Neapolitan Easter Cake

Coming from an Italian background, this Neapolitan Easter Cake has always been a family favourite Easter treat.

In the Naples dialect we call this “Pizza di riso.” It is more commonly known as: “Pastiera di Riso” – Italian Easter Rice Pie or Italian Rice and Ricotta Pie or “Pastiera Napoletana” – Traditional Neapolitan Easter pie.

I have fond memories of my mother making this cake and plan to continue this tradition in memory of her.

Ingredients:

For the Dough (Pasta Frolla)
2½ cups plain flour
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
115 grams butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Note: I substituted the flour for a Gluten & Dairy free flour & the sugar with Monk Fruit Sweetener

For the Filling:
1 cup rice Arborio rice
2 cups full cream whole milk
2½ cups water
80 grams butter
½ tsp salt
2 lemons, peel and zest
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
2 cinnamon sticks
¾ cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1½ cups of ricotta cheese, drained
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Note: I substituted the sugar with Monk Fruit Sweetener

Instructions:

1. To Make the Dough:
   * In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on medium speed. (You could also use a food processor)
   * Add the butter, eggs and egg yolks until you get a moist crumb start to form.
   * Remove dough from the mixer bowl and move to a smooth surface.
   * Gently work the dough until it comes together into a smooth ball.
   * Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
2. To Cook the Rice Filling:
   * In a saucepan add milk, rice, water, cinnamon sticks, butter, lemon peels and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
   * Once it starts to simmer, turn heat down to low and let it cook for another 15 minutes.
   * Stir often so rice mixture doesn’t stick.
   * Let it cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is cooked.
   * Remove cinnamon stick and lemon peel.
   * Transfer the rice mixture to a glass bowl and let it cool completely.
   * Once the rice mixture is cooled completely, add it to the ricotta mixture.
3. Assembly of Pie:
   * In a large bowl cream ricotta, sugar and cinnamon using a handheld mixer.
   * Add eggs and continue mixing.
   * Add the orange blossom water, mix well.
   * Add the cooked rice slowly and mix gently. Set aside.
   * Grease you 25cm springform pan with butter and flour.
   * Roll out the dough into a circle shape on a floured surface to about ½ cm thick.
   * Cover the springform pan with the dough and cut off any hanging edges. (For ease of transferring dough from your work surface to the pan you can use a rolling pin to roll the dough up, and then roll it over the springform pan)
   * Once you have trimmed the hanging edges, set remaining dough aside.
   * Fill with the rice mixture.
   * With the remaining dough, roll out the dough to ½ cm thickness.
   * Decorate the top of the pastiera/pie by cutting out 2cm strips using a zigzag cutter and placing on top of the pie in a lattice design. The lattices should sit gently on top of the dough.
4. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius.
5. Bake for 1½ hours until golden on top.
6. Let it cool, dust with icing sugar and enjoy it as much as my family and I do!