Torta di Ricotta

With berry season in full swing, making recipes that let them shine in all of their glory is a delicious way to savor the bounty of the season. Right now, wild raspberries are fruiting in the woodland and in fields and are also at farmer’s markets. Since traveling through food is still a thing, today we are venturing to Italy and enjoying a recipe for Torta di Ricotta. This incredibly easy cake is so versatile—you can serve it as is, or adorn it up with an array of fruit—and is just sweet enough to be decadent and to properly end a meal. Buon appetito!

Photography & Styling by Alison Engstrom

Torta di ricotta

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan

3 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar, sifted

12 ounces whole milk ricotta

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup whole milk

Summer fruit (berries, peaches, apricots) if desired for garnish

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a spring foam pan with butter, set aside. In a medium bowl combine egg yolks, sugar, ricotta, vanilla extract and salt, stir to combine. Stir in flour, baking soda and milk. In another medium bowl, or a bowl fitted for a standing mixer, whisk egg white until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Pour into pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until set. Let cool in pan. Remove from pan and place onto a serving platter. Garnish with fruit if desired.

Recipe was slightly adapted from ‘Old World Italian’ by Mimi Thorrison