Photo: Efrat Lichtenstadt
If you like sweet ricotta Danish rolls, don’t miss this following recipe! Although it is not classic ricotta cheese rolls, it’s definitely one the best – guaranteed. This is a sweet ricotta cinnamon roll cake – so fragrant and soft, that has the most delicate, fluffy texture!
Whether you like cinnamon rolls or ricotta rolls – this recipe combines both of them in a delicious melt-in-your-mouth cake that’s perfect to have with your coffee cup.
Photo: Efrat Lichtenstadt
Ricotta Cinnamon Roll Cake
For the dough:
- 300 grams (3 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 10 grams (2 tsp.) active dry yeast
- 75 grams (1/3 cup) sugar
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) soft butter
- 2 large eggs
- 125 ml. (1/2 cup) milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For ricotta and cinnamon filling:
- 500 grams (2 cups) ricotta cheese
- 60 grams (1/4 cup) dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 15 grams (3 tsp.) cornstarch
For glazing and decoration:
- 1 beaten egg
- Sugar powder
Dough:
- In a mixer bowl with a kneading attachment, put flour, yeast, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla and salt and knead for 10-12 minutes until soft flexible dough is obtained.
- Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place until the dough doubles its volume.
Ricotta and cinnamon filling:
- In a medium bowl, put ricotta, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch and mix until combined.
Assemble the Cake:
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 1/2 cm thick and spread half the amount of filling in a uniform layer.
- Roll into a tight roll and cut into 5-6 cm thick rolls.
- Place the rolls about 1 cm apart in a lightly greased pan. Repeat with the second piece of dough and the remaining filling until the pan is filled with rolls.
- Cover the cake with a damp towel and allow it to rise for about an hour in a warm place, until it almost doubles its volume and the rolls fill the mold nicely and uniformly.
- Preheat oven to 170c degrees.
- Gently brush the cake with some beaten egg.
- Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes or until it is golden and the rolls set.
- Cool slightly at room temperature, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
- The cake is at its best on the day of preparation, but it can be frozen well wrapped for up to two weeks.
- It is recommended to warm the cake slightly before serving.
- You can add other spices besides cinnamon, such as cardamom, cloves, ginger and even coffee.
- Instead of cornstarch in the filling, you can use the same amount of flour.
Photo: Efrat Lichtenstadt