Migliaccio – neapolitan semolina & ricotta cake
- 500 ml milk
- 500 ml water
- orange and lemon peel (not zested) from 2-3 oranges and lemons+ finely grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
- seeds of 1 vanilla bean
- 40g butter
- 200g durum wheat semola
- 220g caster sugar
- 4 whole eggs
- 350g of well drained ricotta
- Icing sugar for dusting on top
Preheat your oven to 180 C conventional. Grease and flour a 20 cm round or square cake tin.
Place milk and water in a large pot along with the citrus peel, butter and vanilla seeds. Bring to a simmer and slowly pour in the semola and whisk continuously (as if making polenta) for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is thick and smooth (a few lumps are okay, they will dissolve in the batter). Transfer to a bowl, cover and allow to cool down. Once cool remove the citrus peel.
Beat the eggs with the sugar (you can use an electric whisk, if you have one) until pale and fluffy. Add the ricotta and mix well. Add this mixture to the cooled semola, along with the zested peel and whisk well. Pour in the prepared tin and bake for 60 minutes. The surface will crack a little, creating its characteristic pattern, and the middle will feel jiggly (like a cheesecake). Take it out of the oven and cool in the tin completely. As it cools down it will flatten slightly. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy. It keeps really well at room temperature for a few days (it’s actually better the next day) and in the fridge (the texture will change slightly though). It freezes well too, well wrapped.
