by Anna Glassman-Kaufman
When I was 18, I took a weekend trip to Portland, Maine, where I was introduced to a bakery called Standard Baking Company. To me, the bakery was perfect. They sold breads and pastries in a simple storefront, somehow perfectly toeing the line between delicate and rustic. That visit, and many more during my four years living in Boston, sent me down a path, dedicating my career to world of food & beverage, which started in baking. And on that first visit, I picked up a copy of their cookbook which contained the recipe that inspired the one I’ve shared with you below: the Berry Ricotta Cake.
A few years later, I found myself volunteering on a goat farm in Italy, with more ricotta than we knew what to do with. Ricotta is a byproduct of cheesemaking; made from whey, so with every batch of cheese we made, we made a batch of ricotta too. I started making this cake for my farm hosts - filling it with strawberries from their garden, sour plums from the tree outside their house, anything I could get my hands on. We’d carry it up the mountains and after a hard day’s work shepherding & milking goats, it always hit the spot. It’s a dependable recipe, and truly versatile.
This berry ricotta cake is the perfect example of a simple recipe that lets the quality ingredients shine. Ricotta has a magical quality in cake, giving the cake a moist and almost custardy texture. Adding ricotta to your batter ensures that your cake won’t dry out, whether kept in the fridge or on the counter. And it lets the cake stand alone, with no need for frosting. This is truly a snacking cake, made to pair with coffee or tea.
This recipe is written for a standard loaf pan, but feel free to adapt it to your needs. I’ve made this as a loaf, a bundt (as in this picture), a round cake, cupcakes. As long as the batter only fills about ⅔ of the pan you’re using, you’re good to go. You can add whatever citrus, berries, or other fruit you have on hand. And I promise you, once you’ve baked a cake with ricotta, you won’t go back.
Ingredients:
10 tbsp salted butter, softened
1 ¼ cup sugar
10 oz Calabro Whole Milk Ricotta
3 medium eggs
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups fresh berries (whole if small or cut into about ½ inch pieces if large)
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease and flour all sides.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl well.
Add ricotta and mix on low speed to combine.
Add one egg at a time, beating well and scraping between each addition. Then add lemon zest and vanilla extract.
Sift the dry ingredients together, and add in one addition, beating on a low speed until just combined.
Fold in berries by hand.
Pour into your loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the bake. The cake will be a rich brown color and a toothpick should come out clean from the center.
Let your cake cool completely, then turn out and slice to serve.