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Pastiera Napoletana (Naples Easter Cakes)
Pastiera Napoletana (Naples Easter Cakes) is a traditional Italian recipe for a classic Easter treat of individual cakes made from a rich pastry dough with a ricotta cheese, candied orange peel and hulled wheat filling. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Italian version of: Naples Easter Cakes (Pastiera Napoletana).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
30 minutes
Total Time:
50 minutes
Additional Time:
(+over night resting)
Serves:
12
Rating: 
Tags : Vegetarian RecipesSpice RecipesCheese RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesItaly Recipes
Here is an individual sized version of the dish known as
Pastiera di Grano (Neapolitan Easter Cake). The hulled wheat used in this recipe is European spring wheat and it's sold pre-prepared in tins in Italy during the Easter season. If you can only get dried hulled wheat then you will need to soak for 24 hours before boiling until tender before you can use in this recipe.
Ingredients:
For the Pastry (Pasta Frolla):
180g butter, at room temperature
200g fine cake flour (00 grade)
70g powdered sugar
50g ground almonds
1 small egg
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
For the Filling:
200g ricotta cheese (or you can use my
home-made ricotta cheese recipe to prepare your own)
100g powdered sugar
4 small eggs
200g prepared, hulled, wheat
150g candied orange peel, finely diced
ground cinnamon, to taste
orange flower water, to taste
vanilla extract, to taste
Method:
For the pasta frolla: Dissolve the salt in 1 tbsp water, then combine in a bowl with the softened butter, sugar, almonds, almond extract and eggs. Beat well to combine, then work in the flour a little at a time. Bring together as a dough, cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill in the refrigerator over night.
When ready to cook, prepare the filling. Mix together the ricotta cheese, powdered sugar and eggs in a bowl. Beat well to combine, then add a few drops of the vanilla extract, orange blossom water and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Now work in the cooked wheat and the candied orange peel.
Turn the pastry out onto a floured work surface and roll out to about 5mm thick. Cut into rounds large enough to line the wells of muffin tins (the dough should come about half way up the sides of the cups). Trim the dough neatly, then fill with the wheat and ricotta mixture.
Re-roll the scraps, cut into strips and use to decorate the tops of the pies.
Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown on top.
Allow to cool in the muffin tins for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.
Dust with icing sugar and serve or store.
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