I wanted to make something delicious to mark the 83rd birthday of my mother, Stella. She is one inspirational, wholehearted, phenomenally generous, clever, funny and, just all out wonderful woman. Although we are on opposite sides of the world, she in Australia and I am in Liguria Italy, I couldn’t let her day pass without cake.
And one cake had me intrigued. It was a Ricotta cake I’d heard a Sicilian friend Antonella speak of, that was naturally flourless and was loaded up with almonds and lemons. She described it as delivering un pizzicotto e un bacio, a pinch and a kiss both, at the same time. Lively and layered I thought. When I asked for the recipe, the ingredients list surprised me however, and I came home thinking something must have been lost in translation, when she spoke of using the zest of 5 lemons.
Five? Did I get that right? She was talking about preparing a 20cm cake-tin but 5 lemons sounded like a tangy torta for 50 folks. Five lemons? Five? I found myself second guessing my Italian skills, but I also knew after living here for more than a decade, I had the numbers 1-5 sorted. I was solid on that front. Besides, I was on for something new. It’s a new year, time to be bold, right? So I gave the recipe a spin.
Needless to say, I added to my batter a little lemon, tasted the mix, added a little more, tasted it, added a little more, tasted it … and before I knew it, I had added the zest of 5 lemons. I was lucky to have at hand, limoni di Monterosso, lemons from Monterosso (the last of the Cinque Terre villages) which are known for their hefty peel, and are prized for their rich and fragrant essential oils. Any *unwaxed* variety of lemon however, would cut it.
The cake is lovely. Not only the lemon is spot on. The almonds deliver a big nutty taste, and a richness that is perfectly tempered by the fresh ricotta. The only dark cloud that looms over Antonella’s recipe, is the recommendation to leave the cake to cool completely, as in completely completely, as in one hour in the fridge before slicing. That’s hard going for someone like myself, and someone like my mum, who want their cake and want to eat it.
Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Cake
- 120g unsalted butter, softended
- 225g caster sugar, divided into 150g + 75g
- 1½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
- ¼ cup lemon zest (around 5 medium sized)
- 4 eggs, seperated
- 240g ground almonds
- 300g fresh ricotta, drained
- flaked almonds to decorate
- icing sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 160°C fan forced or 180°C for a standard oven. Line the base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and 150g of the caster sugar until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat again until combined. Add the egg yolks, one at a time continuing to beat until well combined. Fold in the ground almonds, followed by the ricotta.
In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the remaining caster sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold a third of the egg whites into the cake mixture to loosen, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin. It will appear almost full but don’t panic, without the addition of flour, the shape will change little in the oven. Decorate with almond flakes. Bake for 40- 50 minutes or until golden around the edges. It may be a bit springy in the centre but it will firm up as it cools. Allow to cool completely in the cake tin. Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour. Dust with icing sugar to serve. The cake is also lovely served cold the next day with a strong espresso.
