‘You will take 4 pounds of fat ricotta pounded in the mortar splashed with rose water, adding 12 fresh eggs, 8 ounces of sugar, half an ounce of cinnamon, pounding everything together well and when well swollen, you will grease a pan with butter. You will put in the mixture and you will cook it slowly in the oven and you will serve it hot with sugar on top.’ (Bartolomeo Stefani)
Serves 6
300 g (10 oz) ricotta
1 tbsp rosewater
300 ml (1/2 pint) double cream
120 g (4 oz) sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 free-range eggs
icing sugar, sifted
unsalted butter to grease the tin
Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) mark 4.
Pass the ricotta through a food mill or a sieve and mix in the rosewater. Do not use a food processor, as this would not aerate the ricotta. Fold in the cream, the sugar and the cinnamon. Beat the eggs lightly in a bowl and add gradually while beating constantly.
Generously butter a 20 cm (8 inch) spring-clip tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper. Butter the paper and spoon the mixture into the tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a cocktail stick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out just dry. Remove from the tin and peel off the paper.
Serve warm, sprinkled with plenty of icing sugar.
The mixture can be prepared up to 5 or 6 hours in advance and refrigerated. If necessary you can even make the cake the day before, although it is nicer just warm.