Gino D'Acampo's coffee and ricotta tart

Ingredients

For the sweet pastry

• 190g plain white flour
• 100g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

For the filling

• 1.25kg ricotta cheese
• 120g caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons plain white flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee
• 2 tablespoons Baileys liquor
• 120g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa, finely chopped
• 4 medium size egg yolks
• 50g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa for decoration
• ½ teaspoon vegetable or sunflower oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

To prepare the pastry, sift the flour in a large bowl and add in the butter. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until fine and crumbly. Stir in the sugar and pour in 3 tablespoons of cold water. Pinch with your fingers to form a dough and add a little more water if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather together into a ball.

Cover with cling film and leave it to rest refrigerated for 10 minutes.

Grease with butter a 25cm diameter spring-form tin.

Place the rested dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to ½ cm thickness. Line the tin in a way that the pastry comes about two thirds of the way up the side. Cover with cling film and refrigerated while preparing the filling.

Place the instant coffee in a cup and dissolve in 1 tablespoon of water and baileys. Set aside.

Place the ricotta cheese in a large bowl and add in the sugar, flour and salt. Mix all together until smooth. Pour in the coffee mixture, chopped chocolate and egg yolks and stir until well mixed.

Spoon the filling into the pastry shell and smooth the top. Cover with cling film and chill for 45 minutes.

Place the tin on a baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour. Turn off the oven, slightly open the door and leave the tart to cool in the oven.

Place the remaining chocolate in a small saucepan and pour over the oil. Stir and melt over a very low heat.

Take the tart out of the oven and lift out of the mould. With the help of a fork, drizzle over the melted chocolate.

Slice and serve at room temperature with a nice cup of coffee.

Italian Home Baking by Gino D'Acampo is published by Kyle Books, photography by Peter Cassidy

Be a Star, Bake a Cake

Gino D’Acampo has donated his coffee and ricotta tart recipe to Bowel Cancer UK’s fundraising campaign Be a Star, Bake a Cake. Raise money for a good cause and help raise awareness of bowel cancer symptoms by hosting a cake sale at work or at home during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April.

Visit our baking section for more delicious recipes for cakes, biscuits, tarts and bread, including recipes for blueberry frangipane tarts, bakewell tarts and lemon tarts