Rice cake: the Emilian recipe

The rice cake is a traditional dessert of Emilian cuisine based on rice e latte, a preparation without flour or yeast, gluten-free and therefore suitable for everyone. It’s a simple dessert with a smooth and creamy texture that melts in your mouth and gives an incomparable vanilla scent.

The origins of the rice cake date back to around 1400, when in Bologna, in the month of May, it was prepared for the celebrations of Corpus Domini. On this occasion, the balconies and windows of the houses were decorated with colorful hangings, and this dessert was offered to friends and relatives: hence the name by which it is often called, decorating cake.

As with typical recipes, there are different versions of this cake, and each family has their own. traditional pie recipe rice: some variations include for example the addition of pine nuts, candied fruit, spices or liqueurs in the mixture. Whatever the reference version, the secret to preparing a perfect rice cake is to slowly cook the rice in milk until it becomes a cream: this is the only way to obtain the characteristic fluffy consistency. of this dessert.

According to tradition, after cooking, the rice cake should be cut into diamonds and brushed with a liqueur of your choice among those with amaretto or those with anise, such as Sassolino (typical of Modena) or Anicione. We chose to cook it in a rectangular skillet and serve it slicing it into squares decorated with a dusting of powdered sugar, so it’s also suitable for children, but if you want to serve it at a dinner party between friends you can flavor with your favorite liqueur.

In addition to how dessert at the end of the mealthis cake is great breakfast Oh to taste accompanied by a cup of tea, it is perfect to prepare on the occasion of the Easter and in general in the spring, but it is of course suitable for all seasons. It is also the ideal dessert when you have guests for lunch or dinner but little time to cook, because it can be prepared in advance: after a day of rest it will be even better.

Among the rice dessert recipes, don’t miss the rice pastiera, a delicious variant of the Neapolitan dessert, and the rice tart, with a fresh and delicate flavor. If, on the other hand, you like salty, you can prepare a tasty salted rice pancake to cook in the pan.

Let’s now discover all the steps to make a simple and delicious rice cake.

How to make a rice cake

To start, cook the milk with the lemon zest in a saucepan, making sure to use only the yellow part, and a vanilla pod engraved in its length. 1.

When the milk has come to a boil, add the rice 2 and cook until it has absorbed all the milk: you should obtain a kind of thick cream, in which the grains are almost imperceptible. The types of rice suitable for this recipe are arborio, vialone nano or Roma.

Turn off the heat, remove the lemon zest and vanilla pod and pour the rice cream into a bowl to cool 3.

Meanwhile, chop the almonds in a blender: you will need to obtain a kind of coarse flour 4.

In another bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is puffed and foamy. 5.

Add chopped almonds, cinnamon and cooked rice pudding to beaten eggs 6mixing well to combine all the ingredients.

Pour the mixture into a rectangular mold seven greased and dusted with breadcrumbs or flour (use parchment paper if making the cake for people with gluten intolerance). Bake in a static oven at 180°C for 50 minutes, watching the cooking: the surface must darken until a thin crust forms. If the cake becomes too dark in the first twenty minutes, lower the oven temperature to 160°C.

Once out of the oven, allow the cake to cool to room temperature. Once cold, cut into squares and serve sprinkled with icing sugar 8.

Tips

Instead of cow’s milk, you can use vegetable milk: excellent, for example, almond milk, purchased or homemade.

You can enrich the dough by adding cedar, raisins or chocolate chips. If you want to stick to tradition, add a few tablespoons of amaretto liqueur instead.

For an even creamier cake, you can add custard to the batter.

Instead of a single cake, you can bake the batter in muffin tins to make delicious individual servings.

storage

Rice cake can be stored at room temperature for 4 days. If you prepare it in the summer or when it is very hot, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.