Migliaccio is a traditional Neapolitan dessert typically made during Carnival or at Easter.
It’s a cake made with semolina, ricotta, eggs and milk, flavored with the zest of an orange and the seeds of a vanilla pod.
It was once prepared with millet, from which it takes its name, which over time was replaced by durum wheat semolina (semolino), and pork blood was even added to the dough!
When the use of blood in cooking was abandoned, that ingredient was replaced by sugar and eggs and in this way the recipe for migliaccio developed.
Its texture is creamy and soft, melting in the mouth like a mousse; it’s very easy to make and also very economical.
What I propose today is the traditional Neapolitan sweet migliaccio recipe passed down to me ,
Grandma Rosa told me that her mother used to flavor it with millefiori honey, making its flavor very similar to the Neapolitan sfogliatella.
Of course I don’t claim this is the only or the original migliaccio recipe, but it is certainly a family recipe handed down from generation to generation.
Try it and if you like you can flavor it to your taste, perhaps substituting lemon for the orange or, as some do, adding a cinnamon stick to the milk while it boils.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: springform pan 9/9.5 in
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 335.48 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 50.07 (g) of which sugars 32.06 (g)
- Proteins 10.24 (g)
- Fat 10.85 (g) of which saturated 6.67 (g)of which unsaturated 3.90 (g)
- Fibers 0.96 (g)
- Sodium 49.57 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups milk
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 cup semolina (durum wheat semolina)
- 1 cup ricotta
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 bean vanilla bean
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 orange zest
- orange flavoring
- powdered sugar (for decoration)
Tools
- Small saucepan
- Springform pan
Steps
Put the milk, the water and the grated zest of one orange in a saucepan and heat until it almost reaches a boil.
Add the butter, let it melt, then gradually add the semolina while stirring continuously to prevent lumps from forming.
Cook over medium heat until it has thickened well (about 5 minutes).
Remove the semolina mixture from the heat and let it cool.
In a bowl, put the whole eggs, the sugar and the seeds from the vanilla pod and beat with electric beaters until you obtain a light and frothy mixture.
Add the ricotta and mix well, then also add the cooled semolina, trying to eliminate any lumps.
Take a greased and floured springform pan and pour the mixture into it.
Bake the migliaccio in a convection oven at 329°F for about 1 hour.
Before removing it definitively, perform the toothpick test.
Once baked, take it out of the oven, let it cool completely and before serving dust it generously with powdered sugar.
HERE IS THE CARNIVAL MIGLIACCIO
Follow my Instagram profile by clicking HERE
HOW TO STORE THE MIGLIACCIO
First of all, the sweet migliaccio is usually much better, like the pastiera, the day after it is prepared.
That said, once baked the migliaccio is stored in the refrigerator in a closed container for up to 3–4 days.
TIPS
You can make the sweet migliaccio more indulgent by adding chocolate chips, raisins or candied fruit to the dough as the last ingredient.
If during baking it browns too quickly, lower the oven temperature slightly (by a maximum of 10 degrees), cover it with parchment paper or aluminum foil and continue until it is perfectly cooked inside as well.
