ITALIAN LEMON & RICOTTA CAKE

Sorry for going on and on in the video about my love for this cake but it really is so wonderful – a mix of some of my favourite baked goods – a cheesecake, a muffin and a lemon tart.

INGREDIENTS:

190 grams (1 1/3 cups) of plain flour

A big pinch of salt

2 teaspoons of baking powder

115 grams of butter

200 grams (1 cup) of sugar

2 medium lemons (zest and juice)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla (extract or essence)

360 grams (1.5 cups) of ricotta

Pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg *optional

Mascarpone to serve

ALTERNATE 3-TIER CELEBRATION CAKE QUANTITIES:

345g butter

600g sugar

6 lemons (juice and zest)

9 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla

570g flour

3 pinches salt

6 teaspoons baking powder

1080g ricotta

1500g mascarpone

1kg frozen berries

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 356 degrees Fahrenheit and line a tin or pan with baking paper.
2. Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
3. Chop your zest BEFORE juicing your lemons – it’s much easier.
4. Cream butter and sugar in a bowl (with lemon juice if you’re whipping by hand as I did).
5. Add lemon juice and zest.
6. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.
7. Add vanilla and spice if you have these (if not, don’t fret – it will still be delicious).
8. Add half the flour and mix gently.
9. Add all the ricotta and mix again.
10. Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined.
11. Pour into the pan and leave to cook for about an hour… but it really depends on your oven (I find ovens so varying even at the same temperature!) so take a peek at about 45 mins. It shouldn’t wobble like jelly when you shake it in the pan. Or you can stick a knife in and see if it comes out clean but I always hate ruining the top of the cake and also, this cake is best when only JUST cooked so it’s still lovely and moist. Basically, see how in the video the top of my cake wasn’t totally golden, just light yellow and crisp. That is what you’re looking for.
12. Serve with a generous spoonful of mascarpone!