Mini Ricotta Cakes with Berries - Tortina di Ricotta con Frutti di Bosco

Soft and moist mini cakes with ricotta cheese. Topped with deliciously sweet fresh berries and Nutella

A few weekends ago I went to one of my favorite Italian restaurant in the area, and had a delicious tortina di ricotta with berries on top. Sooo good that I have been dreaming about it since!
Obviously I had to try and make it myself. The dessert was soft and moist, but not quite a cheese cake. A bit spongy and dense-ish but not quite a pound cake. Not too sugary, but covered with deliciously sweet fresh berries and chocolate sauce.
With all this information, I gave it a try. I first experimented with lots of ricotta, very little flour and sugar, and no baking powder. Good, but not quite good enough. With a little more flour, some baking powder and the addition of lemon zest, I got it! My second batch came out delicious. These mini cakes look and taste just like the one at the restaurant. Here is what I did:
Ingredients to make 12 small cakes

• 15 oz ricotta
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3 eggs
• zest of one lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup flour 
• fresh organic berries
• Nutella     

Preparation time: about 60 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl,  mix the ricotta with the sugar.

Step 2: Stir in the eggs. Blend in the  lemon zest, vanilla extract, baking powder and flour.

Step 3: Fill the silicone muffin pan  about three quarters of the way. Bake for about 30 minutes, until nicely golden on top.

Step 3: Let them cool off a little bit before removing from mold. Melt some nutella in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Cut the fruit and place a few pieces on top of each mini cake. Sprinkle with nutella.

Enjoy :-)