My recipe for the Italian Easter Cake: bake your Pastiera at home!
It wouldn’t be Easter without Pastiera!
Legends say that the traditional Pastiera Napoletana was firs baked in a Neapolitan convent. The nuns wanted the cake to have the perfume of the flowers of the orange trees which grew in the convent’s gardens. What we know for certain is that the nuns of the ancient convent of San Gregorio Armeno were always considered to be geniuses in the complex preparation of the Pastiera, but after some years of experimenting in the kitchen, I perfected my recipe too!
Make your own Pastiera for Easter!
The key for an amazing Pastiera is starting from good quality ingredients. For the filling, you will need fresh ricotta cheese and fresh organic eggs. This cake is more than worth a trip to the market!
For the Short Crust Pastry:
300 gr 00 flour
1 tbs of sugar
150 gr butter
1 egg
150 ml water or milk
Work the dough with your hands and once all the ingredients are perfectly mixed shape the dough into a ball and place it in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
Once chilled it will be easier to roll out the pastry and create the base in the cake tin.
If you are looking for a great flour I would recommend our Antimo Caputo Chef’s Flour which is perfect for desserts but can also be used for rustic cakes and different recipes!
The delicious filling:
350 gr Grano Cotto
250 ml milk
30 gr butter
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
300 gr sugar
350 gr ricotta
40 gr candied citron
40 gr candied orange
20 gr orange blossom water
zest of one lemon
Don’t be scared by the many ingredients all the different aromas make this cake unique!
Start by mixing the grano cotto, milk, butter and lemon zest in a pan and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and keep stirring for about 20–25 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. In another pan whisk the eggs with the sugar until it turns pale then slowly add the ricotta cheese. Mix the eggs with the cooled wheat mix and add candied citrus, candied orange and the orange blossom water.
If you don’t love candied fruit you could add less than 40 gr or skip it completely but the orange blossom water is key!
My shopping list for the Pastiera:
It is not always easy to find the right ingredients for the Pastiera filling, in our shop, you can find the ones I grew up with in Italy and love to use when making this traditional cake. Don’t wait until the last days before Easter though, because they are often sold out!
The final touches:
Preheat the oven at 160° C. Line the cake tin and save some dough to create the iconic strips to decorate the pastiera, then pour in the filling and get creative with decorations!
The pastiera will need to bake for about 1 hour, check it to make sure it has that perfect golden color before you take it out of the oven.
Buon Appetito!
Let the Pastiera cool and enjoy it with friends and family! This dessert is a must on the Easter table, but can be enjoyed all year round with a cup of coffee or tea, for a Sunday brunch or an everyday sweet break!
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