Sweet Rice Cake

Sweet rice cake is a classic of Italian pastry, particularly from the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. Here I offer you a traditional version of the recipe.

Ingredients

• 200 g of rice
• 1 liter of milk
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 vanilla bean
• 4 eggs
• 200 g of sugar
• 50 g of candied fruits (optional)
• 30 ml of orange liqueur or rum
• A pinch of salt
• Butter and breadcrumbs (for the mold)
• Powdered sugar (for garnish)

Preparation

1. Bring the milk to a boil with the slit vanilla bean and grated lemon zest.
2. Add the rice and cook over low heat until it is soft and the milk has almost completely absorbed. Remove the rice from the heat and let it cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
4. Separate the yolks from the whites. Whisk the yolks with the sugar until you have a frothy mixture.
5. Add the cooled rice to the whisked yolks, candied fruits, liqueur, and a pinch of salt, mixing well.
6. Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the rice mixture.
7. Butter a baking dish and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs; pour the mixture into the dish.
8. Bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes or until the cake is golden and firm to the touch.
9. Let the rice cake cool then sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Curiosity

The sweet rice cake is often found during Easter celebrations, where it is frequently enriched with other ingredients such as almonds or chocolate. Every family has their own version, and tradition dictates that the recipe is handed down from generation to generation.