There are so many versions of Lemon and Ricotta cake out there that I was reticent about adding another. This one, I can assure you, will go straight into the hand written sepia toned exercise book that I reserve for very good cakes. The recipe includes 4 lemons, and the batter is lightened by 6 eggs, the whites whipped and folded through at the end. It is an expensive cake but then it serves around 10 people, or two greedy people who eat it every day for dessert and afternoon tea. When served hot, it resembles a lemon delicious pudding. When served cold, it becomes more like a lemon cheesecake. It also keeps well. In summer, store the cake in a container in the fridge. Buonissimo e Molto Siciliano.                    Â
Torta di Limone, Ricotta e Mandorle, Â Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 250 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 250 g caster sugar
- 6 free range eggs, separated
- 250 g almonds, ground
- 75 g self-raising flour
- 1Â pinch of salt
- zest of 5 organic lemons and juice of 4 organic lemons
- 400 g fresh ricotta
Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4).
Butter and paper a 25 cm round springform cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until very light and fluffy. With the motor running, add the egg yolks, one at a time, until all are incorporated.
Combine the ground almonds with the flour, salt and lemon zest. Fold into the batter.
Whisk the lemon juice with the ricotta until light and airy.
Fold into the cake batter.
Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold them carefully into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50 minutes. Test by inserting a skewer into the cake. It should come out clean when cooked through.
Remove the cake from the oven and turn it out onto a cake rack to cool. It will remain moist for a few days. Store in the fridge in warm weather.
From Four Seasons, Manuela Darling-Gansser, Hardie Grant Books.
And Manuela’s great food and travel blog can be found here.
Looks very tempting! I will try to cook a similar one gluten free.
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I think it cook be adapted very easily to GF as it only has 75 g of flour and this could easily be substituted with GF self raising flour or even left out entirely.
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I will try as it looks a very good recipe, and will let you know how it was. Thanks for sharing it with us!
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Beautiful! This is my kind of cake.
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Thanks Liz. All my cakes a variations on a theme- very little flour and lots of almond meal!
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Francesca–do you grind your own almonds as opposed to purchasing almond meal? I have several recipes that require almond meal, but such a small amount that it seems frivolous to purchase a package of meal for the scant amount required in the recipe.
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The original recipe suggests grinding them but as I use lots of ground almonds, I tend to buy them, pre- ground, in kilo lots and I keep them sealed in the fridge. I have at least 4 other almond cakes on my site, and rarely use flour in cake recipes, so it all gets used. 250 g is quite a lot- well over 2 cups full.
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Thanks so much, Francesca. I think I will purchase meal, also.
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I have a version too! Yours looks scrumptious though.
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I must check out yours too Signorina. Is there a post on it? I have about 5 doz eggs on the bench- my chooks are pumping, so I was attracted to this one because it used 6 eggs.
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This cake is a celebration just waiting to happen at my house. It sounds fantastic! Thank you 😊
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Oh thankyou Green Magick. It is a lovely thing.
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OMG I am so making this one. And I love the idea of the sepia tones notebook for Very Special Cakes xxx
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I get a bit anal about little notebooks and journals and still try to use them- they have a special patina and feel, unlike keeping all my recipes here on the hard drive, waiting for it to blow up. A Very Special Cakes notebook and a Garden Design notebook, with a kids hand- drawn radish on the front that says,’ FrenJ Radish’ ( Noah’s fenetic spelling).
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That top photo is divine and there is always room for another good cake recipe! Lemon, love it.
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I think this one would be easy to ‘Yakify’.
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I can smell and taste this divine cake – we have the most amazing tropical lemons in our garden, so now it’s off to find almond meal!
Cheers
Peter Far North Qld
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Lucky ducks. Just the word ‘tropical’ makes me feel better.
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I think I will give this a go Francesca, how do you think it would work with limes instead of lemons?
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Limes would be very nice indeed.
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Love this cake. All the ingredients are not so expensive here. Love Manuela’s books and have them all – beautiful to page through and read, but I haven’t done much cooking from them. Methinks I need to go back to them for another look.
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Oh that’s good. We have our own eggs, and ricotta is cheap here but almonds have gone through the roof! Most of our almonds come from USA and I noticed the prices going up after the bees started disappearing from California.
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Ditto for pistachios here – crop failure here and in Turkey last year. Lets hope this year’s crop does well. Almonds are cheaper.
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This cake includes all the things I really, r eally like – ricotta, almond meal and lemons – unfortunately our ‘girls’ have entered henopause – so eggs are not even thin on the ground here. However, in the interests of applying what is positively a health food to my face I am compelled to make this. Do you drain the ricotta first Francesca?
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Healthy and very lemony- it is a good cake to have up your sleeve for when those girls get back into action, or when you buy them some younger sisters. With regard to ricotta, it depends on how you buy it. I usually buy those 1 kilo baskets- they are well drained. Or sometimes I buy the amount needed from a deli selling it buy the kilo- also well drained. If I buy those little Italian style tubs, I would drain it as they tend to be a lot wetter.
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I’m a bit late coming to the table for a slice of this delicious lemon ricotta cake, it sounds wonderful. I’m definitely up for a GF version
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If only I knew you were coming. Half went home with my eldest son, as it was far too big for the two of us. I have far too many eggs so was pleased that it used 6. Yes, a GF version would be easy to do.
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I’ll give it a go and let you know…
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Delicious
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Thanks Wren.
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It looks absolutely lovely!
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Thanks Mimi, It is a lovely lemony thing.
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Yum. Lemon ricotta cake is one of my most favourite things!
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Sending you a piece now.
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Another job got this weekend ! At least this one will taste good! 😄
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aha, I hope so Julie.
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Whoops .. ‘For’ this weekend 😄
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Francesca your cake looks and sounds delicious
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Thanks Glenda
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Yum, going into my favourites recipe folder, thanks!
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I think you’ll like this one Manja.
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Making it tomorrow for incoming parents. Zero exp. We shall see what you mean by ‘self-rising flour’. Need I ask it nicely? 😀
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Self raising flour is sold in Australia but elsewhere it is made by adding baking powder to Plain Flour ( AP ) or cake flour. Just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour. Sift the flour and baking powder together into a bowl before using, to make sure the baking powder is thoroughly distributed (or you can put both ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together). Or in Italy you use a cake lievito?
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Yep, lievito rings a bell. Might have some at home. But I can also buy flour with lievito already added, I think. Thank you!
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yes, that should work. Cheers Manja
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It’s in. Oh, what laughs, too bad I’ve only got a (dubious) dog for company. I don’t think my juice-maker was up to this task. 😀 But I’d say all well… 50 min to wait.
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Good luck with it MMM
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Oh, it’s already yuuuuum. Only this: I should have believed that ‘almond flour’ means really flour and not almonds cut in little pieces like garlic. 😀 Still, thank you VERY much!!
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we can buy almonds already turned into almond meal or flour here. It should taste Ok with chopped almond, though the texture might be a little more crumbly. Next time look for almond meal.
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Looks very delicious!
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Thankyou chef.
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