Back in April we presented a lovely ricotta dessert from Sofia Loren flavored with cocoa that got a very enthusiastic response from our readers. Well, here’s another simple dessert in the same vein, ricotta al caffè, or ricotta flavored with coffee.
It would seem the first recipe in English for ricotta al caffè was included in Elizabeth David’s iconic 1954 cookbook, Italian Food. In her recipe, David calls for finely ground coffee beans to flavor the ricotta. But you can also use freshly brewed espresso or instant coffee to get the job done. The coffee is complemented with sugar to offset its bitterness and, if you like, a drizzle of rum or another liqueur for extra depth and aroma. Whisk it all together and, after brief spell in the fridge to let the flavors meld, you’re ready to serve, accompanied if you like with cookies or wafers.
Ricotta al caffè makes for a easy and refreshing summer dessert or sweet afternoon snack. But it’s a delight at any time of year.
Ingredients
Serve 2-3
- 250g (1 cup) of ricotta
- 2-3 Tbs sugar, preferably superfine (caster) sugar, or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp rum or other liqueur, or more to taste
Plus one of the following coffee flavorings:
- 2 Tbs (one shot) freshly brewed espresso or
- 2 tsp of instant espresso or
- 1 tsp finely ground coffee
For topping, one or more of the following:
- Dark chocolate shavings
- Cocoa powder
- Whipped cream
Serve with:
- Wafers or thin cookies
Directions
If the ricotta is very watery, place it in a sieve and let it drain for 30 minutes or so.
Place the ricotta in a mixing bowl, then add the sugar, coffee and, if using, the liqueur. Whisk vigorously until you have a perfectly smooth, fluffy mixture.
Taste and adjust for flavor, adding more coffee, sugar or rum, as you like, to suit your taste. Or, if you find the taste too strong, add more ricotta.
Let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
When you’re ready to eat, spoon the mixture into demi-tasse cups or dessert glasses. If you like, top each serving with indicated toppings. Ricotta al caffè pairs beautifully with cookies or wafers.
Notes on ricotta al caffè
The recipe is so simple, it’s practically a non-recipe, but for best results you should choose quality ingredients and balance them with care. For getting the balance right, I’d refer you to the notes for our recent post on ricotta condita. The same considerations apply here, with coffee standing in for the cocoa and rum for the cognac.
The chill in the fridge before serving is an important step you should resist the temptation to skip. It firms up the ricotta, allows time for the flavors to meld and gives the sugar a chance to melt. If your ricotta al caffè right after whisking, the mousse would have a rather ordinary taste and grainy texture.
Speaking of graininess, if you want a perfectly smooth ricotta al caffè without any trace of graininess, then you can either (1) press the ricotta through a sieve either before or after whisking it with the other ingredients (the old school method) or (2) whizz it in a food processor in lieu of whisking. Personally I don’t mind the slight graininess you get with hand whisking. It reminds me I’m eating ricotta and not, say, a crema pasticciera.
The coffee flavoring
In taste testing all three ways to inject coffee flavor into the ricotta mixture, I was surprised to find that I liked the freshly brewed espresso and instant espresso versions more or less equally well. I might even give the instant the edge, as it lent in a deeper, warmer color to my ricotta al caffè. The OG version using finely ground beans was dead last in my opinion. Surprisingly, it actually had the least coffee flavor of the three, with a rather bitter aftertaste.
For the freshly brewed espresso, I used my favorite brand, Caffè Kimbo from Naples. brewed real strong in my trusty Breville Touch Impress. All of this is totally personal, of course. Use your own favorite brand and brew long or short as you prefer. If you don’t have a fancy espresso machine, don’t hesitate to use a moka pot.
Instant espresso is pretty easy to come by where I live, but if that’s not the case for you, there’s always online shopping. Or just use regular instant coffee. Bear in mind that the better the coffee, the tastier the result.
Finally, if you want to go with ground coffee beans, make sure they are very finely ground. For my taste testing, I cranked up my coffee grinder to its finest setting. If you’re buying ground coffee, go for a grind suitable for espresso or, even better, for Turkish coffee. Otherwise, your ricotta al caffè will be unpleasantly grainy. Also, to offset their bitterness, I would add an extra spoonful of sugar or two.
Choosing the ricotta
See our recent post on ricotta condita for tips on the best ricotta for making ricotta al caffè. And how best to work with it.
Choosing and measuring the sugar
Any type of sugar will do, but to my mind superfine aka caster sugar is best, as it will melt into the ricotta mixture quickly.
Some recipes call for a great deal more sugar than called for above, something like 60-80g (5-6 Tbs) for this amount of ricotta. In my taste tasting I found that I liked a bit more sugar as well, even though I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. The sugar wakes up the coffee flavor, rather like adding salt to a savory dish. But here again it’s very much a matter of taste.
The liqueur
The liqueur is optional but I find it lends a lovely depth of flavor and aroma. Rum is perhaps the most common liqueur you’ll find in recipes for ricotta al caffè, but do feel free to sub other liqueurs like Frangelico or, if you really want do lean into the coffee flavor, a coffee liqueur like Kahlua.
