Italian Love Cake

My friend Millie and I were recently planning the Easter meal our families would enjoy together. I love this figuring out what you're going to serve part of holiday planning and I am especially grateful to have a friend to share the planning with. Martin's a great guy, but let's get real - Easter dinner with two people isn't nearly as fun as sitting down to a table ringed with guests from 4 months old on up to we old folks.

And, since I'm derailing a bit, I have to tell on Millie. First of all, her mother-in-law died on the Wednesday before Easter Sunday so I assumed she wouldn't be up to having guests just a few days later...but not so. She and Barry talked it over and decided to go ahead with their plans. As Millie put it to me, they both realized the choice would be to sit home alone and mope or keep the day as it was and be surrounded by family and friends. I think they made the right choice. 

When Martin and I came in to their home, bearing all kinds of foods, I had to laugh. Millie's dining room is elegantly beautiful and she had her table set in a manner worthy of a Southern Living photo shoot. As I was taking in the composed beauty of her Easter table, my eye happened to wander over to the corner of that lovely dining room where a big box sat - with a label saying "MY URN". I told Millie it was kind of appropriate, in some twisted and funny way, that her mother-in-law's urn joined us for a Resurrection Sunday dinner. 

Now, back to the planning stages for this meal. Millie decided she would have to provide banana pudding, as that is their family favorite so I offered to bring carrot cake, just because it has an Eastery feel to it. Later, however, it hit me that there would be no chocolate for the meal. Say what? That couldn't happen! With Millie's approval, carrot cake suddenly became an Italian Love Cake and the chance to try a recipe I've been eying for awhile. 

Mind you, I didn't have any high aspirations for this cake - I just wanted something chocolate. And edible, since it would be served to Millie's family.  What came out was a cake that was downright fun to make and tasted great. It's a little hard to describe but the finished product is more like a very light cheesecake topped with cakecake. But with a cake layer that comes out spongy but not soggy. I give up - you just have to try this cake to see what I mean!

CHOCOLATE ITALIAN LOVE CAKE  

(I've seen this attributed to both Paula Deen and Valerie Bertinelli)

Ingredients: 

1 package chocolate cake mix and the ingredients needed to make the cake, according to the package. (Usually eggs, oil, and water) * The recipe I found online recommended using Becky Crocker brand and I went with this. Mostly because that directive agreed with what my friend Iris always told me - if you're going to do a mix, may as well go with Betty because a woman is always going to have a better product in the kitchen. Duncan Who?????

2 lbs.  ricotta cheese

4 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 (5.1 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup cold milk

8 oz. Cool Whip

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x13 pan with nonstick spray. 

2. In a large bowl, mix together your cake mix, according to the directions on the box. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, using a hand mixer, beat together the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. 

*NOTE: THE FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS ARE CORRECT. THE LAYERS SWITCH DURING BAKING TIME.  (And how fun is that????)

4. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Spread to fill the pan evenly. 

5. Once the cake batter is in place, spread the cheese mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter. Spread to cover the cake batter as best you can. (*And we all know, with that kind of instruction, the ricotta is not going to perfectly cover the batter. It doesn't, so just do the best you can.)

6. Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting. (I got a little worried that my now topside cake had a crack down the middle but, when I looked at pictures online, every single blogger's cake I found had the same fault line!)

7. Once the cake is cool, stir the pudding mix and milk together with a whisk until combined. Carefully, fold the Cool Whip into the pudding mix until combined. 

Spread the pudding mixture on top of the completely cooled cake. Cover the cake and refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. This is one of those cakes that taste even better the next day. And the day after that.  Matter of fact, it's now Friday after Easter and I've had a small piece every morning with my coffee.