The Italian Cake That's Better (and So Much Easier) Than Cheesecake

While I’ve worked as a professional baker, I’ve never been enthusiastic about rigorously composed desserts requiring finesse and patience to assemble and decorate. I’m much more at home with rustic comforts: time-tested, homemade desserts that may not rank in a beauty contest but win you over with flavor and humble charm.

Migliaccio, an Italian ricotta and semolina cake, is one of those rustic comforts. Its creamy texture places it right between a regular cake and cheesecake. Best of all, it’s a one-bowl, no-stand-mixer-needed, easy cake that’s nowhere near as finicky as cheesecake. It bakes without a water bath, and it’s even supposed to have cracks in the top.

What Is Migliaccio?

Migliaccio is a ricotta and semolina cake from Campania in southern Italy. It’s typically indulged in for Carnavale, a celebration leading up to Lent. Flavored with lemon zest and a pinch of cinnamon, it’s richer and denser than a regular cake but lighter and creamier than a traditional cheesecake.

The name comes from miglio, the Italian word for millet, as it used to be made with millet flour. Nowadays, it’s usually made with semolina flour instead.

What Is Semolina Flour?

Semolina flour is made from durum wheat, which has a nutty and earthy flavor. Compared to all-purpose flour, semolina contains more gluten and a golden hue. It’s most commonly used to make pasta, but can also be used for cakes and bread.

Medium ground semolina flour is the most commonly found in supermarkets. For a smooth texture in the cake, I prefer to use fine or medium semolina flour over coarse. You can substitute it with fine or medium cornmeal as well as polenta.

How To Make Migliaccio

First, the semolina and milk are cooked on the stove to make a porridge before adding the eggs and ricotta. The semolina porridge makes the cake rich and creamy without being weighed down with additional ricotta or cream cheese.

I make the batter right in the same pan I use to cook the semolina porridge to save on dishes. It’s important to wait for the porridge to cool so the eggs don’t cook when mixing. A traditional flavoring is Fiori di Sicilia, a floral, citrusy, and vanilla-scented extract, but I tend to use lemon zest, orange zest, or both, ground cinnamon or cardamom, and vanilla extract.

I also like to make it ahead of time and chill it overnight before serving it the next day with a dusting of powdered sugar and maybe some berries on the side. Especially in summer, I like it fridge cold, but the overnight chill also gives time for the flavors to meld. On a cold day, though, I might just have a messy slice while it’s still warm and pudding-like.

Classic Italian Desserts

• Tiramisu
• Strawberries and Cream Semifreddo
• Chocolate Florentine Cookies
• Ciambellone
  

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Coat the pan with semolina flour and tap out the excess.

Cook the semolina:

Add the semolina, salt, and milk to a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Set the pan over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens into a porridge, 5 to 8  minutes. It should be similar to the consistency of cream of wheat.

Add the butter and sugar and cool:

Take the pan off the heat. Add the butter and sugar, and stir until combined and smooth. 

Before adding the eggs, let the semolina cool slightly until warm but not scalding hot, 10 to 15 minutes.

Make the batter:

Once the semolina has cooled a bit, add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to combine after each. Beat in the ricotta until fully combined and smooth. Stir in the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.

Bake:

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the outermost edge of the cake has turned golden brown and the cake has puffed and cracked a bit in places, about 50 minutes. The cake will jiggle slightly, but the center should be no more wobbly than the rest of the cake.

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