We normally turn to this recipe for a Sunday morning treat because it’s the perfect cake for dunking into coffee. It’s basically the love child of sponge and Madeira cakes.
SERVES: 8
PREPARATION: 15MIN
COOKING: 40MIN
SKILL LEVEL: EASY
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 200 g caster sugar
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 170 g fresh full-cream ricotta, well drained
- 210 g self-raising flour, sifted
- 70 g almond meal
- finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract (or half a freshly scraped vanilla bean)
- 1 tbsp amaretto (optional, see Note)
- icing sugar, for dusting
- mascarpone or honeyed ricotta, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Cooling time 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced).
- Butter and flour a Bundt tin.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and creamy. Add the olive oil and ricotta and mix until smooth. Gently fold in the flour and almond meal, then add the lemon zest and juice, vanilla and amaretto (if using).
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 35–40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the tin before turning out onto a plate. Dust with icing sugar and serve as it is or with a dollop of mascarpone or honeyed ricotta.
Note
• Give the amaretto a miss for an alcohol-free option.
Cook’s notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.