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Tuscan Zuccotto Dessert with Ricotta and Chocolate

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Tuscan Zuccotto is a classic dome-shaped Florentine dessert made with soft sponge cake and layered ricotta creams—one with chocolate chips and one with cocoa. Light, elegant, and stunning to serve, it’s lightly moistened with red syrup and chilled to perfection.

Ingredients

Sponge Cake:

75 g all-purpose flour

75 g potato starch

150 g white sugar

5 eggs

5 tbsp boiling water

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

Ricotta Cream Filling:

750 g fresh ricotta

150 ml heavy cream

70 g white sugar

10 g unsweetened cocoa powder

40 g chocolate chips

To Wet the Cake: 250 ml red syrup or fruit juice

Decoration: Unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

  1. Make the Sponge Cake: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Separate egg whites from yolks.
  2. Whisk yolks with sugar until pale. Add boiling water gradually, then vanilla.
  3. Sift flour, potato starch, and baking powder. Fold into yolk mixture with salt.
  4. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold gently into batter.
  5. Line a 24 cm springform pan with parchment. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
  6. Prepare Ricotta Filling: Drain and sieve ricotta. Mix with sugar until creamy.
  7. Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks; fold into ricotta.
  8. Divide mixture in two bowls: add cocoa to one, chocolate chips to the other.
  9. Assemble: Remove crust from cooled sponge and slice into 1 cm strips.
  10. Line a dome mold or mixing bowl with foil. Arrange cake slices to form a full inner shell.
  11. Brush lightly with red syrup or fruit juice.
  12. Spread ricotta–chocolate chip filling, then the cocoa ricotta filling.
  13. Top with more cake slices to form the base. Brush lightly with syrup.
  14. Cover and refrigerate 3–4 hours until fully set.
  15. Serve: Invert onto a plate, remove foil, and dust with cocoa powder before slicing.

Notes

Add candied orange peel or hazelnuts to the filling for extra texture.

Use mascarpone in place of some ricotta for a richer dessert.

Use orange or pomegranate juice for a non-alcoholic version.

A serrated knife gives the cleanest slices.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://chocolatecoveredamy.com/tuscan-zuccotto-dessert-with-ricotta-and-chocolate/