Torta ricotta e pere is a delicious Italian dessert that combines the smoothness of ricotta with the refreshing taste of pears. This dessert is particularly popular in the Campania region, where it originated. It is ideal for summer days because it is light and refreshing, yet flavourful enough to please any gourmet.

The base of the cake is a delicate hazelnut crust that perfectly complements the creamy ricotta and juicy pear chunks. For a gluten-free option, try 200g ground hazelnuts (almonds or almond flakes can be used) and 40g gluten-free flour.
The filling of the cake is a smooth ricotta cream with pear pieces, which creates a perfect harmony of flavours.
To prepare the cake, we need high quality Italian ricotta, ripe pears, ground nuts, sugar, eggs and rum to enhance the flavour. The crust is baked separately, while the pears are prepared in a pan with butter, sugar and a little lemon juice to soften and caramelise them. When the crust and pears have cooled, everything is combined into a delicious whole.
The final cake is not only delicious but also visually appealing, decorated with sliced hazelnuts or almonds and icing sugar. It is perfect as a dessert after a light lunch or as the star of a festive occasion. Torta ricotta e pere is simply an irresistible combination of flavours that every lover of Italian cuisine should try.
Ingredients:
70 g toasted ground hazelnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
70 g self-raising flour
4 eggs, room temperature
100 g granulated sugar
60 g melted lukewarm butter
A spoonful of rum
For the filling:
3 pears (about 500g)
20 g unsalted butter
80 g granulated sugar
A few drops of lemon juice
30 ml rum
Teaspoon of cornstarch
400 g ricotta
150 g granulated sugar
teaspoon vanilla paste
400g whipping cream (40%)
Blend the roasted and cooled hazelnuts into a fine flour mixture, add the baking powder, plain flour and a pinch of salt and mix well. Beat the eggs with the sugar until fluffy, add the flour mixture and mix well. Add the butter and rum to the mixture and mix gently. Pour the dough into a greased cake tin (24 cm diameter) lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan, add the pears, cleaned and cut into cubes, and simmer for a while. Add the sugar, lemon juice and rum and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Before cooking, add the cornflour mixed with a little water and pour into the pan. Cook for one minute until thickened, remove from heat and leave to cool.
In a bowl, whisk the ricotta with the sugar and vanilla until smooth. In a second bowl, whip the cream until stiff and gently fold into the ricotta cream. Finally, stir in the cooled pear mixture.
Turn the baked and cooled corpus onto the mat and cut it in two lengthways. Place one part of the base on the bottom of a clean cake tin, cover with the ricotta filling and top with the other part of the dough. Cover and leave in the fridge for several hours, ideally overnight.
Carefully remove the cake from the tin, sprinkle with icing sugar, decorate with chopped hazelnuts and serve.

Here you can watch the recipe video on my Instagram account.
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