With a chocolate pastry crust and a creamy ricotta filling, this cocoa ricotta pie recipe makes a wonderful dessert for any chocolate lover. The pie has crust on the bottom and a lattice top on top, making it look elegant and appealing to serve for a dinner party.
To make the cocoa ricotta pie, you first make a pastry dough with flour, cocoa powder, salt, powdered sugar, butter, and an egg. Then, once it has chilled, it gets rolled out and placed in a pie plate before being baked in the oven. Next, it gets filled with a ricotta mixture including sugar, egg, and dark chocolate chips before being topped with a lattice top of chocolate dough and baked in the oven.
What is Cocoa Ricotta Tart?
This cocoa ricotta pie is inspired by classic Italian ricotta pie which includes a creamy ricotta filling mixed with dark chocolate chips. However, rather than a plain crust, this version includes a chocolate crust which contrasts against the white ricotta cheese filling beautifully. This pie recipe is often favored for Christmas and Easter, but it can really be served at any time of the year.
Pro Tips
- For the pastry dough, use cold butter to make a flaky crust.
- If you find that the dough has firmed up too much in the fridge and isn’t very easy to roll out, simply allow it to warm up at room temperature until it softens slightly.
- When you line the pie plate with the crust, pricking it all over with a fork will help it bake through evenly.
- If you don’t have mini dark chocolate chips, you could use regular dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
If Ricotta Tart the Same as Cheesecake?
No, ricotta pie is quite different from cheesecake as it includes both a top and bottom crust, and has a softer cheese filling. Meanwhile, cheesecake tends to be denser in texture and only has a bottom crust. Cheesecake may also be made with different types of cheese such as cream cheese, mascarpone, or ricotta whereas ricotta pie always uses ricotta cheese.
Is Ricotta Just Cottage Cheese?
No, ricotta and cottage cheese are different cheeses. Ricotta has a sweeter taste whereas cottage cheese tends to be tangier. Additionally, ricotta is made from whey and cottage cheese is made from milk curds.
Can I Use Philadelphia Cream Cheese Instead of Ricotta?
While Philadelphia and cream cheese and ricotta can often be interchanged, it is best to use ricotta in this cocoa ricotta pie recipe or else the filling won’t be as creamy. Cream cheese may make the pie richer in taste and denser in texture.
How to Store Cocoa Ricotta Tart
The cocoa ricotta pie should be stored in the fridge. Simply cover it lightly with plastic wrap before putting it in the refrigerator. It should keep for up to 3 to 4 days.
Ingredients
How to Make Cocoa Ricotta Tart
Add the butter and mix until small crumbs form. Stir in the egg to make a smooth dough.
For the crust, in a large bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt until combined.
Allow the pie to cool completely before dusting it with powdered sugar and serving!
Add the butter and mix until small crumbs form. Stir in the egg to make a smooth dough.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 340 F (170 C). Roll the dough out and place it in a 25 cm pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges, and prick the crust all over with a fork. Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow it to cool completely. Roll out and cut the scraps of dough into strips for the topping.
For the filling, in a bowl, mix the ricotta with the sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the ricotta mixture into the crust and top it with the strips of dough. Bake it for 15 minutes.
Allow the pie to cool completely before dusting it with powdered sugar and serving!
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