THE ITALIAN COOKING SCHOOL IN AMSTERDAM, EST. 2002

Zuccotto is probably the first semifreddo ever recorded in the history of the Italian cuisine. Semifreddo literally means half-cold and is like a no-churn ice cream or a frozen French parfait.

Created at the court of Caterina de’ Medici in Florence by Bernardo Buontalenti during the Sixteenth century, it has turned into a classic Tuscan dessert.

It’s usually made with sponge cake soaked in liqueur and layers of a mixture of whipped cream and ricotta in two different versions, plain and cocoa flavoured, both enriched with pieces of chocolate and candied orange peel. My mum’s recipe also includes chopped hazelnuts, which I love to add.

This is a simplified version made in single-portion bowls. Simplified because I’ve used lady fingers instead of pan di Spagna (Italian sponge cake) and just whipped cream without ricotta, which makes its texture a lot airier and lighter.
You can of course make a big zuccotto like the original one and then cut it in slices, which is a lot more choreographic than these small versions. The mould has to be dome-shaped. I’ve used small ones in which I created just a base of cookies soaked in liqueur instead of covering the whole bowls with them.

Zuccotto is super easy to make and needs at least a couple of hours in the freezer, so make it in advance. It keeps really well for weeks in case you don’t eat it all, which I seriously doubt. 🙃
Dust with cocoa powder before serving.
RECIPE IN FIRST COMMENT. ⬇️

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