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slice of torta di ricotta on a white plate with an other slice and the remainder of the cake in the backgroud

Torta di Ricotta

Chef Dennis Littley
This crusted ricotta torte aka Torta di Ricotta is super flavorful and would make a great addition to your family's holiday dessert table.
4.77 from 39 votes
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 12
Calories 624 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Pine Nut Brittle

  • ¼ cup superfine sugar*
  • 3 tablespoon water
  • 5 tablespoon pine nuts

Rum Soaked Raisins

  • 4 tablespoon golden raisins
  • 2 tablespoon rum

Crust

  • 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 ¼ cup ground almonds
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 8 oz unsalted butter very cold cut into ¼ inch pieces
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon ice water

Filling

  • 1 ½ lb whole milk ricotta cheese*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¾ cup superfine sugar
  • 2 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup heavy cream if mixture is too dry

Instructions
 

Pine Nut Brittle

  • Toast 5 tablespoons of pine nuts in a saute pan just until they start to get color, moving them around constantly so they do not burn. Once they are toasted remove from the pan to cool
  • In a small pan add the sugar and water, heat over high neat until mixture begins to boil and all the sugar is dissolved
  • Add the pine nuts to the sugar syrup and continue to swirl the pan until the mixture turns amber.
  • Place the finished mixture onto an oiled cookie sheet to cool and harden.

Rasins

  • Mix the raisins and rum together and allow them to sit until most of the rum has been absorbed

Crust

  • In the bowl of a food processor- add the flour, brown sugar, gound almonds, and baking powder, pulse 2 or 3 times
  • Add the butter pieces and pulse 4 or 5 times until mixture looks like coarse meal
  • Mix the egg and vanilla together and pour the mixture into the food processor while it is running (mix just enough to blend)
  • If mixture looks too dry add a little ice water
  • The dough will look a little loose, that’s ok
  • Place the dough onto a work table and form it into 2 balls. Use one-third of the dough to make one dough ball and the remainder of the dough for the second. Do not work the dough, even if it does not come completely together, just do your best to form the balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Filling

  • Mix the ricotta, orange rind, vanilla, sea salt, sugar, raisins and pine nut brittle together until well blended
  • Add the chocolate chips.
  • Break the pine nut brittle into small pieces and add to the ricotta mixture.

Assembly

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C)
  • Using a 10 inch springform pan, line the inside with aluminum foil, overlapping slightly on the outside. Use two criss crossing pieces, and make sure foil is tight to the sides of the pan.
  • Roll the larger of the two dough balls out between two sheets of parchment paper. Making a large circle.
  • Carefully place the rolled-out dough into the springform pan. The dough should go half way up the inside of the pan.
  • Spoon the ricotta mixture into the prepared pan
  • In between two pieces of parchment paper, roll out the remaining dough ball, just a little bit larger than your springform pan.
  • Place this dough onto of the ricotta mixture, and carefully pinch the dough into dough on the sides of the pan.
    *Don't worry if it cracks slightly, just try not to leave any holes in the dough.
  • Place on the center rack of a 350 degree preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is a nice golden brown.
  • Allow cheesecake to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then remove the outer pan and very gently peel back the foil and allow it to continue to cool for an additional 30 minutes.
  • Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving to allow it to set up. 
    *There are no eggs in this cake to help bind it, and if you cut it too soon it will run.
  • After the cheesecake has set up, remove the bottom of the springform pan and place on serving platter, allow cheesecake to come back to room temperature before serving.

Notes

*if you do not have superfine sugar, you can pulse granulated sugar 5 or 6 times until it becomes a finer granule.
* My homemade ricotta was very dry and I needed to add ¼ cup of heavy cream to the mixture

Nutrition

Calories: 624kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 14gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 160mgPotassium: 311mgFiber: 2gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 820IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 214mgIron: 3.1mg
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