A couple of years ago, I spent a manic fortnight trying to perfect a recipe for Italian ricotta cake.
It was great fun, although the neighbours were well and truly over eating my rejects by the time I finished. I ended up with recipes for three variations:
Today I added another one, made totally from leftovers I had in the fridge.
I had a small tub of ricotta that was approaching expiry, a tiny bit of excess sour cream from June’s Hungarian Cottage Cheese Cake, and a small scrap of sweet pastry dough.
I rolled the dough out and lined the base of a 20cm/8″springform pan, bringing it up the sides just a little to cover the join at the base to prevent leaking. It would probably have worked just as well in a small pie dish.
Filling:
- 320g fresh ricotta, very well drained
- 100g icing sugar mixture (confectioner’s sugar)
- 50g thick sour cream
- 1 egg, separated
- pinch of cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 150C with fan.
2. In a large bowl and using a fork, stir together the ricotta, icing sugar mixture, sour cream and egg yolk. The mix will be a little lumpy.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until stiff, then gently fold it into the ricotta mixture. Pour this over the pastry lined base, and sprinkle the top with a little cinnamon.
4. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes until firm, and then switch the oven off and leave the tart to cool with the door ajar, for about an hour.
This was simple to make and easy to eat!
I’m assuming it’s quite a forgiving recipe (since I made up quantities based on what was in the fridge), and it could possibly be made without the sour cream if necessary.
I usually turn my leftover ricotta into a savoury baked cheese, but this is a simple alternative that will make a nice dessert for a casual meal with friends!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
This looks amazing! I have your baked ricotta in my files to try ever since you posted it, and now you add this to the ricotta collection… ;-)
Sally this is really easy – I was surprised just how simple it was, especially since I’d tortured myself a couple of years ago over the ricotta cake recipes. Maybe I’m just two years more experienced now.. :)
This looks delicious! One of my best cheesecakes was made after looking for a recipe which fitted the quantities I had available, rather than finding the recipe first. I think that’s serendipity!
Sue, I think you’re right – serendipitous recipes are often the best! :)
I wonder too how many chef/authors look at the contents of their fridge and do exactly the same thing ;) Your golden cake is waving at me – I think I would like it a lot xx
Lots, trust me ;)
I think I would like it a lot if you could come over and eat it with me.. :) xx
It looks perfect!
Most of my favorite desserts started out the same way!
We wouldn’t want to waste any of that goodness, now would we?
Absolutely not! And it was so good that in future I’m going to buy extra ricotta just to make this from scratch! :)
A very timely post Celia. I too was just wondering what to do with he forgotten tub of ricotta in my fridge. Thanks!
Sue, you’re most welcome, hope you enjoyed it! :)
How luscious! I checked out the gfree post, and it looks even yummier. I love using up the leftovers in the fridge, it gives me a nice self-righteous feeling inside. Now, I just need to do something with the 2kg log of cream cheese in there that goes out of date tomorrow! I was hoping for something other than cheesecake, but I better hurry.
Becca, I think you’d like the crustless ricotta cake – Pete A was very smitten! Hope you found something clever to do with the cream cheese! 2kg is a lot! :)
Yum! I’ve got some ricotta sitting in the fridge that I was going to make into your ricotta gnocchi but this sounds even better.
Claire, I’d forgotten about the ricotta gnocchi! Haven’t made that in ages! Thanks.. :)
This looks really good. How might it be if I served it with apricot butter – sort of sweet/savoury?
Scrambled, thank you – it’s already quite sweet, so it would probably be nice with apricot jam or something like that…
This looks so delicious! I’ll bet your neighbours didnt mind too much with your previous efforts ;)
Sigh…Nic, it did get a little crazy. We were feeding the neighbours’ visitors in the end! :)
This recipe is right up my street – in fact reading this before breakfast and could easily eat a slice now. Off to check out the baked cheese recipe too as always looking for inspiration for my vegetarian daughter.
Sally, there’s always leftover ricotta in our house, so now we turn it into baked ricotta, ricotta tart or ricotta bread. If there’s any leftover after all that, the chooks love it!
fantastic use of left overs – anything dessert like works for me :)
Thanks Tandy! I hate wasting stuff, so this one really did make me happy! :)
Hey there Celia. I seem to have dropped off your email updates – I thought you must have been away or something….., looks like I’ve got a bit of catching up to do with your posts.
I’m on a big bent on using up left overs creatively lately so natch I’m lovin’ this one, great use of the leftover ricotta, bet it tasted awesome too.
Anna, I hope you’ll resubscribe – I can’t put you on the email list from my end unfortunately (I guess not that unfortunately, or we’d all be spammed to oblivion if people could just add email addresses to their mailing lists willy-nilly). Been loving the Cookie posts on your blog, love. :)
Sounds lovely, as ever Celia. Must try using ricotta. Often the best things come from just using up what you’ve got lying around ;-)
Choc, thank you – it really was just a case of wanting to use up leftovers, but I’ll be buying it specifically to make this from now on!
mmm good!
Thanks Norma! :)
No forgotten ricotta here, so I’ll have to go and buy some. I think I may be able to convince myself that this is healthy, too!
Amanda, I don’t think it’s too bad, really. I think that packaged shortcrust pastry would work as a substitute if you didn’t have any homemade lying around?
I never use ricotta, I have no idea why, it’s so versatile and this tart looks amazing, and most importantly really simple… I think I might have to add it to the shopping list this week!
Bondi Girl, thank you! In the inner west, we always have access to really fresh ricotta (often warm!), so there’s almost always a tub lying around in the fridge. It’s lovely in all sorts of dishes – we sometimes even use it as a topping on pizza!
Wow, does this cheese pie look good and it is so easy too! I see another of your recipes being made in my very near future!
Wow that looks real good :) It sounds like a perfect slice :)
Hehe no way would your neighbours be sick of eating your experiments! I just don’t believe it! :P
Cindy and Tes, thank you!
Lorraine, I think I made about a dozen all up – in the space of a few short weeks, that’s a lot to get through! And you know I’m loathe to throw anything out… ;-)
Celia
Am sitting at work, with a minute to spare and thought I’d check out this recipe has to be for Pete W. I will print off and make as a surprise.
Hello darling…ooh yes, Mr Cannoli would love this.. :) Hope all is well! xx
Yes life is fine. Have finally after 7 months got off crutches!! Am still slow and can’t do stairs properly yet but I can at least cook – saying that Mr Cannoli has been doing exceedingly well in the kitchen. Nigel Slater (especially) and Nigella are his good friends. Mind you Curry Easy – Madhur Jaffrey is a great book and I have been using that in the last couple of weeks.
Glad to know you’re finally mended, Anne! Nigel Slater – we love him, and Madhur Jaffrey too, although I don’t have her latest book, so thank you for the recco!
Oh I love ricotta cakes. It looks like a big custard tart! Yum!
Susan, this one really was easy! I’ve now made it three times! :)