Louisa's Cake
Louisa's ingredients: ricotta, flour, butter, apple, lemon zest, sugar and eggs.
Flouring the pan.
Amanda looks skeptical. As a matter of fact, so does Merrill.
Nothing but smiles now. We're making cake!
This one starts with the classic butter and sugar combo.
3 eggs give it lift and richness.
Bowls, bowls everywhere!
Once you peel the apple, you'll want to grate and use it quickly -- it browns in an instant.
Back to Amanda, at the mixer -- she adds the flour, salt and baking powder (missing from the ingredient shot).
Amanda dangles the ricotta precariously.
A gentle touch is important at the end.
The batter is light and beautiful.
The cake almost looks like a frittata when it emerges from the oven.
Author Notes: Louisa is a family friend, gardener and chef from Castellina in Chianti, Italy, where we gather several times a year. She cooks everything from memory and threw this together one night last spring. When we pressed her for the recipe she hastily rattled some ingredients off and we scrambled to write it all down on a napkin. Along with my husband and children, we've tested this cake about 6 times, and friends are constantly asking for the recipe. —SML Office —Jennifer Wagner
Food52 Review: Only a true Italian nonna could produce something this ethereal with such a simple list of ingredients. SML Office got the recipe for this cake from a family friend in Chianti (Louisa), and to us it's the epitome of a classic Italian dessert. It's airy and light, but not without integrity: ricotta, eggs and plenty of butter give it richness, grated apple lends heft, and lemon zest rescues it from being at all bland. The cake is gently sweetened, and thus equally suited to breakfast and dessert. We think it would be great with something tangy and fresh, like a fruit compote -- and rhubarb season is coming up! - A&M —The Editors
Serves 6
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups 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 400° F. 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 confectioners' sugar over the top or serve with your favorite seasonal fruit.
- Your Best Recipe with Fresh Ricotta Contest Winner!
More Great Recipes: Cheese & Dairy|Cakes|Desserts|Ricotta
Topics: Cake, Dessert, Italian Cooking, Cheese, Fruit, Easter
1 day ago CHeeb
Marghet,the honey glaze would work fine. This cake is a little pale,so between the glaze and the baked apples it will be delicious.
1 day ago Marghet
I am tempted to make this for Rosh Hashanah since there's apple in the recipe. Was debating brushing on a honey glaze (honey + hot water) after it comes out and topping with apples baked with butter + cinnamon. Or making a honey + sugar icing. Wanted to throw this out there to see if it sounded good or anyone had advice!
2 days ago Shey
Can this be frozen?
14 days ago Lisa
I had only half cup fresh part skimmed ricotta from my blue apron dinner. I added half cup low fat yogurt because that was I had. Used Granny Smith Apple. 1.5 regular size lemon zest. It came out so good! Makes me wonder if I can make it with yogurt instead of ricotta cheese which I don't have regularly in my refrigerator.
15 days ago Christina Warner
Bonus: This cake is delicious even when you forget to put in the 1 T of baking powder!
16 days ago LA
Has anyone baked this at a high altitude? I would like to hear suggestions for adjustments at 5000 ft elevation.
17 days ago Shreya
Made this cake a few weekends ago and it was amazing!!
Everyone who got a slice loved it; thank you!!
17 days ago Julieek
This would be simple if it didn't require making fresh ricotta. Has anyone made this with the store bought stuff?
17 days ago Transcendancing
I've made it with store bought fresh ricotta - I haven't gotten to the making of my own at this point although I'd like to at some stage. I bought from the deli fresh whole milk ricotta and it worked beautifully (I love this cake and should make it again).
17 days ago kasia S.
Oh totally, I have only made it with a store bought and it was still decadent and tasty. But I do want to try making and using my own :)
17 days ago CHeeb
Yes, I only use store bought ricotta. It is fine. I once had none, and even subbed cream cheese. It too,was very suitable. Watching for the center to set is the key to this recipe. It should not be dry, And a wobbly center will continue to cook with the residual heat of the rest of the cake.A pick should be clean,even if the center is loose.
17 days ago Marghet
Store bought! I just used whatever whole milk ricotta I could find at whole foods.
17 days ago Rachel Pope
I, too, only use whole milk ricotta that I purchase at Publix here in Florida and it come out just fine. I love to bake and cook but I am not that much of a purist that I want to make my own ricotta or yogurt for that matter!!
