RICOTTA & ALMOND CAKE

Transcription

1 RICOTTA & ALMOND CAKE Serves 8 to 10. By Dennis W. Viau; modified from a contributed recipe. In Italian this recipe is Torta di Ricotta e Mandorle and the person who contributed it is from Italy. The ingredients were in grams; so I made the conversions as best I could. This is an unusual cake for the USA, but it supposedly has been made in Italy for many years. It is light and delicate, and best eaten fresh. (See the Notes at the end.) You will need a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan. Ingredients: 100 grams (3½ ounces) golden raisins 120 milliliters (½ cup) dark rum (Myers s) 100 grams (3½ ounces) whole almonds 3 large eggs, at room temperature 200 grams (7 ounces/1 cup) sugar (increase to 1½ cups for a sweeter cake) 300 grams (10½ ounces) ricotta cheese 100 grams (3½ ounces) whole butter, melted 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 tablespoons lemon juice Zest from about half the lemon 60 milliliters (¼ cup) buttermilk 300 grams (10½ ounces/2 cups + 2 tablespoons) flour, all-purpose or cake flour 4 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda 100 grams (3½ ounces) sliced almonds 3 tablespoons powdered sugar for garnish (optional) Directions: Heat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Place the raisins in a bowl and add the rum. Set aside to soak. Arrange the almonds on a baking sheet and roast 10 minutes in the heated oven. Remove and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on. While the almonds are baking, lightly grease (or spray) a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Place the cooled almonds in a food processor and pulse a few times to reduce to chunks of various sizes. (My Italian friend puts them in a ziplock bag and hammers them to a coarse texture.) Beat the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until frothy, about a minute. Add the ricotta cheese, melted butter, vanilla, lemon juice, zest, and buttermilk. Mix well. Drain the raisins, retaining the rum. Combine the flour and baking soda in a large bowl and mix well with a whisk, or sift the two ingredients together to blend them. Add the wet mixture along with the chopped almonds and raisins to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Do not over-mix. The mixture should be wet without being a liquid. If too thick, add a few tablespoons of the retained rum to thin the batter to a moist, almost pourable, texture. Transfer the batter into the prepared springform pan, leveling the top, and rap once or twice on the counter to settle the batter and remove bubbles. Then quickly garnish the top with sliced almonds. Bake at 350 C (180 C) 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out

2 clean (internal temperature around 200 F/93 C). Let the cake sit 5 minutes, then remove from the springform pan and cool thoroughly. Remove and discard the parchment paper from the sides. Optional: Before serving, place powdered sugar in a small sifter and lightly dust the top of the cake with the sugar to decorate. Serve immediately. 2 1 STEP-BY-STEP Start by placing the raisins in a bowl and adding the rum. Set aside to soak. (You can use brandy instead of rum, or any liquor you prefer.) 2 Heat your oven to 350 F (180 C). Arrange the almonds on a baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.

3 3 3 While the almonds are roasting, prepare your springform pan. You could lightly grease the pan and dust with flour, as most cake pans are prepared. I prefer to work with parchment paper. I cut a round to fit the bottom and two strips I overlapped to line the sides. I sprayed the pan with nonstick spray to help keep the parchment in place. 4 Crush or chop the cooled almonds until reduced to a fairly fine texture with some larger pieces to add texture to the cake. You could do this in a food processor. Pulse to the desired consistency. The person who gave me this recipe says she puts the almonds in a ziplock bag and crushes them with a mallet. I m using my WhackerSpoon (whackerspoon.com) because it gives me excellent results.

4 5 4 Start combining the wet ingredients by placing the eggs and sugar in a mixer bowl (you could do this by hand with a bowl and whisk) and blend until well combined and frothy, about a minute. 6 Add the ricotta cheese, melted butter, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, and buttermilk. Blend well.

5 7 5 Drain the raisins and retain the liquor. Set the liquor aside for later, if needed. 8 In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking soda. Mix well with a spatula or whisk. Or, you could sift the two ingredients together into the bowl.

6 9 6 Add the combined wet ingredients to the flour mixture and blend well. Add the almonds and the raisins. Stir only until the mixture is combined and there are no lumps of flour. 10 Check the batter consistency. It should be wet enough to pour without being a liquid. If the mixture seems too dry, add a few tablespoons of the liquor and blend.

7 11 7 Immediately pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. 12 Working quickly, level the top with a spatula and then garnish the top with sliced almonds. Bake in the 350 F (180 C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden on the outside and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I prefer to work with a digital thermometer. When the internal temperature is around 200 F (95 C), the cake is done.

8 13 8 When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool in the springform pan 5 minutes. Then remove the outer ring and cool the cake thoroughly before transferring to a plate for serving. I prefer to dust individual pieces lightly with powdered sugar just before serving. 14 Conclusion This cake is not difficult to make. The texture is delicate and moist with a little texture from the almonds. It needs no frosting. The sliced almonds and optional powdered sugar are all that are needed to finish this cake for presentation. Notes This recipe has room for variations. I added golden raisins soaked in rum. You could add diced apple or other fruit. Feel free to experiment with your own ideas.