This cake doesn't look like much; however, it is extremely flavorful and rich. I was going to post a long story about this cake; however, all you really have to know is that it was a special request that my father made on his birthday many years ago during a time when both he and my Mom were at home together. Now, my Dad had taken early retirement from IBM right before all the big layoffs in the early 90's. But, my Mom, on the other hand, was at home because she unexpectedly lost her (supposedly secure) job. Ah, the early 90's were tough for a lot of people.
Anyway, during that period, my Mom had a hard time just chilling out and enjoying the free time. This was quite the opposite of my father, who loved having all the time in the world to pursue his interests. My Mom will agree that she might have been driving my Dad a little nuts. And, I do recall getting a crocheted blanket in the mail, as well as loaves of bread and other assorted items. She had to keep busy. So, with all that time, she wanted to make him something special for his birthday.
My father, at the time, was very much into Italian cuisine and, thus, for his birthday, chose this Italian cheesecake. I believe the recipe is from an old Sunset magazine or cook book. My Mom just calls it "Dad's Favorite Italian Cake." It was a big hit with everyone and, really, no one has made it for maybe a decade or so.
Now, I have to say, I had never tasted this cake because back when all of this was happening, I lived in California. I wouldn't have eaten or tasted it anyway because I was a vegan back then. This Easter, my Mom asked us to make it because the cake reminds her of good times with my Dad before he passed away. And, after tasting it, it was a wise choice to bring this cake back to the table for more than nostalgic reasons. It is a sweet cheesecake made with Ricotta, pine nut brittle, chocolate chips, and a really nice top and bottom almond crumb crust. And, a bit of rum kind of rounds it all out. It's a bit on the heavy side, but absolutely delicious and easy to see why my father loved it so much. I will definitely make it again.
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds
3 and 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons light rum
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup semisweet chocoate chips
Almond Crumb mixture
Powdered Sugar
Place the 1/3 cup sugar in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook till sugar becomes liquid and turns gold. Make sure heat is even under the pan. Make sure sugar isn't sticking to sides of pan. Try to keep sugar even in pan. Stir in pine nuts and then immediately turn out into a buttered shallow pan. With a buttered spoon, press mixture to flatten it out a bit. Let it cool. Break it into 1/2 inch pieces.
In a bowl, mix ricotta, rum, and 3/4 cup of sugar till blended. Stir in chocolate and pine nut brittle. Set aside.
Prepare Almond Crumb Mixture and spoon half into a buttered 10-inch spring form pan. Pile it slightly higher around the edges. Do not press too firmly. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the center and then spoon the remaining crust mixture over the ricotta all the way to the sides. Gently pat down to form an almost flat top.
Bake in a 350 F oven for 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool thoroughly. You can put this in the fridge if you are making it ahead. Before you serve it, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Almond Crumb Mixture
2/3 cup blanched almonds
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
7/8 cup cold butter (1/2 pound minus two tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Toast blanched almonds in a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes. Let them cool. Grind them finely in a blender or food processor. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and ground almonds. Cut in the butter till fine crumbs form (you can also use a mixer). Beat together the egg and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and toss with a fork until evenly moistened. The mix should be crumbly. Don't over mix.
