Quick-mix lemon ricotta cake

Ingredients
Lemon ricotta cake tips
How to serve this lemon cake
More lemon cakes

This recipe for lemon ricotta cake is made using a simple quick mix method. It’s moist, sweet and full of citrus flavours.

Ingredients

melted butter, for greasing

1¾ cups (260g) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

3 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1¼ cups (275g) caster sugar

2 lemons, rind finely grated

125g very soft butter (not melted)

1 cup (240g) fresh firm ricotta

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice

¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

½ cup (40g) flaked almonds

icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 22cm spring form cake pan, dust the base and sides with a little flour, tapping out excess. Line the base with a round of baking paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a medium bowl.

Add the sugar and lemon rind to a large bowl. Using a balloon whisk, whisk until rind is dispersed through the sugar. Add the soft butter, whisk until smooth, creamy and slightly lighter in colour.

Add the ricotta and whisk until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Whisk in the flour mixture then the lemon juice and olive oil, whisk until combined.

Spoon into the prepared pan and sprinkle top with almonds. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing side of the pan to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar, and serve with thick cream, if you like.

Lemon ricotta cake tips

For a tender, delicate crumb, it’s important not to over mix the ricotta and eggs. Don’t be alarmed by the cake’s tendency to dip ever so slightly in the centre. It gives it a slightly rustic appearance.