Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake is a gluten-free delight!
Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake is a gluten-free delight. It is rich, moist and packed with zesty lemon flavor. Each ingredient is nutritious and heart healthy.
Almond Flour
Almond flour is ground blanched almonds. It’s an ideal alternative for a gluten-free diet. The flour is low in carbohydrates and high in healthy fats and fiber. It has a low glycemic index and releases sugar slowly into your blood to provide a sustained source of energy.
Ricotta
Ricotta is a versatile whey cheese for those who are health conscious. One half cup contains 25% of your daily calcium requirement and 14 grams of protein. It’s low in sodium and high in phosphorus, Vitamins A and B and zinc.
Eggs
Eggs are a very good source of inexpensive, high-quality protein. They are full of the essential Vitamins B2, B6, and B12 and minerals such as selenium, zinc, iron and copper. Choline, neither a vitamin nor a mineral, is also found in eggs. It boosts brain health and aids in memory, mood and muscle control. Eggs are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D that helps to build and maintain healthier bones.
Lemon
Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids, which are antioxidants and aid in the fight against cancer. Vitamin C is essential for health. One lemon provides approximately 30 milligrams of vitamin C. Current dietary guidelines recommend a daily intake of 75 mg for women 19 years and older and 90 mg for men. Lemon peel is a health food chock full of bioactive compounds and contains 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the fruit.
Guilt-free dessert – cut back on the sugar
Sugar defines a dessert. You can decide how much to add to any recipe. No matter what diet you are on, I promise you won’t feel guilty after indulging in this Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake. The health benefits of it’s ingredients alone will justify the calories and you will glow with satisfaction inside and out after the first bite!
Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- Mixer bowl(s)
- 9 X 2 round cake pan
- Parchment paper
- Spatula
- Palette knife
Ingredients
- 6 eggs, separated
- 3 ¾ cups almond flour superfine, blanched
- 2 cups ricotta Gioia Cheese Company or other dry Italian imported cheese. Strain a wet cheese before use
- 2 cups sugar
- ⅓ cup lemon zest
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 1.5 stick
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp cream of tartar optional, see tips below
- blanched almonds flakes for garnish
- icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients and set up your work space.
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Prep cake pan by coating with oil and place a round of parchment on the bottom and a parchment collar around the edge.
- Place butter, 1 cup of the sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest in electric mixer bowl. Beat on a high setting for 8-10 minutes until pale and creamy. Turn off mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Turn mixer onto a medium setting for stirring and add eggs yolks one at a time allowing each egg to fully incorporate into the batter.
- Add the almond flour and mix to combine.
- Add in the ricotta and mix until it is thoroughly incorporated into the batter and set aside.
- Whip the egg whites until soft peaks from, about 8 minutes.
- Add the sugar and continue to whip until the meringue is glossy and forms firm peaks.
- Fold meringue into the batter until thoroughly incorporated.
- Pour batter into the cake pan and tap the pan on the countertop to settle the batter into the pan. Smooth out the top with a palette knife and decorate with the almond flakes.
- Bake 55 – 70 minutes. The cake should be lightly browned and shimmer in the middle when moved. It should feel firm with some spring when touched in the center.
- Let cool completely in the cake tin. It will deflate some.
- Remove carefully from the pan and remove the parchment paper from the bottom and sides. Place on a serving plate.
- Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Tips
- Ricotta: For the best result, use a dry ricotta such as Gioia Cheese Company brand imported from Italy. A dry ricotta is best for making desserts such as cannoli. Strain a wet ricotta before use. Place ricotta in cheesecloth or tightly woven mesh strainer and hang over a bowl to capture the liquid. Depending upon the cheese, this could take up to 24 hours.
- Separating eggs: If there is any fat/oil in egg whites, they will not whip up to a meringue. Care must be taken when separating the yolk from the whites. Use 3 bowls: – #1 for separating the white from the yolk; #2 for separated yolks; #3 for separated whites. Starting with bowl #1, crack the egg and pour into your hand. Let the egg white slip through to the bowl as you coddle the yolk. Place the egg yolk into bowl #2. Check to see that there is NO trace of YELLOW egg yolk in the white. If clean, pour the egg white into bowl #3. If there is yolk in the white, save the white for other cooking and DO NOT reuse the bowl. Always use a CLEAN bowl. Repeat process until all eggs are separated.
- Whipping egg whites in a stainless or glass bowl: For proper aeration, a small mixer bowl is best for up to 3 egg whites; a large mixer bowl for 4 or more egg whites. Cream of tartar acts as a stabilizer in recipes that require whipped egg whites, such as meringue, angel food cake, and soufflé. When whipped, egg whites can swell up to eight times their initial volume.
- Whipping egg whites in a copper bowl: If you have a copper bowl, you won't need to add the cream of tartar. The copper ions form a yellow complex with one of the proteins in eggs, conalbumin. The conalbumin-copper complex is more stable than the conalbumin alone, so egg whites whipped in a copper bowl are less likely to unfold.
- Never use a plastic bowl for whipping egg whites. The plastic retains grease and the whites will not gain volume.