Italian Lemon-Ricotta Cake

Professional bakers might have an 11" cake pan. Not so much the rest of us. Elsewhere, it was noted that a 10" cake pan worked with a little bit more cooking. But a recipe developed for such a specific and odd piece of equipment simply doesn't make sense. The NYT should at least offer some instructions for using more commonly sized cake pans.

This cake was a huge success at a dinner party! Everyone begged to take home extra slices. I used the zest of three lemons and used a 10" springform pan. It was flavorful without being overpowering and very tender and light. I have no idea why there are negative reviews. This one is a keeper!

we serve migliaccio in our pizza shop. our recipe was inspired by a Naples version but we took months tweaking it until we got what i believe to be a masterpiece! fine semolina - not coarse. and always stir that mixture on the stove until it thickens. you should use a stand mixer and really beat it smooth. use 3 cups milk and 1 cup cream. use orange, vanilla and lemon. all 3. and strega if you can. use a few more eggs too. bake lower and longer. and now i've said too much!

I loved that this "cheesecake" was crustless. I wanted a more lemony flavor in the batter, so I added zest of two large lemons and one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice with vanilla extract. I used a 10" baking pan and extended the bake time an extra 10 minutes. The slices are about the size of a slice of regular cheesecake. It was firm, light, lemony and absolutely delicious!

It occurred to me that this could be made with leftover whey from Melissa Clark's homemade ricotta (so easy and quick it doesn't make sense to buy it) because it is rich, already hot, lightly salted, and a little lemony. Forewarned by the earlier comments, I slightly more whey - more like a litre - and cooked it with the semolina until too thick to stir. It worked so perfectly (and was so delicious) I wondered whether this recipe was traditionally created to use both the ricotta and whey.

I too was disconcerted by thickness of semolina-milk mixture which made hand stirring very difficult and boiling unobservable. I basically guesstimated time and removed pan from heat as stirring became impossible. The thickness quickly dissipated as the sugar and butter were added. I'll add them sooner next time while saucepan still on heat which should make timing of process less dependent on the strength of one's arm!

After using the zest of 4 lemons and a 10" springform I thought the result was good, but disappointing. The flavor was ok but not intense; the texture a little grainy. Then I made a discovery that transformed the cake. I put the leftovers in the refrigerator. The next day I decided to taste it again before throwing it out, and was astonished. The flavor was intensely lemony, and the texture was fine grained, more like a cheesecake ! So here's a cake you can make the day before!

You can use cream of wheat (farina). Semolina flour has a much coarser texture than regular flour, which would NOT work well. I have substituted cream of wheat in an Italian nut cake that I make often and no one noticed the substitution.

I used the zest of 4 lemons, and even then the lemon flavor was quite delicate - I'd definitely recommend using a lot of zest! In addition, I wasn't expecting the batter to get as thick and nearly unworkable as it did. A note about the expected consistency would have been reassuring.

My mom would make miglioccio on a regular basis; and this recipe is quite similar to hers; though she would add the zest of two lemons, if not more, along with their juice. Also she would heat the milk, along with the sugar and butter for a better texture, when the semolina was slowly added -- first, gragually, with a whisk, and finished with a wooden spoon. She never had lumps in her cakes, a all too common problem with this recipe, as written . . .

Read 10 times. Everything set out. BIG mistake thinking simmer meant a low/barely boil. WRONG per dictionary, "just below the boiling point". Ha! I felt so stupid. (49 yr old) So milk was too hot when I tried to WHISK the flour/salt in - it immediately turned to dough. It was hard to find a similar video but the one I found they add the flour/salt in right away, not waiting for the milk to get hot. Hope this helps you! Not giving up, trying again. :)

I just answered my own question and made this with orange instead of lemon. I had semolina flour (separate answer: you can mail order Bob's Red Mill semolina flour from walmart.com or amazon.com or bobsredmill.com). I used orange zest and about 2TB of o.j. and it came out great. Many compliments. An interesting texture, not quite cake, not quite pie, sort of in between. Would definitely make again.

Definitely more lemon zest. 3 medium sized lemons
Use vanilla extract and lemon juice.
Make ricotta from scratch and use whey instead of milk.
with a 9 inch pan, use 2/3 of recipe.

I also add more zest and lemon juice. Then I bake this in two 9” cake pans and once cooled, put a layer of melted raspberry jam in between the two cakes. I chill it and then serve with fresh raspberries and a little more jam melted over the top. Huge hit with all ages at my house.

There is no way this much batter can fit into a short cake pan. I've made this twice using a springform pan with high sides and it comes out perfectly! Very light and delicious.Use Meyer lemons if you can get them.