A Rockin Roman Cheesecake!

Over spring break I chose to make a dish called Libum or an ancient Roman cheesecake. In ancient Rome, this sacrificial cake was offered to household spirits, but was also enjoyed by Romans as well. Although I do not typically bake, I wanted to challenge myself in the kitchen. My sister, Emma, also volunteered to help me make my dough and cook these cheesecake buns. I was able to find all of the ingredients except for the bay leaves so rather than cook the buns on a fresh bay leaf, I put them directly on the greased baking tray. The recipe also called for one cup of flour. However, while forming the buns I had to add extra flour, since the dough was very sticky, which made it difficult to separate and mold. Despite this change, the rest of the recipe and cooking process was straightforward and easy to follow. 

Although the recipe said to bake the buns for 35-40 minutes, I took them out of the oven after only 30 minutes, since they were already a nice golden brown color. If I let the buns bake for longer I was afraid that they would burn. When the cheesecake buns came out of the oven, I was surprised by how round they were. I was expecting the buns to be flatter. In the future, before I put the dough in the oven I would flatten the buns into more of a thick pancake. Once the buns soaked and cooled in honey for thirty minutes, I had my entire family try this Roman delicacy. The buns were not very “cake-like” but had a consistency that more resembled bread. The inside of the buns were moist and you could easily taste the ricotta cheese. The honey added a sweet component that paired well with the buns. My sister especially liked the cheesecake buns and was surprised by how good they came out. Her only complaint was that the buns were a little plain. I believe that if I had used the bay leaves like the recipe had called for that they would have come out more flavorful. My sister also thought that the physical appearance of the buns could have been improved by scoring and smoothing the tops better. In my opinion, this experience was a success and a fun family experience. I would definitely try to make these Roman cheesecake buns again!

Libum Recipe (serves four)

Ingredients

– 1 cup plain, all purpose flour

– 8 ounces or 1 cup ricotta cheese

– 1 egg, beaten

– bay leaves

– ½ cup clear honey

Instructions

1. Sift the flour in a mixing bowl.

2. Beat the cheese until soft, stir into the flour.

3. Add the beaten egg to the flour/cheese mixture, forming a soft dough.

4. Divide the dough into four and shape each piece into a bun.

5. Place on a greased baking tray with a fresh bay leaf underneath.

6. Heat the oven to 425 °F. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

7. Warm the honey, pour into a flat plate, and place the buns on it to rest until the honey is absorbed.