ITALIAN STUFFED COLOMBA

Traditional Dessert

Colomba is the traditional Easter cake in Italy. Shaped like a dove, symbol of Easter and peace.

1 Italian Colomba (750gr. 26oz)
16 oz ricotta
3 oz Italian dark chocolate, chopped
4 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 lb strawberries

Separate egg: put yolks in a bigger bowl and whisk them with the sugar sugar for about 2 minutes, add ricotta cheese and mix until you obtain a smooth cream, then add the chocolate.
Whisk the egg whites, with a couple of pinches of salt, until they hold peaks, then gently fold them into the ricotta cream.
With a sharp knife, remove the top of the colomba and set it aside. Remove the internal its "pulp" until about 1" from the sides and bottom and set it aside.
Pour one third of the ricotta cream into the colomba "bowl" and top with half of the strawberry slices, repeat one more time and finish with the cream.
Replace colomba lid on top of your cake.
Wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
You can serve it as is or drizzled with melted dark chocolate or sprinkled with a mix of confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder in equal parts or with whipped cream, some strawberries and mint leaves

This recipe can serve 10-14 people

- You can use the colomba "pulp" to make a bread pudding, following this recipe made with panettone http://bellaitaliastore.blogspot.com/2009/12/panettone-pudding.html
- We carry a colomba that is handmade by a bakery in Sicily, so soft and moist that it doesn't need any brushing with liquid.