Ricotta & Lemon Cake

📝 Ingredients

• 500 g ricotta (2 × 250 g tubs)
• 4 eggs
• 80 g caster sugar
• 60 g plain flour
• 2 lemons (zest of both, juice of one)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 10 g unsalted butter (for the tin)
• 1 pinch of salt

🍴 Utensils

• 22 to 24 cm springform tin
• Two mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Electric hand mixer
• Spatula
• Fine grater

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Butter the springform tin and line the base with a disc of baking paper. If possible, take the ricotta and eggs out of the fridge 20 minutes beforehand: the batter will be smoother.
2. Drain the ricotta if any whey has formed in the tub. In a mixing bowl, beat it with a whisk with the sugar and vanilla until it forms a very smooth cream, with no graininess.
3. Separate the whites from the yolks. Beat the yolks into the ricotta one at a time, then add the zest of both lemons and the juice of one. Add the flour mixed with the baking powder and whisk just until the batter is smooth.
4. In another very clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites with the pinch of salt using an electric whisk, first on medium speed then high, until stiff and forming a peak when you lift the beaters.
5. Stir a third of the whites briskly into the batter to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest in two batches with a spatula, lifting the batter from the bottom upwards, until no white streaks remain.
6. Pour into the tin and smooth the top. Bake for 40 minutes, until the cake has risen, is golden on top and still has a slight wobble in the centre when you shake the tin. If it browns too quickly, cover it with foil.
7. Turn off the oven and leave the cake inside for 10 minutes with the door ajar: this gentle cooling reduces cracking. It will sink, which is normal, and take on its texture somewhere between a baked custard and a cheesecake.
8. Leave to cool completely at room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours. Run a thin blade around the edge, release the springform and cut the cake into 8 slices. Serve well chilled.