16 days ago Laila
Yes you can..I will give you a tip... For any recipe that includes ricotta that will be heated such as lasagna, etc... Buy only the ricotta that has 3 ingredients on the label, milk, vinegar and salt. All the other ingredients are stabilizers to lengthen shelf life and prevents the cheese from becoming creamy when cooked. it gets lumpy and grainy. It does not matter what brand you get as long as it has those 3 ingredients and nothing else. Happy Baking.
about 1 month ago Marghet
This cake was SO GOOD. The ricotta and citrus flavor is great, and is a perfect dessert for people that do not like overly sweet desserts. I topped it with powdered sugar and blueberries for a dinner party, and everyone loved it. However, the first time I did it in a 10in springform pan, I got the time wrong and it was too wet (then I put it in for longer and it was too dry). So the next time I did the 400 for 40 minutes (put foil on top at 30 min to prevent burning) and used a toothpick to determine when it was done to take it out to cool. I also had to reconcile that it will be a moist cake, but that doesn't mean it is underbaked.
about 2 months ago Kaite
So good! I'm not a cake person, but this is beyond delicious. The texture is a really moist crumb. I did squeeze some liquid out of my grated Apple. I also didn't have lemon on hand so I had to use lime zest. I then added a splash of almond extract. This recipe is going under my favorites!
2 months ago Gena Young Leach
Has anyone made it without apples? I don't have one, should I substitute apple sauce>?
2 months ago Gena Young Leach
Actually I don't even have sauce!
2 months ago Tara chamot
Just made this & it was delicious! Super moist & delicately flavored. And most importantly VERY easy!!!! Do not have a springform pan so I chose to use a bundt pan-It came out great, just don't expect your typical bundt cake that's very puffy-this cake doesn't puff up in fact it deflates a little after you take it out of the oven-but don't worry-it's fine!!A previous poster said she doubled the recipe for bundt pan & I would agree with this if you wanted a full to the top bundt pan. I buttered it very well & dusted with flour & had no trouble with it sticking. Definitely bake til very golden brown & you see sides pulling away & be sure to cool in pan before trying to remove. This would be perfect with fruit and/or whipped cream!!!
3 months ago Salma Shawwaf
Baked it on 375 for 35 minutes turned out amazing! Very moist and lovely with a bowl of berries. Can't wait to bake it again.
3 months ago Steph Ez
I'm baking this recipe using ?coconut sugar ?
4 months ago Chris
Loved it. the lemon really popped and the cake was so great and wasn't overly sweet or anything like that.
4 months ago Barbara Forrest
I just made this cake for the first time, and it is absolutely divine. I baked it in an electric oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. I think it helped that my butter and eggs were completely at room temperature, and I was careful to cream the butter and sugar till very fluffy but not to beat the final mixture too much.
4 months ago Emil
I'll admit to having a bit of an obsession with this cake. When it's perfect, it's amazing with fresh fruit in the way that only a few cakes ever really are. That said, there's a bit of a learning curve with this recipe. I've made it in three separate ovens with mixed results. Never has it finished in less than 30 minutes, and usually it's best around 40. I've played temperature and while it doesn't make a huge difference, I do opt for the 375-degrees around 40 minutes. The best gauge however is lightly touching the top to make sure it doesn't feel underdone. Or a toothpick, though that has been misleading. Each time I fear I've overbaked it, and it's still pretty moist. I would NOT go on the color. When it finishes, it's usually darker than "golden" but with a bit of powdered sugar on top, it's beautiful. If the texture isn't cakey (as many here have noted), it's undercooked. Hold out for a cake texture. It's really a wonderful cake to accompany fruit...from strawberries to cranberries. Amazing.
4 months ago Tim
I use a 9 inch pan. Just made a perfect cake using 375˚ for 45 minutes. I wonder what the effects of using a 10 inch pan does to the time/temp formula. Guessing the 400˚ for 30 minutes might do the trick in 10 inch pan.
4 months ago Tim
Help... I made this for the first time - love the taste combo, but mine came out might squishy in the center. I saw it jiggle after 30 minutes, so I left it in for 10-13 minutes longer. Very soft in the middle after letting it rest/cool for 40 minutes. Any strategies? TIA
4 months ago Tim
Didn't see that there were a lot more comments than were showing. I will try baking it at 375˚ for 40 minutes next time. I'll also use a little less sugar and a tad less lemon zest. Looking for subtle...
6 months ago Katie Menzel Ellis
Mine turned out closer to a cheesecake, but it was a super super delicious cheesecake that we all loved. Would definitely make this again!
6 months ago kzmccaff
I made this last night and at 25 mins my cake was wobbly, so I left it in for another 10 and WOW. It was delicious with an awesome crumb. It's sweet but not overly so, that apple melts into the cake and sweetens it a bit.
I was expecting it to be more dense, but it's not. It's just lovely! I had room temp butter and eggs and mixed the sugar/butter for awhile, and added the eggs slowly--I think making sure that those are really fluffy made a difference in the crumb. I added everything but the baking powder and flour to the sugar/egg/butter bowl, mixed again really well, and then added the dry for a quick incorporation at the end and it didn't toughen up.