Serves a Crowd

Gingerbread Ricotta Tart

March  4, 2011
4
3 Ratings
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

This gingerbread love-fest is the perfect combination for a winter dessert buffet. Serve with lingonberry jam - a traditional northern European accompaniment. —Sasha (Global Table Adventure)

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Gingerbread Dough
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 stick softened butter
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Gingerbread Ricotta Tart
  • 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/8 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 gingerbread dough (above)
  • Lingonberry jam, for garnish
Directions
  1. Gingerbread Dough
  2. Get your baking shoes on. Whisk together the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and the spices.
  3. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar, until creamy and light.Add in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract. Make sure you scrape all the molasses goodness out of your measuring cup! Mix until well incorporated. Scrape the sides as needed.
  4. Next, mix the flour mixture together with the molasses mixture. It will form a soft, pliable dough.
  5. Shape into two flat discs and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes. Take the time to write that thank you note you've been meaning to write.
  6. Use this dough for cookies (3" cookies should be baked at 375F for about 4-5 minutes) or for a ricotta tart (below).
  1. Gingerbread Ricotta Tart
  2. First, place a water bath in the oven (a large pan half full of hot water) and preheat it to 350F.
  3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, eggs, and heavy cream.
  4. Next, roll out the gingerbread dough to about 1/4". Grab a 9" springform pan. Trace a circle the diameter of the pan and cut it out. Place this circle of dough in the pan. Press the scraps of the dough up the sides, about 1".
  5. If your springform pan leaks, now is the time to hermetically seal it was aluminum foil. I won't tell you why I know this. Pour the creamy batter into the pan.
  6. Bake in the water bath for 45-50 minutes. I recommend turning off the oven after about 45 minutes. Crack open the door and let the cake cool in the oven, slowly - about 3 hours. This will help prevent the crust from shrinking away from the cake and causing a gap. Mine went into the fridge a little too soon.
  7. Cool completely. Slice and eat with lingonberry jam, a cup of hot tea, and a kitty cat curled up on your lap.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • lapadia
    lapadia
  • Blissful Baker
    Blissful Baker
  • kmartinelli
    kmartinelli
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • Sasha (Global Table Adventure)
    Sasha (Global Table Adventure)

12 Reviews

lapadia March 15, 2011
Delicious....saved!
 
Sasha (. March 15, 2011
Thank you lapadia - enjoy!
 
triplip March 7, 2011
How much butter is in the dough? It just says 1!
 
Sasha (. March 7, 2011
Whoops... one stick! Thanks for catching that triplip :)
 
Blissful B. March 6, 2011
I've never made a ricotta tart. How does the flavor & texture vary from a traditional cheesecake?
 
Sasha (. March 7, 2011
This is a lot less sweet - and less dense - than traditional cheesecake. Great for people like me, without a mega sweet tooth. :)
 
kmartinelli March 5, 2011
This looks just beautiful! I don't think I've ever had a gingerbread-ricotta dessert and it sounds amazing!
 
Sasha (. March 5, 2011
Thank you. It is inspired by Estonia - popular in northern Europe, where gingerbread rules. Ricotta is a substitute for their curd cheese, although many use ricotta now, too.
 
hardlikearmour March 4, 2011
Oh my gosh, this sounds incredible! Plus it reminded me to revisit your blog!
 
Blissful B. March 4, 2011
Oooooh. You have some great tart recipes, don't you? This one has winter (and yummy) written all over it.
 
Sagegreen March 4, 2011
You sure do!
 
Sasha (. March 4, 2011
Thank you both :) I've been in a tart kind of mood lately...