This is one of the best crostata I ever made 🙂 you will be surprised of the flavors and the intensity of the aromas.

I have recently discovered that here in Hungary there is a farm run by Italians that produces very good buffalo mozzarella and also fresh buffalo ricotta, so when I found their products I immediately thought to do a cake like this one by using their ricotta 🙂

Obviously you can use also other types of ricotta, and it will be good also with the local Orda, which is similar to a ricotta (but more wet, so in that case I suggest to drain it well, at least a whole night long).

These flavors are simply perfect mixed together, the ricotta doesn’t need much sugar for my taste, then the chocolate match always perfectly with the candied orange peels, especially if they are my homemade orange peels and not some industrial ones with much less flavor and aroma 🙂 (click HERE for the recipe of the homemade candied orange peels). And the vanilla gives the final touch 🙂

It’s not difficult at all, you just need the right ingredients. Let’s see the recipe.

 

INGREDIENTS (for a 28cm cake):

For the pasta frolla dough:

• 300 g flour (I used 200 g einkorn wheat flour and 100 g of whole spelt/farro flour)
• 35 g cocoa powder
• 140 g sugar
• 170 g butter
• 3 yolks (or 4 if the eggs are small)
• a pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 500 g fresh buffalo ricotta (but also a cow ricotta is fine, or also sheep ricotta)
• 90 g sugar
• 90 g dark chocolate, 70%
• 1 egg
• 1 vanilla bean
• candied orange peels (in alternative also the freshly grated peel from a not treated orange is fine)

 

1. First of all we have to prepare the pasta frolla: sift in one bowl the flour and the cocoa powder, the sugar, the butter cut into small pieces (the butter must be cold), the yolks, and the salt, and start mixing all together energetically. The pasta frolla is ready when you have a nice round and homogeneous ball 🙂 this process should be made as fast as possible, the butter inside must not get too much warm.
2. Then take the pasta, flatten it a bit, just to have about a square shape, put it in a plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, but better 4-5 hours. After this time take out the dough from the fridge and wait 10 minutes before working it.
3. Meanwhile prepare the filling, very easily: take a bowl and add the ricotta, the sugar (that you have previously mixed with the vanilla pulp), the whole egg, the dark chocolate (cut into small pieces, with a knife), the candied orange peels (also cut into small dice), and simply mix together 🙂
4. Now put some flour on your working table and flatten the pasta frolla using a rolling pin at a thickness of about 3-4mm.
5. Now roll the pasta frolla on the rolling pin, and put it into a crostata pan (before spread some butter on the bottom of the cake pan), paying attention not to break it.
6. Fit nicely the pasta frolla in the cake pan, and cut the exceeding pasta frolla: we will use it to make some stripes to decorate the top of the cake after we have spread the jam.
7. Now, with a fork, pierce all the surface of the pasta frolla, in this way while baking it will not rise and it will not break the bottom of the cake.
8. Spread the ricotta filling inside, and decorate with the exceeding pasta frolla, I usually make some stripes.
9. Bake in the oven at 170-175 °C, fan-assisted mode, for about 30 minutes.
10. Let it cool down and then enjoy 🙂

 

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Products used:

Flour: stone-ground organic Einkorn flour and whole spelt/farro flour from “Mulino Marino”

Ricotta: ricotta di bufala from “La Fattoria di Mezőtúr”

Cocoa and chocolate: Stühmer

Butter: Kerrygold

Candied orange peels: homemade

Eggs: free-range, from a local farmer