...this recipe is for a BIG cake, serving over 15-20 people.
(IF you prefer a smaller cake,
I suggest
halving the recipe & using an 8X8
Pyrex glass baking dish
instead of the ginormous one pictured above)
Dough:
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp yeast
4 eggs
1 stick butter
Filling:
2 containers Ricotta
(I use whole milk ricotta, but you can also use part skim ricotta if you wish)
2 lemons (ZEST ONLY)
I use a
MICROPLANE GRATER/ZESTERfor any/all
zesting...
JUST BE REALLY CAREFUL,
I AM NOT KIDDING WHEN I TELL YOU THAT I'VE
NEARLY CUT MY FINGERS OFF USING IT!
IT'S BEYOND SHARP!
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1
TBSP cinnamon
Directions: preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease the inside of your baking dish with butter, set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together all dough ingredients & USE YOUR HAND (hand SINGULAR, not plural... one hand to hold the bowl & keep CLEAN just in case you should need a free hand, & only ONE gets dirty to thoroughly mix the dough. My Nonna always believed that the best tools in your kitchen were the ones that God gave you... she was right.)
Once dough is a very nice consistency, place in the center of prepared baking dish & WITH YOUR HAND, (knuckles actually) push down working from the center OUT until the dough is not only covering the entire bottom of the pan, but continue to work it up so that it creeps up the sides as well. You don't want it too thick, so if some of the dough should go up past the sides, gently tear it off & set it aside to use for latticework on top prior to baking.
Once you can look down at your
Pyrex dish & not see any dish but only see dough, you're ready for the next step.
In
separate bowl, mix all filling ingredients together (ricotta, vanilla, sugar, eggs, cinnamon) and once blended well, zest your lemons (if you haven't already) over the prepared filling. DO NOT CONTINUE TO ZEST ONCE YOU CAN SEE THE PITH (WHITE) OF THE LEMONS!
The pith is horrible tasting, it's just the zest that gives this cake it's flavor. You will want your lemons to only resemble lemons in SHAPE once you're done with them. As far as looks, they should be odd white looking fruits.
Ok?
Once
zesting is complete, gently fold in zest with a spatula until blended throughout.
Now, pour your filling into the pan with the dough and set aside.
With leftover dough (you should have plenty, at least the size of a half decent LARGE meatball)
you will roll out this leftover dough & (this is where it becomes fun for the kids)
take a couple of cookie cutters of their choice (we used stars) and let the kids cut out a few shapes & set those aside.
Then take the rest of the dough & roll it out & cut into strips.
Cris cross the strips over the cake & then let the children place their cookie shapes in the dead center.
Put into a 350 oven for approx an hour & 15 minutes.
YOU'LL KNOW IT'S DONE WHEN YOU CAN GENTLY MOVE YOUR CAKE PAN & BARELY SEE A JIGGLE OUT OF THE CONTENTS.
IF IT'S
JIGGLIN LIKE JELLO, IT'S NOT YET DONE!
Once done, remove from oven & let stand until it comes to room temp.
Then cover with foil & place in the fridge.
Ricotta cake should be served COLD, not hot.
Serve with fresh whipped heavy cream (optional)
and tea/coffee.
This is a VERY RICH dessert and a little goes a LONG WAY!
ENJOY!
...SNOW QUEEN!
