I think this is the best cake on earth because it represents Spring, my favorite season of the year. Unfortunately, I can only post the photo, not the perfume that filled my house, like flowers blooming. I cannot imagine Easter without it.

Each family owns a recipe and I’ll post mine, that has a reduced amount of eggs and sugar, if compared to others.

If you want to learn a little bit more about “Pastiera di Grano”, visit this blog: http://almostitalian.com/pastiera-di-grano-2/

Enjoy and..Happy Easter.

Ingredients:

Pie dough

125 g butter (room temperature)

1 egg +1 egg yolk

125 g powdered sugar

250 g wheat flour

pure vanilla essence or lemon zest

1 g baking powder

Filling

1 can of cooked grain (about 400g.)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 glass of milk

1 teaspoon grated orange zest and lemon zest (organic)

500 g. of sifted ricotta

4 large eggs, at room temperature

260 g. sugar

3 tablespoons orange-flower water

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup very finely chopped candied orange peel

Confectioner’s sugar

Directions

Drop the wheat flour and the butter into a food processor, turn for 20 seconds, then add the powdered sugar, the egg + egg yolk and vanilla or lemon. Put aside ¼ of this dough, for the stripes. Place down the remaining dough (use a rolling-pin) into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pierce the dough by using a fork, then set aside in the fridge.

Preheat the oven at 338° F.

Place the wheat in a medium saucepan with milk. Add the butter, the cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wheat is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Place in a large bowl, remove the cinnamon stick. Let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients in the following order: eggs, sugar, the sifted ricotta, orange-flower water, grounded cinnamon, lemon and orange zest, candied orange peel. Beat until blended, stir in the wheat mixture.

Pour the filling into the prepared pan.

Take the ¼ of the dough you have put aside and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips to use as a lattice top for the pie. Place the strips of dough across the filling, spaced about 1 inch apart (at right angles) forming a lattice top and flute well.

Bake the pie in a preheated 338° F oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bottom of the crust is light brown, the center is set, and the top of the pies are golden.

Serve cool.

If you like, you can give the pie tops a light sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.

Background music: “Sweet Candy” BY AC/DC.

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