Louisa's Ricotta Cake

Who is this lady?
I wish I knew her, but I have only made her delicious cake.



Louisa is a nonna (grandmother), a lady from Castellina, a region in Chianti, Italy.
I found her recipe on Food52 and want to adopt her.

Can you imagine what else is in this lady's bag of tricks?
I plan on visiting her when in Tuscany, you can count on it.

This is not your typical ricotta cake, because it has flour and a grated apple in it.
It is one of the best ricotta cakes I have ever tried. I am sure Louisa uses her own homemade ricotta cheese, but you can use Trader Joe's fresh ricotta and the results will be excellent.



Louisa's Ricotta Cake (adapted from Food52):

8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 cup fresh ricotta
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 apple, peeled and grated (should yield about 1 cup)
confectioners sugar for serving

Heat the oven to 400F˚. Butter and flour a 9 or 10-inch springform pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer until light and fluffy.
On the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time.

Slowly add the flour, salt, ricotta, lemon zest, baking powder and apple.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the sides start to pull away from the pan.



Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan and cool completely on the rack. Sift powdered sugar over top or serve with fruit or just plain.



Delicious. My kind of cake.

Comments

Sandra said…
Thats one amazing cake. I want to adopt both of you!
Bob said…
That sounds spectacular, I love ricotta cake. Heh, I've always wanted an Italian grandmother. :D
Christine said…
Hi Stacy,
I made your pasta salad last night and the Greek walnut cake for company and they were both a big hit! Fresh and simple. Thank you!
Joanne said…
Can we please fly her in from Italy and have her teach us everything she knows?
kms said…
this is such a lovely post. i want to adopt her too!! :)
Ciao Chow Linda said…
I am really looking forward to trying this, having made Gina DePalma's ricotta pound cake and been less than successful.
Hmmm, I'll have to try this with the apple! I always make Gina De Palma's pound cake which calls for cake flour that I always forget to buy. Can't wait to try it!
Foodiewife said…
Ricotta anything gets my attention. I trust you, because I love the same kind of cake that you do. It's in my recipe "to make" pile.
You're going to Tuscany? I want!
Anonymous said…
Sta,
I believe I've seen this lady at one of my family reunions! I will grab her at the next one!

Nice post,
JS
Melbourne Girl said…
Absolutely DELISH! I don't think I've ever had ricotta cake but I'm certainly going to make this one. It looks and sounds wonderful!
Lesley
Lori Lynn said…
What an absolute pleasure to be able to cook with Louisa...keep us posted on your visit.
LL
The JR said…
Sounds wonderful. I luv lemons.
Oui, Chef said…
I love that you found this dish on Food52, such a generous and talented group of cooks there. I can picture this lovely with a fresh berry compote. Gotta make it soon! - S
The Food Hunter said…
Interesting...first time I've ever seen one with apple. Can't wait to try it.
Now is the time to line up my dessert vehicles for raspberry season, and this cake looks like I'll be parking the recipe in my kitchen as one such vehicle...um this cake topped with fresh raspberries --- oh yeah!
Unknown said…
I've made this twice both times it was a big hit. It's easy and soooo delicious! Thank you so much.