ricotta cheese cake

I found this beautiful recipe here and have changed only little things: like sugar, using less.

red velvet cake ... yes I can!

After having seen in several blogs this delicious, coloured cake, I have been finally decided to remake it in my beloved kitchen. Reading the ingredients you can be scared by visions of colesterol but you will be unexpected surprised by the delicious and delicate taste in your mouth. I got the recipe herein the  blog joy of baking: I went to the source...

Ingredients for the 2 red cakes: 

250 g sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt 

15 g bitter cocoa powder 

113 g unsalted butter at room temperature 

300 g caster sugar 

2 large free range eggs (or 3 if little) 

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

240 ml of buttermilk* (I used half whipping cream and half milk) 

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring (I needed 3) 

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar 

1 teaspoon baking soda

Method

1. Sift together the flour, cocoa and salt. In the bowl of the electric mixer beat the butter until soft, add the sugar and beat until fluffy and clear. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract and beat until well combined.

2. In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer at low speed alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three times, beginning and ending with the flour. 

3. In a little bowl combine the vinegar and baking soda, wait the mixture to fizz and then pour into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake in preheated oven to 175°C for 25-30 minutes. Make the toothpick test. Cool the cakes in their pans and then wrap in plastic and place them in refrigerator for 1 hour. 

 Ingredients for the Cream Cheese

• 227 g cream cheese  (I used fresh goat cheese, ricotta) at room temperature
• 227 g of Mascarpone at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 115 g sifted icing sugar
• 360 ml cold heavy whipping cream

1. Beat in the electric mixer the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth, add the vanilla extract and the confectionary sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment gradually add the whipping cream and beat until the frosting is thick. 

Assemble:

With a knife cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. Put one of the 4 cake layers on the serving plate (top of the cake facing down). Spread the layer cake with the frosting, place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost the cake layers, and the top and sides of the cake. 

Serves: 10/12 slices.

raspberry parfait with vanilla Bourbon

What is not made for a kitchen robot... red and beautiful: I made this parfait.

cassata chocolate strawberry and vanilla with a special combination...

Editor's Note!

The presentation of the sweets of this blog will be accompanied by the description of one or two wines to match, their history and composition, made by a very special person to me, who has a twenty-year experience in excellent restaurants in Rome, my brother Gian Luca Zacchia, sommelier enrolled in the Italian register of Sommeliers since 1990. His experience has been developed in restaurants like  Agata e Romeo as curator of the celling and tasting, the restaurant La Pergola and restaurant Alberto Ciarla in Trastevere, among only the most important. Now it is not his main activity, then accepted to cooperate with my adventure and passion for this blog, enriching it with his great knowledge in a field that I love much enjoy, but have few experience. We can then call it a "joint-venture" for affection and passion that binds us, for good wine and food, and the ability to combine them.



cassata chocolate strawberry and vanilla

ricotta mousse with strawberry jelly

Then it is true that it's spring! I'm glad this year to celebrate it in a new way, with my newborn blog, through Irina's contest , which is an hymn to this season and to strawberries! I could eat strawberries without limit. You can find them all year round even in supermarkets, but they are long and somewhat ugly, they are similar for colors but the flavour is nonexistent! Now, instead, in their proper season they are florid, round, red fire and have the perfect taste; it's nice to wait for the right season, when it's time for strawberries, because they are doubly delicious! so here is my recipe for strawberry harvesting ... obviously I involved my little guy to take pictures; so with barely concealed patience he lent me his little holy hands for a session of shooting (always with the usual bedraggled phone) " but mum in return you give me 3 strawberries!" Here the sense of paid worh is sprouting in the heart of my little guy! Yes, because when I bought them (knowing that they are greedy) I roared into the phone "Do not eat strawberries I need them for the dessert! Ufff then you give me in change for the photos!Ok ok deal done! Voilà the recipe...