There’s a (soon-to-be) famous saying – “When life gives you lemons, make Lemon Cake!” Really, doesn’t that sound better than Lemonade? No disrespect to that refreshing, sweet-tart beverage, but I’d so much rather eat my calories than drink them, wouldn’t you? Ok, except for a nice Sauvignon Blanc or a Old-Vine Zin, but please don’t get me started on that topic.
My current version of life giving me lemons is being sidelined from my weekly cooking date with Teresa, due to a bout with the flu, or a cold, or something that had me feverish and unable to get out of bed for a couple of days. Now that that’s all over, naturally, I really needed to bake something wonderful. This lemon-ricotta-almond cake, adapted from Cakelets and Doilies, who adapted it from Donna Hay Magazine, June/July 2013, fulfills that need beautifully. It is a lovely, light-textured and oh-so-moist cake. Flavors of Almond and lemon with a little ricotta cheese….could I ask for anything more? Maybe just that dusting of confectioners’ sugar.
It is made with almond meal instead of AP or cake flour, which gives it that superior moistness. Add to that the ricotta cheese, eggs and some more almonds, you really could make the case to eat this for breakfast. (Really, how much more protein could be crammed into a cake?) So, so good!
As Cakelets mentions, for a homemade cake, this one is pretty sweet, so feel free to reduce the amount of sugar if you want. I’ve made this cake twice as written, adapting only the amount of lemon zest, changing it to 1/3 c instead of 1/4 c, just for a bit more zing. I also added 1/2 t of salt, because I think everything sweet benefits from a touch of salt.
So give this sublime dessert a try! I guarantee, you will be looking forward to life “giving you lemons!” Enjoy!
Lemon, Ricotta, and Almond Cake (Gluten-free!)
Adapted from Cakelets and Doilies
- Cook Time: 50m
- Category: Cakes and Frostings, Good for crowd, Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Stick unsalted butter (120 g)
- 1 1/3 c Sugar, superfine preferred, but not necessary (275 grams), divided
- 1/3 c Lemon zest (4-5 lemons' worth)
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 4 Eggs, separated, and at room temperature
- 2 1/2 c Almond meal (240 grams)
- 10 1/2 oz Ricotta Cheese (300 grams)
- Sliced almonds, for topping the cake
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment paper. Butter or spray the sides of the pan.
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, 3/4 c sugar and lemon zest until smooth and light in both texture and color. This will take a full 8-10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down a couple of times during the 8-10 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and salt. With the mixer on medium speed, add egg yolks one at a time, until each is fully incorporated. Add the almond meal, and beat until combined. Fold ricotta into the almond meal mixture until evenly distributed. Set aside.
- In a separate, clean, metal bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. With the mixer on medium-high, slowly stream in the remaining sugar (approx. 1/2 c + 1T), and continue to blend until peaks are stiff and mixture is shiny. This will take several minutes.
- Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the almond meal mixture. Then repeat with the remaining egg whites. Pour the mixture into prepared baking pan. Batter will be thick, so smooth the top with a knife. Sprinkle sliced almonds as generously as you wish. Bake 45-55 minutes (my cake took the full 55 minutes). Cake should be firm to touch when done. Allow to completely cool before releasing from springform. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to a couple of days prior to serving. Enjoy!
I looove baking with ricotta! While this is a recent obsession, it’s quite a strong one, I must say. Ricotta cake is such a wonderful cross between a cheesecake and a teacake, the texture is really wonderful. And they’re so easy to make. I am adding this one to my “to do” list, it looks and sounds absolutely wonderful.
Thanks, Katerina! This is an exceptional cake, hope you get the chance to make it. I really need to make another ricotta cake. Thanks for visiting!
Sounds incredible, literally a million times better than lemonade indeed! Thank you for sharing and glad you’re feeling better. 🙂
Thanks, Nicole! I agree, much better than lemonade. Hope you get a chance to try this delightful cake, and thank you for visiting! ☺️