A Cake for March's Moods

Starring fresh ricotta, lemon zest, saffron, and lots of air

Soffione di Ricotta ~ Illustration by Daniela Bracco

I woke up the other morning thinking about this cake. Not unusual, since it is a traditional Easter dessert in my family’s region of Abruzzo and now is the time it starts to show up in bakeries, perfuming the air with vanilla, lemon zest, and, sometimes, saffron.

But it also strikes me as a good metapho…