Our dear friend and amazing baker, Charlotte Hardwick, made this kick-ass cake a couple weeks ago at a gathering in San Francisco. She served it slightly warm alongside a perfectly brewed cup of jasmine tea that was sweetened with raw honey and homemade almond milk. You know when something hits ya JUST right? Mmmmmmmmm… I think I ended up eating half the cake in the car on the way home. It took every ounce of discipline I had to save a tiny sliver for Sara to sample.
Sara loved this lemony delight as much as I did (surprise surprise!), so we decided to showcase it at our annual Easter party in Sonoma last weekend. We dressed the cake in a zesty, lemony, buttercream frosting and it made a bright, yummy ending to a cold, rainy Easter. Feel free to serve the cake plain or with the icing. Either way is delish. And to those of you who raise a skeptical eyebrow at baking gluten-free cakes, we’d put this one up against a traditional lemon poppyseed cake any day of the week.
For the Cake:
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup turbinado or sugar
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup salted butter, melted (if using unsalted, add a hefty pinch of salt)
- 3/4 cup Pamela’s Baking and Pancake mix (wheat free and gluten-free)
- 1/2 cup almond meal/flour, from blanched whole almonds (we like Bob’s Red Mill)
- zest of 1 lemon (1 teaspoon)
- juice of 1 lemon (2 1/2 tablespoons)
For the Icing:
- 1/2 stick salted butter, softened, preferably Kerry Gold (if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons heavy cream
- zest of 1 lemon (1 teaspoon)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl. Thoroughly whisk in the ricotta and the butter, followed by the Pamela’s baking and pancake mix and the almond flour. Last, whisk in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
Grease an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan. Either is fine. Pour batter into cake pan, and bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out with loose crumbs attached. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.
For the icing, whisk the butter in a small bowl with the powdered sugar. Add the cream and whisk until well incorporated. Whisk in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Ice the top of the cooled cake and garnish with fresh berries.
Serves 8
Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford are the authors of the best-selling Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook, and many more.
Lemon Ricotta Cake with Zesty Lemon Icing
Our dear friend and amazing baker, Charlotte Hardwick, made this kick-ass cake a couple weeks ago at a gathering in San Francisco. She served it slightly warm alongside a perfectly brewed cup of jasmine tea that was sweetened with raw honey and homemade almond milk. You know when something hits ya JUST right? Mmmmmmmmm… I think I ended up eating half the cake in the car on the way home. It took every ounce of discipline I had to save a tiny sliver for Sara to sample.
Sara loved this lemony delight as much as I did (surprise surprise!), so we decided to showcase it at our annual Easter party in Sonoma last weekend. We dressed the cake in a zesty, lemony, buttercream frosting and it made a bright, yummy ending to a cold, rainy Easter. Feel free to serve the cake plain or with the icing. Either way is delish. And to those of you who raise a skeptical eyebrow at baking gluten-free cakes, we’d put this one up against a traditional lemon poppyseed cake any day of the week.
For the Cake:
For the Icing:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl. Thoroughly whisk in the ricotta and the butter, followed by the Pamela’s baking and pancake mix and the almond flour. Last, whisk in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
Grease an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan. Either is fine. Pour batter into cake pan, and bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out with loose crumbs attached. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.
For the icing, whisk the butter in a small bowl with the powdered sugar. Add the cream and whisk until well incorporated. Whisk in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Ice the top of the cooled cake and garnish with fresh berries.
Serves 8