The no-bake stracciatella cream cake is a dessert with a unique fragrance and flavor. It’s a true delight, very versatile as we can make it with gluten-free and lactose-free ingredients. The presence of chocolate and the orange blossom aroma, which perfectly blend with each other and with the ricotta, contribute to making this delicious cold dessert even more indulgent. The amount of orange blossom I recommend is minimal and might seem insufficient, but it is a very strong and penetrating aroma, and too much would ruin the final taste of the dessert. It’s a recipe that is irresistible and, at the same time, not heavy or cloying. To check out other cold and no-bake dessert recipes, you can type the word “cheesecake” in the search box. The no-bake stracciatella cream cake can be prepared for any special occasion and not only; it’s perfect to amaze our guests.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Day
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8/10 servings
- Cooking methods: No-bake
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz Chocolate cookies (also gluten-free)
- 6.7 oz Melted butter (also lactose-free)
- to taste Orange and lemon zest
- 0.85 cup Fresh liquid cream (also lactose-free or plant-based)
- 8.8 oz Ricotta cheese
- 8.8 oz Dark chocolate (also lactose-free)
- 3 tbsp Powdered sugar (also gluten-free)
- 4 drops Orange blossom aroma
- to taste Lemon zest
- 1 pinch Fine salt
Preparation
Ingredients for a 9.5-inch pan
1) Butter the pan you have chosen to make the no-bake stracciatella cream cake. Thanks to the butter, the parchment paper will adhere and stay firm while we create the cookie shell.2) Completely and perfectly line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper. Then also line the sides of the pan with a strip of parchment paper.
3) Grind the cookies into powder with a mixer and place them in a large bowl.
4) Finely grate the lemon and orange zest over the butter, which we will melt completely on the smallest burner over low heat. Pour it, still boiling, over the cookies. Use a spoon to quickly stir so the cookie crumbs can fully absorb the butter.
5) Transfer the cookie mixture into the pan and, using your hands, create a “shell” that should cover not only the bottom of the pan but also the sides. It’s an easy task but requires patience.
–First, create the base of the cake and compact it, perhaps using a meat tenderizer; then, with the remaining cookie mixture, create the sides of the cake. Afterwards, place the pan in the fridge for an hour, preferably in a cake carrier; this way, the cookie shell will firm up perfectly-
If you wish, you can also create just the base of the cake, which will be rather thick in this case.
6) In the meantime, let’s focus on the cream. In a bowl, sieve the ricotta (remove any liquid whey residue), add the powdered sugar, the pinch of salt, the grated lemon zest, the 4 drops of orange blossom aroma, and the chocolate flakes. Set aside some chocolate crumbs for the final decoration. Mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
7) Whip the cream to stiff peaks and gently fold it into the ricotta, using a spatula and moving from the bottom up. Take the shell of our cake from the fridge, fill it with the stracciatella cream, decorate it with the reserved chocolate, and return it to the fridge until it’s time to serve, well closed in the cake carrier.
Suggestion. The no-bake stracciatella cream cake also needs to be made at least a day in advance to fully appreciate its flavors and aromas.
