Today we are preparing the ricotta pizza, a very old, simple, genuine, and delicious Abruzzo dessert. It is widespread throughout Abruzzo, and as always, different places have different recipes and versions! This is my family recipe.
The ricotta pizza with candied fruits and chocolate chips is basically a tart, with a crisp oil-based crust and a creamy filling made with ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, Rum, candied fruits, and chocolate.
On the surface, it is decorated with simple stripes of shortcrust pastry, and some people sprinkle it, before baking, with granulated sugar for a more rustic touch. Or, after baking, it can be decorated with powdered sugar.
My grandma often made my mom, when she was a young girl, the ricotta tart with candied fruits and chocolate. One of those simple and genuine desserts that can be enjoyed at any time of the day.
And now that, unfortunately, grandma is no longer with us, I often make this ricotta pizza in her memory for my mom, who eats it with great pleasure and a touch of nostalgia.
Whether it’s breakfast or snack, as a dessert after a meal, the tart with ricotta and candied fruits is always good! Let’s see how it’s made.
Please read to the end, you will find useful tips for making this recipe and a little gift for you 🩷
Are you a lover of tarts and cookies? Then don’t miss out on these proposals, the most appreciated by my dear readers.
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If you like Abruzzo desserts, don’t miss these, they are exceptional
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: about 10
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (approximately)
- 2 eggs (medium whole)
- 7 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- orange zest
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch baking powder
- 1.5 lbs ricotta cheese (cow, sheep, or mixed, as long as it's dry)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg (medium whole)
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (or finely chopped dark chocolate)
- 1/2 cup candied fruits
- 2 tbsp rum (not essential)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (only if you like it, or orange zest)
Tools
- Bowls
- Sieve
- Mixer
- Hand Whisk
- Spatula
- Grater
- Cake Pan
Steps
Making this Abruzzo dessert is very easy; you just need to prepare a simple oil-based shortcrust pastry that does not need to rest in the fridge.
However, before making the crust, let’s think about the filling, which needs to rest in the fridge for about half an hour.
Take a bowl and place the ricotta inside. Add a medium whole egg and the rum, and mix with the electric beaters.
You can also use a hand whisk, but in this case, it is preferable to sieve the ricotta to make it creamier.
I used cow’s ricotta, but sheep ricotta, which will make your tart tastier, or mixed ricotta, is also fine.
The only important tip I give every time a dessert with ricotta is made is to ensure that the ricotta is DRY; otherwise, it will release its whey.
To avoid this, ask for dry ricotta at the cheese counter, and if necessary, let it drain for a couple of hours (or even overnight) in a colander.
Let’s get back to the preparation. After adding the egg and rum and mixing well, add sugar and ground cinnamon.
Rum and cinnamon will give a really delicious taste and aroma to the tart, but they are not essential.
If you don’t like cinnamon, you can replace it with orange zest, which goes very well with the other ingredients.
Rum can be replaced with Alchermes or Strega, or you can omit it entirely.
Finally, add the candied fruits and chocolate chips (finely chopped dark chocolate is also fine).
Mix with a spatula until you get a nice creamy mixture. Taste to see if you like the sweetness level; if not, add a bit more sugar.
Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest in the fridge for about half an hour to let the flavors meld.
If you want, the filling for this Abruzzo pizza can be prepared the night before and left in the fridge.
Making the base of our tart will be even faster!
In a bowl, break the medium whole eggs, add the sugar, and beat quickly with a simple hand whisk or fork.
Then add olive oil or vegetable oil and mix. Finally, a pinch of salt, a pinch of baking powder, and the flour.
Mix first with a fork directly in the bowl.
As soon as the flour has absorbed the other ingredients, you can pour the whole mixture onto a work surface and finish working it there until you get a soft but not sticky dough.
It may be necessary to add another couple of tablespoons of flour for working, so always keep about 50 g aside, which you may or may not need.
If you don’t have a work surface, no problem! I knead directly in the bowl; it works just as well 😉
Once you have a soft dough, divide it into two parts, a larger one for lining the cake pan (28-30 cm) and a smaller one for decorative strips.
Roll out the larger shortcrust pastry on a sheet of parchment paper with the help of a rolling pin.
Don’t have a rolling pin? No problem, you can pull off small portions of shortcrust pastry, place them inside the cake pan, and then press them down with your hands.
Continue adding small portions of shortcrust pastry and compress until covering the entire bottom.
On the base of the tart, I crumbled a couple of dry cookies to act as a “filter” with the definitely moist filling.
Instead of crumbled cookies, we can use a thin layer of apricot or orange jam, which will act as a protective filter.
At this point, take the filling from the fridge, pour it all over the tart, and spread it well across the surface with a spatula.
Make decorative strips, in the number and thickness you prefer, and place them on the filling.
Decorate the shortcrust pastry strips with a little granulated sugar (this is my preferred decoration, but if you want, you can skip this step and once baked, after it has cooled, you can use powdered sugar).
Bake the ricotta tart in a preheated static oven at 338°F for about 40-45 minutes
The baking time varies from oven to oven, so make sure to check before taking it out.
Once ready, let it cool completely, and then finally you can enjoy a nice slice of this Abruzzo ricotta pizza!
I hope I’ve made you want to try this traditional, simple, and so delicious dessert!
Article protected by copyright © – Gabriella Geroni © All Rights Reserved
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I omit the candied fruits from the filling?
Modifying a recipe that originates in a certain way and is part of ancient traditions is not a crime, but it doesn’t allow you to know and appreciate it in its entirety.
However, since everyone has their tastes, needs, and lifestyle, nothing stops us from changing or not using an ingredient if we don’t like it.
Specifically, candied fruits can be omitted and possibly replaced with chocolate chips.What can I use instead of ricotta?
I can’t answer this question! Unlike candied fruits, which can be replaced with chocolate, ricotta cannot be substituted! In this case, it’s better to make a different dessert!
How long does the ricotta pizza last?
If the temperature is not too hot, it will last for three to four days and can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container so it doesn’t absorb odors and stays even better.
Can I use butter instead of oil for the crust?
If you prefer, yes. Here is a link to the Butter to Oil Conversion Table to check the quantities.
