REINVENTING THE MEAL
Somewhere between a trifle, a tiramisu and a little chocolate-studded ricotta cake we ate outside a small bakery in the seaside town of Scopello in Sicily, this dessert is worth the minor fiddle of making different elements to be layered. The cake will last for a few days in a sealed container and the ricotta cream will also keep for a few days if refrigerated so you might like to make those elements in advance. SICILIAN-STYLE TRIFLE SERVES 8-10 / PREPARATION 35 MINUTES / COOKING 45-55 MINUTES
FOR THE RICOTTA & CHOCOLATE-CHIP CAKE
350g ricotta
225g sugar
½ cup olive oil
4 eggs, whites and yolks separated 2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup whole milk
200g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder 150g dark chocolate, chopped
into small pieces
Grease and line a round cake tin (the size isn’t overly important here as the cake will be cut to fit your trifle bowl). Heat the oven to 160°C.
Whisk together the ricotta, sugar, olive oil and egg yolks in a large bowl. Stir the baking soda into the milk and add to the mixture, stirring to combine. Sift in the flour, baking soda and a pinch of salt and gently stir until just combined. Fold through the chocolate. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then fold into the batter. Gently pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
FOR THE RICOTTA CREAM 350g ricotta zest and juice of 1 orange 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Mix ingredients with a fork until smooth. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
FOR THE MARSALA & MASCARPONE CUSTARD
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated 2 tablespoons sugar
400g mascarpone
2 tablespoons marsala or sherry 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Whisk in the mascarpone, marsala and vanilla. Beat the egg whites until they reach soft peaks, then fold through the mixture.
TO ASSEMBLE
½ cup black coffee, cooled 2 tablespoons marsala dark cocoa, to serve orange zest, to serve
Slice the cake into 2cm layers and line the base of your trifle bowl – you could use a large bowl, ceramic roasting dish, a series of small vessels or a special trifle dish. Pour over the coffee and a dash of marsala. Spread ricotta cream onto the coffee-soaked cake and top with another layer of cake (save any leftover cake to top roast fruit, see below).
Pour over marsala custard. Dust with a generous coating of good-quality dark cocoa and some orange zest.
TRY THESE TOO... Roast fruit with sponge crumbs
Roughly chop or crumble any leftover off-cuts from the ricotta & chocolate-chip cake used in the trifle. Mix crumbs with leftover ricotta, mascarpone or a small amount of melted butter and spoon onto halved fruit such as peaches, apricots, pears or apples. Sprinkle with raw sugar and roast until fruit is soft and sticky.
Zabaglione marsala custard
Thanks to Ale – the wonderful chef we lived with whilst working in Piedmont – for sharing this process with us. Use the ratio of 1egg yolk to ½ an egg shell of sugar and ½ a shell of marsala per person and scale as needed. Whisk ingredients together over a double boiler until a light, aerated custard forms. Zabaglione can be served with a light biscuit – something with hazelnuts or almonds is delicious – or sponge finger for dipping. ■
QUICK SPICED BRANDY
& CARAMEL SAUCE Place 200g butter, 1 x 395g tin condensed milk, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 100g brown sugar in a pot. Gently heat, stirring often, until the butter has melted. Remove from heat and whisk in ¼ cup brandy. Pour into jars.