Italian Love Cake


Not to sound corny... but I love this cake... truly .. I do.... so easy to make.... I have no idea why it's called Italian Love Cake... it's been around the net for a long time and I'm just getting to try it out now.... better late than never...
TIPS
You can use any chocolate cake recipe you like... any mix you like...
I used whole milk ricotta.. I didn't want to skimp on this.. after all.. I like the rich taste of whole milk ricotta in baked goods... you can use part skim ricotta if you prefer.
The topping.. is essentially chocolate mousse .. you can make it the short cut way or use one of your own recipes for chocolate mousse.
This cake is definitely at its best if refrigerated overnight.. in fact.. refrigerated after 24 hours was terrific...
The directions are correct... trust me... the cake should be called Italian Magic Cake... because the layers switch during baking... trust me...
Try this delicious cake.. it's easy and so good!







Recipe:  Italian Love Cake
All you need:
1 chocolate cake mix (any brand) and all the ingredients listed on the box.
2 pounds of ricotta cheese *see TIPS
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 (3.9 oz) box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup milk
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip
All you have to do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine the ingredients for the chocolate cake mix...  follow the instructions on the box.  Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan.
In another large bowl, beat the ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.  Carefully pour the cheese mixture over the cake batter, and gently spread it evenly over the cake batter.
Bake for 1 hour.  Remove the pan and allow to cool completely.  (I actually cooled the cake then refrigerated it overnight.. and made the "frosting" mousse the next day).
To make the mousse, whisk together the pudding mix and the milk.  Allow the pudding to sit for 5 minutes, then fold in the Cool Whip until completely combined.  Spread the mousse on the cake and cover.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or more.

2 comments:

Melissa said...

This cake looks great but I hate ricotta - do you think you could sub mascarpone for the ricotta?

Linda said...

Hi Melissa,

Mascarpone and cream cheese are better subs for each other... Some people have subbed cottage cheese for ricotta... to get the same consistency I would recommend you put it in a processor for a few pulses before using... ricotta also has a bit of a sweet taste.. so I would add maybe a teaspoon of sugar to the processed cottage cheese...

Mascarpone can be subbed but it will change the consistency and taste... not necessarily a bad thing.. but not the same cake. I'm sure it will taste good... after all.. there are ricotta cheese cakes and also those made from cream cheese... both are good.. just different...

Experiment.. it's fun and in this case .. may taste perfect for you.

Good luck!

Regards,
Linda

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