Migliaccio
Migliaccio is the Neapolitan carnival cake, baked in the last days before Lent. It contains no flour and no pastry — it is semolina cooked in milk, mixed with ricotta, eggs and orange zest and baked into a low, creamy cake. Inside it is like a dense custard, on top a thin golden crust. It is far simpler to make than pastiera: no pastry, no lattice, one bowl.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Cooking the semolina 20 min
- Cooling the semolina 20 min
- Batter 10 min
- Baking 60 min
- Cooling 120 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneHeat the milk
Bring the milk, water, butter and a pinch of salt to the boil in a large pan.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 250 ml water · 150 g semolina (durum wheat) · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt
Add the semolina
Pour in the semolina in a thin stream, whisking constantly, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, until it thickens like custard.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 250 ml water · 150 g semolina (durum wheat) · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt
Whisk without stopping or it goes lumpy.Cool the semolina
Transfer to a large bowl, spread it out and leave 20 minutes until lukewarm. Hot semolina would scramble the eggs.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 250 ml water · 150 g semolina (durum wheat) · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt
Beat the ricotta
In another bowl beat the ricotta with the sugar until smooth, add the eggs one at a time, then the zests and vanilla.
Ingredients: 350 g ricotta, drained · 200 g sugar · 3 pcs eggs · 1 tbsp grated orange zest · 1 tsp grated lemon zest · 1 tsp vanilla extract
Ricotta and eggs — the creamy base.Combine
Stir the ricotta mixture into the lukewarm semolina and whisk into a smooth, fairly loose batter, like pancake batter.
Ingredients: 350 g ricotta, drained · 200 g sugar · 3 pcs eggs · 1 tbsp grated orange zest · 1 tsp grated lemon zest · 1 tsp vanilla extract
Fill the tin
Heat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 26 cm tin at least 5 cm deep and pour in the batter — the layer should be about 3 cm.
Ingredients: 15 g butter for the tin · 2 tbsp icing sugar
A shallow layer — migliaccio does not rise.Bake
Bake at 180°C for 55–60 minutes, until the top is golden and the centre is set and no longer ripples when the tin is moved.
Ingredients: 500 ml milk · 250 ml water · 150 g semolina (durum wheat) · 50 g butter · 1 pinch salt
Cool and serve
Cool in the tin at least 2 hours — warm, the centre is liquid. Dust with icing sugar before serving. It is best the next day.
Ingredients: 15 g butter for the tin · 2 tbsp icing sugar
Before you start
With liqueur
Neapolitans add a glass of anise liqueur or limoncello to the batter. Most of the alcohol bakes off and the aroma stays.
Orange zest
Grate only the coloured layer, none of the white pith, which is bitter. Unwaxed winter oranges are best.
Storage
A cake with ricotta and eggs keeps covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. It tastes best at room temperature, so take it out half an hour ahead.
