Cake with Ricotta and Fichi Caramellati Babbi

For the base:

• In a bowl mix the egg yolks with the warm melted butter. Put to one side.
• In a food mixer, beat the egg whites then gradually add sugar, with the mixer in operation.  Turn the speed to average, to obtain a firm, frothy meringue.
• Add the ground hazelnuts, flour and pinch of salt (finely ground) a little at a time and mix with a whisk by hand moving gently from the bottom to the top. 
• Add the egg yolks mixed with butter to the egg white and hazelnut mixture, always mixing by hand from the bottom to the top.  Take care not to dissolve the volume, do not mix too quickly.
• Spoon the mixture into a single-use piping bag and pipe onto the trays (if not silicone, these need to be greased and dusted with flour) pipe from the centre outwards in a spiral. Use two ordinary trays, silicone trays or even only one tray (in this case divide the mixture in half and set aside the second half to rest while the first is baking, because the baking time is brief, nothing will happen).
• Bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes (in the case of a silicone tray 170°C about 25 minutes). Remove from the oven, gently remove from the mould or tray and allow to cool.  Wrap in shrink wrap and set to one side.

For the rum dip: 

• In a small saucepan, add water, sugar and vanilla and boil for about one minute.
• Allow to cool, eliminate the vanilla pod and add the rum, mix well.  Pour into a bottle and set aside.

For ricotta cream and Fichi Caramellati Babbi:

• In a large bowl, cream the ricotta with sugar and amalgamate, using an electric beater at low speed, to obtain a smooth and creamy mixture.
• Add the lightly whipped cream (whipped to 60/70% do not whip completely as it will be difficult to then add it to the ricotta mixture) and fold in gently with a hand whisk, moving from the bottom to the top.
• Add the vanilla seeds and lastly Fichi Caramellati Babbi; do not over mix (the cream must remain white with some streaks of figs, if mixed too much a beige cream will result).

For the caramel hazelnuts:

• In a small saucepan caramel the sugar without ever exceeding 160/165°C. The result should be a gold caramel, the use of a thermometer is recommended.  If this temperature is exceeded the caramel will become dark and be bitter and burnt to the taste.
• Using cooking tongs, dip each hazelnut into the caramel until it is completely coated, allow the excess to run off until a long crystallised string forms which will be the top of each hazelnut. Place on oven paper and allow to harden for a few minutes.

For the composition:

• Assemble the cake in a silicon mould or a pastry ring, first position the biscuit.  Moisten using half the rum dip. Spoon the ricotta cream into a single-use piping bag and pipe over the biscuit. Cover with the other biscuit and moisten with the remaining half of the rum dip.
• Cover with shrink wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours. Then remove the cake from the mould and place on a serving dish or tray and allow to rest in the fridge for a few hours.
• Remove the cake from the fridge and decorate the surface with Chivasso cookies, fresh figs cut in half and positioned in the centre of the cake, Fichi Caramellati Babbi and the caramel hazelnuts. Dust with icing sugar.