The cookies
Cookies or wafers are optional too, but they pair beautifully with ricotta al caffè. They provide an interesting contrast in texture and also, since the portion of ricotta is rather small on purpose, stretching your serving. Look for something light and crispy, with a delicate complimentary flavor, such as ladyfingers, butter cookies or, as pictured, Milano cookies.
Variations
There are a number of ways you can vary your ricotta al caffè to your liking. If you like a softer, creamier texture, you can add a bit of whipped cream or condensed milk to the ricotta mixture. If you want, you can add a pinch of warm spice. My cyber-pal Stefano of Italian Home Cooking, for example, adds a pinch of cinnamon to his ricotta al caffè. (He also makes his own ricotta!)
Emiko Davis has a lovely recipe for making a kind of ‘lazy tiramisù‘ with ricotta al caffè, where you layer the ricotta mixture with broken up ladyfingers or butter cookies and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or cocao.
Making ricotta al caffè ahead
As mentioned, you really should make ricotta al caffè ahead and leave it in the fridge at least an hour. In fact, I find it’s even better the next day.
Ricotta al caffè
Ingredients
- 250 g 1 cup of ricotta
- 2-3 Tbs sugar preferably superfine (caster) sugar, or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp rum or other liqueur or more to taste
Plus one of the following:
- 2 Tbs one shot freshly brewed espresso or
- 2 tsp of instant espresso or
- 1 tsp finely ground coffee
For topping, one or more of the following:
- Dark chocolate shavings
- Cocoa powder
- Whipped cream
Serve with:
- Wafers or thin cookies
Instructions
- If the ricotta is very watery, place it in a sieve and let drain for 30 minutes.
- Place the ricotta in a mixing bowl, then add the sugar, coffee and, if using, the liqueur. Whisk vigorously until you have a perfectly smooth, fluffy mixture.
- Taste and adjust for flavor. Add amore coffee, sugar or rum, if you like, to suit your taste. Or if you find the taste too strong, add more ricotta.
- Let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- When you’re ready to eat, spoon the mixture into demi-tasse cups and top each with indicated toppings to your liking. Ricotta al caffè pairs beautifully with cookies or wafers.
Nutrition
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Coffee/espresso flavored desserts are my absolute favorite! I love the simplicity of this, and serving it in the espresso mugs is lovely. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thanks! 🙂
What an interesting dessert idea – I love it! I’m very partial to coffee-flavored desserts, so I knew as soon as I saw the title of this recipe that I would be all in. It’s easy, but still super elegant. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! It’s a very popular home dessert in Italy and you’ve pin pointed why! Thanks for stopping by, David!
I have the ingreidents so tried this today, and it was absolutely divine! The balance between the coffee and the ricotta is perfect, and it really does feel like a light, refreshing dessert. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, just like you suggested, and it elevated the flavour even more. Will definitely be making this again!
That’s awesome, Raymund! So glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
As you know, Frank, I do not drink (or like) coffee so I will stick to Sofia’s version, which we tried (thanks to you) and enjoyed immensely.
Actually I didn’t know that! Hard to relate since I couldn’t survive without coffee! That said, Sophia’s version is just as delectable in my opinion.
Okay not sure my comment went thru. Just saying this sounds good; i love coffee! Interesting about the instant espresso!
cheers
sherry
Thanks for stopping by, Sherry!
sounds good Frank! I do love me some coffee! Interesting about the instant espresso etc being better than the ground beans.
cheers
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
Frank, it doesn’t get much easier than this recipe to serve after a delicious Italian meal.
So true, Karen. Thanks for stopping by!
Sheer genius… quintessentially Italian in its simplicity and exquisite balnce of complementary ingredients! Thanks!
Very true, Al. Thanks for stopping by!
so simple and fresh!
Thans, Neil!
The Sophia Loren version was excellent and this version sounds tasty also.
Hope you’ll like it, Barb!
Another basically non-dessert eater saying ‘yes . . , lovely . .. must try’ for an occasional treat! Yes, with less sugar as here, yes, with real strong coffee methinks and served so beautifully in the small cup and saucer !
I think you’d enjoy this one, Eha. I’m not much of one for dessert, either, but this I can’t resist.
That looks like an easy and tasty desert!
It is! Thanks for stopping by, Angie. 🙂
one of my fav easy desserts, which works fine even with supermarket ricotta, which is the only one easily found here in London. When I am in italy, I use sheep ricotta, which in Lucca is everywhere. Love the gold cup and chocolate cookie setting, btw. stefano
Thanks, Stefano! The cup and cookie plate are family heirlooms I inherited from Angelina. At least 100 years old, I believe.
As you know, I don’t have much of sweet tooth, but I’d enjoy this!
I’ve got the book and the coffee – I definitely wouldn’t use instant 😉
I bet you would, MD. The good thing is you can adjust the sweetness to taste. As for instant, you’d be surprised. I certainly was. I find instant coffee undrinkable so I didn’t think I’d like it at all here, but to my surprise in this dish I found it hard to distinguish from freshly brewed.
Amazing, though I haven’t bought it since the 80s!
And the first time I ever bought instant was for taste testing this recipe!