Pastiera Napoletana – Traditional Neapolitan Easter Cake

Just in time for spring and Easter, the Pastiera Napoletana – a traditional Neapolitan cake – is a classic found throughout the Campania region of Italy. It’s a dream come true for both carb-lovers and those with a sweet tooth. We turned to Italian-born, Augsburg, Germany-based Ooni Ambassador, Vincenzo Viscusi (aka @vincenzoviscusi), for his take on the famed dessert.

Neapolitans traditionally prepared this cake in the week leading up to Easter (to allow all the ingredients’ flavors to develop). But it’s so popular today, that pastry shops and restaurants in Naples now sell it year-round. 

The Pastiera Napoletana is known for its shortcrust pastry base and creamy filling made with grano cotto (an Italian cooked-wheat product – more on that in the note below) and ricotta scented with lemon zest, orange blossom, vanilla and cinnamon. For an extra dose of sweetness, you can also add candied fruit. 

Who first created this Easter dessert is a bit of a mystery. Legend has it that it was a mermaid named Partenope. During one spring stay in the Gulf of Naples, the Neapolitan citizens brought him the ingredients of the cake as a gift. Partenope, in turn, took them to the gods, and the dessert was born. If you’re not one for mythology, the dish may be from the 18th or early 19th century, when sugar became more available and Swiss immigrants, who loved their sweet dishes, started to make homes in Naples. 

Whoever invented the Pastiera, we’re very happy they did. It’s a tad time-consuming, but the dessert is well worth it. 


Difficulty

Servings

Serves 8 people

Prep Time

90 minutes

(not including set time)
Cook Time

1 hour, 50 minutes to 2 hours, 5 minutes

By Vincenzo Viscusi

Pastiera Napoletana – Traditional Neapolitan Easter Cake

Note

The pastiera will need 24 hours to set before serving, so be sure to cook in advance. Vincenzo cooked his Pastiera in the Ooni Karu 16 oven, fueled by charcoal. Because the Pastiera requires gentle cooking to thoroughly cook the filling, Vincenzo added a couple of pieces every 10 minutes to maintain a low flame and low heat (but you can also use the Karu 12 or Fyra 12). For the filling, you’ll need to source cooked wheat – known in Italy as grano cotto and sold in cans – at your local Italian deli, specialty shop, or online. If you can’t find it, barley is a good substitute, just be sure to cook it until it is extremely soft and tender, about 45 to 50 minutes. 


For the shortcrust pastry

1. If using a mixer: Put the flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest in a large bowl; on medium speed, mix the ingredients together.

If using a mixer: Put the flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest in a large bowl; on medium speed, mix the ingredients together. When the dough takes on a sandy consistency, start adding the butter little by little, mixing on low speed for 3 minutes until a dough ball forms

2. If mixing by hand: in a medium bowl, repeat the steps above, mixing by hand for 5 minutes and forming into a dough ball.

If mixing by hand: in a medium bowl, repeat the steps above, mixing by hand for 5 minutes and forming into a dough ball. 

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and leave it to rest in the refrigerator for 40 to 60 minutes.

Two hands holding uncooked shortcut pastry

For the filling

1. In a small saucepan add the milk, grano cotto or cooked barely, butter, lemon peel, cinnamon and 20 grams of sugar.

2. Cook over medium heat for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick.

Be sure to stir the mixture often to prevent it from sticking to the pan.

3. Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat.

Using tongs, remove the lemon peel and let the mixture cool until it finishes congealing.

4. In a medium bowl, add 500 grams of ricotta, 7 large egg yolks (saving the whites of 4 for later), the remaining sugar (330 grams) and 8 milliliters of orange blossom and/or vanilla extract.

Add candied fruit if desired. Mix all the ingredients with a spatula until smooth.

5. Whip the 4 egg whites until stiff; add them little by little to the ricotta cream mixture.

6. When the wheat cream has cooled, add it to the ricotta cream and mix it with a spoon.

Set aside.

7. Butter the cake pan to prevent the pastiera from sticking during cooking.

Take the dough out of the fridge and cut it into two pieces, one about ⅔ larger than the other.

8. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the larger piece of dough with a rolling pin; this will form the base of the Pastiera.

Once rolled out into a 14-inch (35-centimetre) disc, place the dough into the buttered mold, taking care to press it firmly into the sides, and avoiding air pockets. Remove the excess dough from the mold, add it to the previously portioned dough, and set aside.

9. Pour the filling into the base of the Pastiera, spreading evenly.

Roll out the remaining dough with a rolling pin; cut strips of dough with a pasta cutter wheel or knife. These should be 1-inch (2.5 centimetres) wide and between 8 and 10 inches (20 and 25 centimetres) long, depending on the size of your Pastiera. Place them on the surface of the Pastiera in an overlapping pattern.

Two hands placing strips of dough in overlapping patterns over the raw filling of the pastiera in a cake pan.

For the Pastiera

1. 15 minutes before cooking, light your oven with lumpwood charcoal and a natural fire starter.

Once the temperature has reached 200 °C and 220 °C (390 °F to 430 °F), you’re ready to bake. (Measure the temperature quickly, accurately and from a safe distance using an infrared thermometer.)

2. Before putting the Pastiera in the oven, cover the cake pan with aluminum foil to prevent the upper part from cooking too quickly and leaving the inside raw.

3. Bake the four sides of the pastiera for at least 12 minutes each, rotating the mold during cooking.

4. After about 50 minutes, take the mold out of the oven, remove the aluminum foil and check the sides for doneness.

If they appear well-browned, you’re ready to cook without the aluminum foil.

5. Take the aluminum foil off of the Pastiera and place it back in the oven.

At this point, lower the heat (this should be a gentle heat without any flames). Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the mold at least 4 times to ensure an even bake. You’ll know it’s ready when the Pastiera has a nice golden colour on top. 

6. Carefully remove the pastiera with oven gloves and let cool for 30 minutes.

Once cool, remove the Pastiera from the pan and put it on a plate in the fridge to set for 24 hours before serving. If you like, add powdered sugar on top for an extra sweet finish. 

7. Slice, serve and enjoy!.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

Two hands lifting the cake pan off of the cooked pastiera on a bamboo serving board.

Vincenzo Viscusi

Italian-born, Augsburg, Germany-based Ooni Ambassador, Vincenzo Viscusi (aka @vincenzoviscusi), loves homemade pizza and chronicles his eating and cooking adventures on YouTube for more than 100k followers, and on Instagram (@vincenzoviscusi).

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