A light Italian baked ricotta pudding — fragrant with lemon, cinnamon and dark rum — that's wonderful served warm or cold with a dusting of icing sugar.
Budino di ricotta is a light Italian baked ricotta pudding — delicate and cloud-soft, fragrant with lemon, cinnamon and a hint of rum. It sits somewhere between a cake and a cheesecake, and is lovely warm or chilled with a dusting of icing sugar.
Prep 15 min
Cook 40 min
Total 55 min
Easy
- 500g Ricotta
- 4 large Eggs
- 3 tbs Flour
- 250g Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- Grated Zest of 2 Lemons
- 5 tbs Dark Rum
- sprinking Icing Sugar
Tags:
Cake Baking Desert Sweet Alcoholic CalorificVideo
Preparation
- Mash the ricotta and beat well with the egg yolks, then stir in the flour, sugar, cinnamon, grated lemon zest and rum and mix well (a food processor makes this easy).
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff, fold them in, and pour into a buttered and floured 25cm cake tin.
- Bake at 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 for about 40 minutes, until firm.
- Serve hot or cold, dusted with icing sugar.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Beat the ricotta smooth so the finished pudding is silky rather than grainy.
- Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold gently to keep the pudding airy and light.
- Butter and flour the tin well so it releases cleanly.
- Don't overbake — it should be just firm and set, keeping its delicate texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — swap in a little vanilla or extra lemon zest for a child-friendly, alcohol-free version.
Lighter and more soufflé-like — it has the ricotta tang of a cheesecake but a far airier crumb.
Both are lovely — warm it's soft and comforting, chilled it firms up more like a cake.
