Swiss Easter Rice Cake

January 21, 2025
Torta di riso pasquale svizzera
Flow rate

Sweets

Duration

120 minutes

Difficulty

Medium difficulty

Ingredients
  • 250 g of 00 flour + qb for rolling out the dough
  • 75 g sugar + 2 tablespoons
  • 1 and ½ lemons
  • 200 g Occelli® butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons of cooking cream
  • 400 ml of milk
  • 100 g of round grain rice
  • Salt to taste
  • 75 g of peeled almonds
  • 180 ml fresh cream
  • Apricot jam to taste (or other flavour to taste)
  • Icing sugar to decorate to taste
Preparation

Easter rice cake is a Swiss specialty prepared with milk rice and a pastry base very similar to shortcrust pastry: a rich and delicious dessert to celebrate Easter in keeping with tradition, given that this cake seems to have a long history behind it.

In fact, already in 1671 Abbot Buchinger used to prepare a very similar dessert, except that millet was used instead of rice (at that time it was consumed much more than rice). The recipe still used today was then developed towards the end of the nineteenth century.

As a base, you can use ready-made shortcrust pastry (or a sweetened brisée), if you want to save time. In addition, the recipe includes some variations: some use semolina instead of rice, some don't put the jam layer on the base, some add raisins to the filling... One thing is certain: however you prepare it, it's always a delicious cake!

Procedure

First, prepare the cake base.

Place the flour in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, the grated rind of 1 lemon and mix. Cut 125 g of Occelli® butter (previously softened at room temperature) into cubes and start working the mixture to form a sandy consistency.

Quickly beat an egg in a small bowl and add it to the mixture along with the cooking cream.

Knead again to combine and, when you have obtained a soft and homogeneous mixture, cover it with cling film and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Move on to cooking the rice. Pour the milk into a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and the rice. Then bring the milk to the boil, stirring: from the moment it starts to boil, cook the rice for about half an hour, on a low flame and stirring occasionally.

In the end the rice should still be wet, but with a fairly dense consistency (a sort of mush). Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

In a bowl, cream the remaining 75 g of butter. Add 75 g of sugar and a pinch of salt. Separate the yolks from the whites of the remaining 3 eggs: add the yolks to the butter and sugar mixture (keeping the whites aside), then add the grated zest of half a lemon and mix carefully to combine all the ingredients.

At this point, chop the almonds: add them to the filling, mix and also add the fresh cream and the rice pudding.

Finally, beat the three egg whites until stiff and fold them in gently so as not to deflate them. The filling is ready.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface using a rolling pin until you obtain a disk about 3-4 mm thick.

Line a cake pan with baking paper: then arrange the dough, covering the edges as well. Spread a thin layer of jam on the base, then distribute the filling, leveling it with a spoon or a spatula and folding the edges over the cake.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for approximately 35 minutes (cooking time may vary depending on the oven: so test with a toothpick before removing from the oven).

Once the cake has cooled, decorate it with a light dusting of icing sugar and serve!

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