This delicious dessert is perfect for hot summer days, as it needs to be refrigerated for several hours. It originated in Florence and it's popular in all central Italian regions. One key ingredient is ricotta cheese and this needs to be ultra fresh. I serve it with mixed berries. Buonissimo!
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| fresh home made sponge cake is an essential ingredient for Zuccotto |
Zuccotto - Serves 6
400 g of fresh ricotta, 150 g of sugar, vanilla flavour, 300 g. single cream, 30g of cocoa powder, 100 g of dark chocolate chips, 80 g of candied citrus peel, 200 g of sponge cake*, 50 g of sugar, 10g of icing sugar, liqueur, 1 lemon.
Boil 2 full glasses of water with 50g of sugar and lemon zest. Line a small tray or bowl with slices of sponge cake, then wet the sponge cake with the lemon, sugar and water mixture and a little liqueur.Whip cream, add icing sugar and ricotta. Divide this mixture into two. Add candied peels to one part, cocoa and chocolate chips to the other. Put both mixtures in the middle of the sponge cake and top with a layer of sponge cake to seal. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
*For your own sponge cake: Serves 6. 4 eggs, 120 g of sugar, 100 g of flour vanilla flavour, lemon or orange grated peel, butter to grease the cake tin.
Mix egg yolks with sugar until smooth. Whip egg whites separately until very firm and add them to the mix. Slowly fold in the flour, then add grated citrus peel or vanilla flavour. Bake sponge cake for 40 minutes at moderate heat.
