Black currant and ricotta cake

[ My mom makes the best ricotta cake ever! ]

My version of ricotta cake is a slightly tuned one - with black currants and a gelatine top.
Our family gathers around my parents' dining table today, as it's an election-day and my uncle is also in the city. So - we have another good reason to have a feast!

Again i've promised to help out with baking a cake.
The cooking took place yesterday late-evening (what else do young people do on saturdays?). It was around 10 PM when i finally arrived home, unpacked the goods, turned on the music and melted the first amount of butter..

When i finally finished the whole process and put the freshly baked cake in the fridge for overnight, it was 1 AM. There was a clear indication of satisfaction on my face :)

Dough:

* 100 gr melted butter (80-82%)
* 250 gr flour
* 3 tbs sugar
* 0,5 tsp baking powder

Filling:
* 600 gr ricotta
* 2 eggs
* 50 gr melted butter (80-82%)
* 150 gr sugar
* 75 gr candied orange
* 0,75 tsp cardamom

Top:

* frozen black currants
* 10 gr gelatine leaves
* 500 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
* 3 tbs sugar

I've prepared my cake in a 30 cm diameter cake pan.
For the dough mix flour+baking powder+sugar in a bowl and then pour the melted butter in it. Mix it either with hands or a mixer. Then grease the cake pan with a bit of butter and cover it with dough. Press the paste firmly on the pan and it's edges. Put the result in freezer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile you can prepare the filling.
Mix ricotta with sugar and candied orange. Then pour in the melted butter and add cardamom. Finally add the eggs and mix it well.

Heat your oven to 210 degrees and pre-bake the dough for 10 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 160 degrees. Pour the filling (ricotta-mix) in the dough and put it in the oven for about 30 minutes. After this take the pan out for a minute - cover ricotta with frozen black currants and put it back in oven for 15 minutes.

Remember - if you use a smaller cake pan, which is slightly deeper and makes a thicker cake, it takes a bit more time for the ricotta to cook (e.g. 40+20 minutes).

Now let the cake cool down a bit. Meanwhile you can prepare the gelatine-top.
Add sugar to the fresh orange juice (if you want it to mix quickly, use powdered sugar).
Dip gelatine leaves into cold water for 5 minutes. Then take them out, squeeze water out and put it all in a pot and start heating. NB! this process needs constant stirring! When the gelatine has melted, start adding the juice - don't forget to stir, stir, stir!

Cover the berries with juice-gelatine mix and let the cake cool down completely before putting it into the freezer for overnight. This way you get the best result from gelatine and the dough is always better the next day aswell :)

Treat yourself and your family, guests, friends!