The soffione di ricotta abruzzese is a typical Easter cake made with an oil-based shortbread that encloses a filling of ricotta and eggs.
The name soffione derives from the swelling of the cake during cooking, to the point that the filling overflows from the crust as if someone had blown it.
In other parts of Abruzzo it is known with the name of sweet fiadone, in order not to cause confusion with salty fiadoni, also typical of the Easter period.
SERVINGS:4
Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry:
- 2 1/4 cups of 00 flour
- 3 1/4 tbsp of granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients for the cream:
- 400 grams (about 2 cups) of sheep ricotta cheese
- 4 eggs
- 8 tbsp of granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- a pinch od salt
DIRECTIONS:
First put the ricotta in a colander and let it drain for about 2 hours to make it lose the excess whey.
In a bowl collect the flour, sugar, oil, eggs and begin to mix.
Knead the ingredients until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough, then wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, make the filling: separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.
Beat the egg yolks, sugar and salt with a whisk until light and fluffy.
Sift the ricotta, add it to the beaten yolks, add the grated lemon rind and mix until you obtain a smooth cream but without exceeding because the ricotta must remain a bit ‘compact.
With a clean whisk, whip the egg whites until stiff and add them to the ricotta cream delicately, adding them a little at a time with a spatula making a gentle movement from the bottom up.
Take the shortcrust pastry and roll it out to a thickness of 0.12 inches, giving it a round shape with a larger diameter than the baking pan you will use.
Grease and flour the mold then cover it with shortcrust pastry, letting some of the pastry fall out of the edges.
Pour the ricotta mixture into the baking tin then beat it without too much force on the work table to compact it.
Fold inward the flaps of shortcrust pastry avoiding covering the center as well.
Bake in the preheated oven at 340 F for 35/40 minutes.
When the cake is golden brown and well colored on the surface, turn off the oven and let it cool inside with the cabin door closed.
