Recipe: Italian Rum Cheese Cake for Micha

Micha,

It was posted on the baking board posting number 160, posted 4-17 this year you were looking for a pound-like cake you had on your Tuscan trip. Don't worry about forgetting ,I'm 61 and often have a "Senior Moment"

I own some 300 cook books many of which are Italian so I will continue searching. For the moment, I have one Italian pound cake (unfortunately it contains butter) I rather think the buttery flavor that you refer to probably came from the wonderful fresh ricotta that they have in Italy. I've never seen any in the states that compares.

I also have an Italian Rum Cheese cake that sounds like it fits the bill. You could add Sambuca instead of Rum.

Italian Rum Cheese Cake

6 eggs
3 lbs ricotta cheese (whole, skim ,lite) I recommend whole for buttery flavor.
3 Tbsp Rum (Sambuca)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 cup sugar

Beat eggs with sugar until light and creamy. Add remaining ingredients. Beat well. Pour into buttered, greased spring form pan.

Bake at425 degrees for ten minutes.

Lower heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for one hour. Let cake cool in oven.

It seems to me with the addition of a bit more cake flour you could get the pound cake like texture you are looking for. I was a chef for years but not a baker. I would try the original and then try some changes.

Good luck