Special day for me today, I get to make anything I want for the person whose birthday it is! And this is our first quarantine birthday cake together – hopefully we will be able to celebrate “when things get back to normal” with family and friends soon. My wife loves desserts – okay I know you know this as I say it every time. She continues to be my source of inspiration and that keeps me going in normal times and even more so now. Her office set up is our kitchen table, my workspace is our kitchen – so we are in close proximity most of the time. This is a Lemon Ricotta Cake – not too sweet, but bursting with freshness, like my love for her (oh she’s not gonna like this at all). 

We discovered all things ricotta (especially cakes) a number of years back and every once in a while she reminds me of how much she liked the texture of these cakes (I might even have posted one or two on the site). These are staple treats for us whenever we are in Italy and this cake is inspired by one of those trips. Good quality ricotta and fresh lemons are all you need. This recipe is simple in ingredients and in technique. Try and get the smooth ricotta if possible, but don’t sweat it if you can’t – either will work in this recipe. You want to incorporate air into the batter so you need to beat the batter for about 5 minutes after adding the ricotta. The lemon taste has been enhanced with the use of citrus sugar which is in the cake, used as a lining for the cake tin and on top of the cake.  Do not skip coating the pan in the citrus sugar – oh my goodness – the crust, not to mention the glaze it makes on top of the cake.

I know she will like the cake and I hope it will bring back many wonderful memories of vacations abroad. We can’t wait to travel again – eat, drink, relax, explore, drink some more (me anyway), eat some more (me anyway), and of course return to reality after a couple of weeks! Wash your hands, wear a mask or two, socialize according to local guidelines and above all – stay safe! As always – enjoy!

Ingredients
¾ cup butter, softened 1 ½ sticks
1 ½ cups sugar
15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups flour

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350f and grease – with butter, a 9″ springform pan, coat with the citrus sugar – set aside.
Using your hand or stand mixer and the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar
Add in the ricotta and blend until light and fluffy – about 4 to 5 minutes
Mix in the eggs, one at a time, then add in the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix to just combine then switch to a spatula and your hands for the final mix
Don’t forget to scrape down the bowl when mixing
Pour the batter into the prepared pan – flatten the top, sprinkle with the citrus sugar
Bake for 50 – 55 minutes (mine took 53 minutes) or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean – moist crumbs are okay
Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing the collar and base
Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar before serving or make a compote (see below) and decorate simply

Suggestions and/or changes
Jazz (it doesn’t need jazzing up) the cake with a Limoncello flavored frosting
Serve with candied lemon slices – thin slices of lemon cooked gently in simple syrup and dried
Make a liqueur flavored compote to serve with it – I’m using fresh plums, simple syrup (1 ½ cup sugar, ¾ cup water) and about 1-3 tbsp Grand Marniere (fyi, I never measure this ingredient, really do it to taste). Bring to a boil and add the fresh fruit – cook gently until the fruit is softened.  Throw in some lemon and orange slices and the Grand Marniere – 5 more minutes.  Let cool and ladle on top of each slice or over the cake and cut – don’t add all the liquid, it will turn the cake into a pudding (aww, what a delicious predicament to be in!)
Dig out your old bottles of liqueur from the back of the cabinet – instead of Grand Marniere and plums, use any of the following combinations or make up your own, no right or wrong here – limoncello and lemon slices, substitute apples and calvados or brandy, blackberries and cassis, cherries and kirsch – you get the ideamy