Source: Italian Cooking Class Cookbook by Edt. Consumer Guide
Makes 6 servings.
Preparation time: 4 hour
Tips: Uses 1/2 Chocolate Box Cake, keep one frozen handy.
Ingredients
Preparation
1 Box Chocolate or Devil's food 2 layer cake mix
2/3 cup sliced blanched almonds (about 2 oz)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons
4 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
4 ounces semisweet chocolate (chips o.k.)
1 ounce crystallized fruit (2 Tbs.)
6 red candied cherries
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Spoon batter into greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans. Bake according to package directions. Remove cake from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Only one cake layer is used in this dessert; freeze second layer for another use.
2. Heat oven to 350F degrees. Place almonds in small baking pan. Bake until light brown, 6 to 8 minutes; let cool. Reserve for garnish.
3. For filling: Press ricotta cheese through sieve into medium mixer bowl. Beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the liqueur. Finely chop 1 ounce of the chocolate, the ginger and cherries; stir into cheese mixture.
4. Combine 1/3 cup of the water, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the remaining 2 tablespoons liqueur in small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and syrup boils; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool syrup to room temperature.
5. Cut cake horizontally with thin serrated knife into 3 even layers. Brush top of each layer with a third of the cooled syrup. Place bottom layer on serving plate. Spread half the cheese filling evenly over bottom layer. Top with middle cake layer; spread with remaining filling. Top with remaining cake layer.
6. For icing: (see note 1). Melt remaining 3 ounces chocolate on top of a double boiler, stirring constantly, over simmering water. Remove from simmering water, cool chocolate to room temperature. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/3 cup water and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in small saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and syrup boils. Remove from heat; cool syrup to room temperature. Beat butter in medium mixer bowl until light and creamy. Beat in cooled syrup, 1 teaspoon at a time. Gradually beat in cooled chocolate; beat until smooth. Spread frosting on top and sides of cake. Press reserved almonds into frosting on sides of cake. Refrigerate cake, covered with inverted bowl, at least 4 hours before serving.
NOTES : 1) Beat frosting by hand, if it gets to runny, place in refrigerator to cool. If to hard, place over simmering water for few seconds while stirring to return to spreading consistency. Frosting will harden in the refrigerator.
Makes one 8-inch , 3 layer cake.
Ricotta Cake
