Name: La Pastiera (Neapolitan Easter Cake)
Yield: Serves 8 to 12
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400 g/14 oz cooked wheat grain (see Cook’s Tip); 30 g/1 ¼ oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing; 100 ml/3 ½ fl oz/scant ½ cup milk; 675 g/1 ½ lb/3 cups ricotta cheese; grated rind of 1 lemon; plain/all-purpose flour, for dusting; icing/confectioners’ sugar, for dusting; 50 g/2 oz mixed glacé/candied fruit, chopped; 1 kg/2 ¼ lb shortcrust pastry; 5 eggs, plus 3 egg yolks; 10 ml/2 tsp vanilla extract; 600 g/1 lb 5 oz/3 cups caster/superfine sugar; 50 g/2 oz glacé/candied citron, chopped; 50 g/2 oz candied orange peel, chopped; 15 ml/1 tbsp orange flower water; a pinch of ground cinnamon

Preparation info

Serves
8 to 12

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Italian Regional Cookbook

By Valentina Harris

Published 2017

About

This time-honoured cake originates in the city of Naples and the surrounding region of Campania, and dates back many centuries to ancient Rome. It was traditionally made to symbolise fertility and was always baked to celebrate the beginning of spring. Today it is an essential part of the Easter feast for all Neapolitans. It is quite an unusual recipe as it is made with cooked wheat grain. You should be able to find this in specialist delicatessens or health food stores, but if not you can s