What Is The Most Famous Cake On The Amalfi Coast?

There are tons of amazing Italian desserts, like tiramisu, cannoli, or granita, but there are two desserts that stand out. First is a pear ricotta cake, a specialty of the Amalfi Coast. The cake was invented by a famous pastry chef in Amalfi — Sal De Riso. This is a thin sponge cake made with a hazelnut filling, cow's milk ricotta, and whipped cream. The cake is then studded with pears that have been cooked in syrup. The recipe is very simple with not too many complex flavors, but the taste is heavenly.

Then there's the lemon pastry cream-filled sponge cake covered in lemon sauce, which so happens to be the most requested cake next to the pear ricotta. These cakes have become so popular that they have been reproduced in countless supermarkets, caffès, and pastry shops.

According to Food52 the original version "is made with pears that grow in Campania known as pere pennate, which are small, green, and peach-shaped, but you can substitute with any green pear. For the hazelnut meal, you'll get the best results by blending whole, peeled hazelnuts in a food processor, but you can use packaged ground hazelnut meal if you like."

If you want to make a similar cake to the one that's so popular in the Amalfi Coast try The Daily Meal's Ricotta Cake.