Traditional and Light Messina Zuppette
Discover how to make authentic Messina zuppette in two versions: the classic traditional one and a light diabetic-friendly variant with FiberPasta and erythritol, so you never have to give up taste.
With Messina Zuppette, you enclose in one bite the scent of the sea and the Ganzirri lakes and the magic of old-style pastry.
Relive the emotion of when, at grandma’s workshop counter, the Messina zuppette were born: a soft embrace of sponge cake and ricotta that today is reborn in an inclusive version, designed for those who love tradition but care about health.
Recipes made for you:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4/5
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 1,287.26 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 179.91 (g) of which sugars 123.15 (g)
- Proteins 37.80 (g)
- Fat 50.71 (g) of which saturated 17.12 (g)of which unsaturated 17.82 (g)
- Fibers 3.84 (g)
- Sodium 237.86 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 400 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 Messina Zuppette
Let’s go shopping
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (00) (or about 1 3/4 cups of FiberPasta)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup ricotta (preferably sheep's ricotta, otherwise cow's)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (or about 1 cup erythritol or ~3 1/2 tbsp stevia)
- 1 packet vanillin (vanilla powder)
- 3 tbsp sunflower seed oil
- 3 1/2 tbsp milk
- 3.5 oz dark chocolate chips (kept in the freezer)
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1 cup ricotta
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar (or about 1/2 cup erythritol or ~1 3/2 tbsp stevia)
- 2 tbsp pistachio flour (plus more as needed for decoration)
- 3 walnut halves
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or about 2/3 cup erythritol or ~2 tbsp + 2 tsp stevia)
- 1 tsp orange blossom extract (or any flavor you like, can be replaced with liqueur)
- 1 cup ricotta
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar (or about 1/2 cup erythritol)
- 7 oz strawberries (plus more for decoration)
Messina Zuppette
Tools
what we need
- 1 Stand mixer
- 3 Bowls
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Baking pan 9 in
Steps Messina Zuppette
Let’s go to the kitchen
The first thing to do is prepare the ricotta, which must be well drained for at least 24 hours. Also keep the chocolate chips in the freezer (this way they won’t sink into the batter).
Sift the flour and baking powder and set aside.
Whisk the ricotta well until it becomes creamy.
In another bowl, break the eggs and add the sugar or your preferred sweetener.
Then beat everything well until it has doubled in volume. (Take the eggs out of the fridge at least 2 hours beforehand.)
As soon as the mixture is well whipped, add the sunflower oil, the milk and the vanillin.
Continue mixing, then gradually add the ricotta, mixing with whisks. Do not add more ricotta until the first spoonful is well incorporated.
Now fold in the chocolate chips.
and stir with a spatula this time.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9-inch pan or lined with parchment paper.
Bake the ricotta sponge cake with chocolate chips in a preheated conventional oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 30 minutes.
Do the toothpick test before removing it from the oven.
Let it cool completely before slicing.
As you can see in the photo, I made two filling flavors: one with strawberries and one with pistachio flour, so the ingredients are divided for two different flavors.
If you want to make Messina zuppette with only one of the two flavors, just double the amount of the flavor you chose.Divide the allocated ricotta into 2 different bowls; in each add the sugar or erythritol and mix.
Leave the one for the strawberries as is, while for the pistachio one add the pistachio flour. Mix well with a fork to avoid lumps.
You can make the soaking syrup with simple milk; I made it flavored so I heated the water with the sugar or erythritol in the microwave. Once cooled, I added a few drops of orange blossom extract.
Remove the sponge cake from its pan and make cuts to shape it into a square as in the photo. (Yes, I know I could have baked it square, but for that amount my pan was too large so I opted for a round one.) We used the scraps to decorate the zuppette and for breakfast.
Now cut the sponge cake in half and then into 3 layers.
Let’s start filling.
Brush each layer with the syrup and start spreading the creams.
For the strawberry zuppette, make a layer of ricotta, then some chopped strawberries and continue like this until the top layer of ricotta and strawberries.
For the pistachio ones, spread a layer of pistachio ricotta and add chopped walnuts.
Continue like this until the last layer, which will be ricotta and pistachio flour.
I completed the decoration with sponge cake scraps for the pistachio ones and with extra strawberries for the strawberry ones.
Storage
Messina Zuppette can be kept at room temperature for one day unless it is midsummer; in that case keep them refrigerated for up to 2 days and remove them 30 minutes before serving.
FAQ (Questions & Answers)
Messina Zuppette
Can I change the fruit?
Yes, certainly.
Messina Zuppette
