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Migliaccio napoletano
Semolina and ricotta cake
Migliaccio: Naples's Carnival cake of semolina, ricotta and citrus
Migliaccio is the cake Neapolitan grandmothers bake on Fat Tuesday, the last day of Carnival before Lent. Its name comes from miglio, millet, which was used before semolina: today semolina is cooked in milk with butter, then mixed with ricotta, eggs, sugar and plenty of orange and lemon zest, and baked into a soft, dense, custardy cake. It is a close cousin of the Easter pastiera, without the pastry. Chef's tip: let the cooked semolina cool before beating in the eggs and ricotta; hot semolina scrambles the eggs and the cake turns grainy.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 ⅜ oz butterplus extra for the tin
- 1 lemonzest only
- 1 orangezest only
- 1 pinch salt
- 7 oz semolina
- 12 ½ oz ricottadrained
- 7 oz caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp icing sugarfor dusting
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Method
0/5 doneStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Butter and line a 24 cm round tin.
Step 3: Beat 12 ½ oz ricotta and 7 oz caster sugar until smooth, then beat in 4 eggs one at a time and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Add the cooled semolina and beat until creamy, with no lumps. Common mistake: adding hot semolina; the eggs set into lumps.
Step 4: Pour into the tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, until golden on top and just set in the middle with a slight wobble.
60 minStep 5: Cool completely in the tin, then chill for at least 2 hours. Dust with 2 tbsp icing sugar before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does migliaccio napoletano take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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