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Frank Sinatra's Favorite Lemon Ricotta Torte

Scaled down to a 7inch pan. From Patsy's Cookbook by Sal Scognamillo, 2002, and Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook, 2015 Primary source: Patsy's Italian Restaurant, West 56th Street, New York. Nancy Sinatra wrote the foreword to the Patsy's Cookbook confirming her father's love of this restaurant and its dishes.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Resting Time 3 hours

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IngredientsMethodVideoNotes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups whole-milk ricotta — drain overnight in a cheesecloth-lined strainer in the fridge if your ricotta seems wet or loose. Excess moisture will prevent the torte from setting cleanly
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1½ tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 1½ tbsp plain flour
  • Juice of 1 lemon freshly squeezed
  • Zest of 1 lemon finely grated
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • Butter and flour for the pan

Instructions
 

Prepare the pan

  1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Butter a 7-inch springform pan generously and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. If using a fixed pan, line the bottom with a circle of parchment and butter the sides very generously. A springform is strongly preferred here as getting a ricotta torte out of a fixed pan cleanly is difficult.

Make the batter

  1. Beat the softened butter and sugar together in a large bowl until combined and slightly lightened. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the ricotta and beat until completely smooth with no lumps remaining. If your ricotta is grainy pass it through a fine mesh strainer before adding. The texture of the finished torte depends entirely on the smoothness of the ricotta at this stage.
  2. Add the flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and salt. Mix until everything is fully incorporated and the batter is smooth and pourable.

Bake

  1. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Fill no more than ¾ full. Place the pan on the bottom rack of the oven. This is the documented Patsy's instruction and produces a gently, evenly set torte without aggressively browning the top. Place a small baking sheet on the rack below to catch any overflow.
  2. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. The top should be set and very lightly golden. The centre may have a very slight wobble when you nudge the pan gently. That is correct and it will firm as it cools. Do not overbake. A dry ricotta torte is a disappointing ricotta torte.

Cool and chill

  1. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature before touching the springform latch. Once fully cooled, refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours. Overnight is better. The torte must be served cold. The texture when cold is completely different from when warm, firmer, creamier and more sliceable.
  2. Run a thin knife carefully around the edge of the pan before releasing the springform. Serve in slices. Dust with a little powdered sugar before serving if you want a cleaner presentation.

Notes

  • Do not substitute part-skim ricotta. The whole-milk ricotta is what produces the rich, creamy density. Part-skim produces a drier, slightly grainier result.
 
  • The overnight drain is essential if your ricotta is at all wet. Place it in a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and refrigerate overnight. You will be surprised how much liquid drains off even from ricotta that looks dry in the container.
 
  • This torte keeps well for three days refrigerated and is genuinely better on day two as the lemon flavour intensifies and the texture settles.