The Rice Cake is a typical dessert of Emilia Romagna, a region rich in gastronomic delicacies thanks to cities like Bologna and Parma.

It seems that the spread of rice cakes is due to the “mondine”, the young women of the peasant families who in the early 1900s went to the rice paddies of northern Italy for seasonal work. The compensation of these girls consisted, in fact, not only of money, but also of 1 kg of rice for each day of work. Hence the spread of rice throughout the region, which was then reused for the preparation of desserts.

Here is the recipe of the famous rice cake of tu.cuoche (quantity for a 24 cm springform pan)

Recipe of Rice Cake

Ingredients

• 850 ml whole milk
• 200 gr of gladius rice 
• 200 gr of caster sugar
• 50 gr of almonds to powder or almond flour
• 3 eggs – grated peel of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (or 1 sachet of vanillin or 1 berry seeds)
• 1 cup of amaretto di Saronno
• 50 gr candied citron or raisins (optional)
• icing sugar to decorate

Procedure

First of all, in a large pot, heat the milk with vanilla and half the indicated sugar. When it comes to the boil, add the rice, stir, lower the heat and simmer gently for about 50/60 minutes, stirring from time to time; the time it takes for the rice to absorb all the milk and turn into a delicate cream.

Leave aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

When the rice and milk cream is cold, whip the eggs with the rest of the sugar and grated lemon peel.  

Add the cream of rice by incorporating from the bottom to the top.

Add the powdered almonds, always stirring from the bottom to the top. 

Finally flavour with amaretto.

Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured baking pan. Bake in a hot oven at 180° for about 50 minutes in the middle part of the oven, until golden brown. 

The rice cake should be moist on the toothpick but not liquid!!!

Let it cool a few hours before garnishing with icing sugar and cutting the slice!

Want to learn about history, curiosities and recipes of other traditional Italian dishes? Click here! 

You can taste the original version of the rice cake (depending on the seasons) also in our traditional food tour in Bologna!