step 7

Fold in the almonds by hand, and scrape all the batter into the prepared pan. Set the springform on a cookie or baking sheet, and place it on the baking stone. Bake for approximately an hour, until the cake top is golden brown and springs back when pressed, and the sides of the cake are starting to shrink from the pan.

　　

Step 8

Cool on a wire rack, and remove from the springform. Invert the cake to separate the metal bottom from the pastry crust, and place the cake on a platter.

　　

Step 9

When completely cool, dust the top of the torta with powdered sugar. Cut it in wedges to serve, as suggested above.

　　From Lidia's Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Copyright (c) 2007 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York.