With bright notes of citrus and richness from ricotta, this subtly sweet cake is what we want to eat for breakfast every day.
With bright notes of citrus and richness from ricotta, this subtly sweet cake is what we want to eat for breakfast every day.Katie Leaird is a recipe developer and food writer who makes far too much pasta and cake on a daily basis.
She spent five years at America’s Test Kitchen and now contributes to Kitchn and Hannaford’sUsing a combination of cake flour and almond flour reduces the amount of gluten in the cake, creating a uniform crumb while also contributing a pleasant nuttiness. I asked my three-year-old daughter Hazel what she liked most about Italy after her first visit. Her answer was immediate: “Cake for breakfast.” During our trip to Polignano a Mare, a town in Puglia, our Italian hosts offered us a bevy of cakes every morning. Each was decidedly better than soggy cereal and milk: a chocolate torte dusted with cocoa powder, an apricot-studded almond cake, and my favorite, a moist, lemon-kissed ricotta sponge that I continued to think about long after my return home to Massachusetts, so much so that I sought to recreate it myself. Breakfast in Italy is typically a simple affair, consisting of a coffee—usually an espresso or cappuccino—with a small sweet treat, be it a cornetto, biscuit, or slice of cake. This is how plenty of Italians start their day each morning, and though some “might confuse it for a deeply rooted, centuries-long tradition,” writes Katie Parla for, it’s a fairly recent phenomenon. Until the 1950’s, breakfast in Italy—at least for the common folk—wasn’t eaten for pleasure; it was merely a way to fill up on calories before a long day of labor. It wasn’t unusual for the meal to consist of leftovers from the night before or ingredients that were about to spoil, like cheese, dairy, or bits of stale bread soaked in milk. According to Parla, “Italy’s post-war economic boom, coupled with growing urban populations, caused radical shifts in Italy’s food systems and dining customs, including the way Italians procured breakfast.” More Italians began breaking their fast outside the home with a coffee and pastry. Though the biscuit remains an Italian breakfast staple, many also choose to start their day with a slice of cake. Rustic cakes made with nut meals are popular throughout Italy, with so many versions from region to region, town to town, and household to household that it'd be a life's work to document them all. Examples include the mandorlaccio, a domed flourless cake made with ground almonds and sweetened with honey; ciambella alla ricotta, a ring-shaped breakfast cake with ricotta; and the torta di nocciole delle Langhe, made from the famed hazelnuts of Piedmont. This particular recipe goes by the name torta ricotta di mandorle e limone in Italy, which seems to take many forms based on the recipes I've seen for it online. Mine is heavily inspired by the one I enjoyed in Puglia, but isn't an exact replica since that one didn't include almonds. The cake isn’t flashy; it has no frosting or filling, just powdered sugar lightly sifted over its golden-brown dome to complement the richness and subtle sweetness of ricotta.Though the hosts brought out the same cake each day , it never seemed to stale. Somehow, it remained moist and tender, and I suspected the ricotta kept it that way. It appeared to be a simple cake. How hard could it be to recreate?simple, but simple recipes are often the hardest to get right. Unlike an elaborate cake with fondant or buttercream decorations to distract you from its imperfections, a straightforward cake leaves you with nowhere to hide. Needless to say, I ran into some snags. I started with an almond-free recipe that included all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, eggs, ricotta, and lemon juice and zest. It tasted pretty good, but its interior was riddled with irregular holes and tunnels. Tunneling can be caused by several things: overmixing the batter and overdeveloping the gluten, an improper ratio of sugar to fat to flour, or ingredients that are at the wrong temperature. , while cake flour usually runs from 7 to 9% protein. Using a combination of cake flour and almond flour minimized the possibility of the cake becoming tough and rubbery, and allowed us to beat the batter enough to ensure it emulsified properly.Just as important was the question of what kind of ricotta to use: Unfortunately, a lot of the ricotta sold in the States is very low quality. Because so much of the cake’s flavor comes from ricotta, I recommend using the best you can find. Traditionally,by carefully heating whey leftover from cheesemaking to a precise temperature, usually between 175 and 185ºF . Most mass-produced ricotta, however, is the result of adding acid to whole or skim milk. While it’s possible to get fluffy curds when acidifying milk, there can be a big difference in quality in mass market ricotta, possibly because of additional gums or stabilizers or the standard of milk used. You’ll want to look for sweet, creamy ricotta with soft curds—as Kenji wrote in his, chalky ricotta is a sign the milk was “too hot or agitated too much during production, causing the proteins to tighten up into rubbery bundles.” While I love having this cake for breakfast alongside a cappuccino, it’s great any time of day. You won’t find anyone eating it for dessert in Italy, but if you decide to have a slice after dinner… your secret’s safe with me.Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 325°F . Using nonstick baking spray, lightly grease a 9-inch aluminum cake pan andIn a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine; set aside.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine granulated sugar, light brown sugar, butter, and lemon zest. Mix on medium speed until incorporated, about 1 minute, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula halfway through.Reduce speed to medium-low and add eggs one at a time, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next. Add ricotta and increase speed to medium, beating until incorporated, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and add the flour all at once. Mix on low speed for 15 seconds to just incorporate, then increase speed to medium and beat until batter is well-combined and smooth, about 30 seconds.Bake until top of the cake is golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, with just a few moist crumbs attached, 65 to 75 minutes.Cool cake directly in the pan for 1 hour, then run an offset spatula or butter knife around the edges to loosen. Invert onto a large plate or wire rack, peel off the parchment, and flip cake right side up. Allow cake to cool completely.Cake can be kept covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Sift a little extra powdered sugar over top right before serving.
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