Lemon Ricotta Cake レモン、リッコタチーズケーキ

This is another one of my wife’s baking projects. She saw this recipe on the King Arthur web site. She thought the use of “00” flour, (which I use to make pizza dough), was intriguing. Being the generous man I am, I gave her access my stash of  “00” flour. This was a good investiment on my part, the cake was very light and fluffy and the “Fiori di Sicillia” flavoring gave a nice lemony flavor. The cake was not too sweet and perfect for our dessert.

Ingredients:
Cake

1 1/2 cups (174g) “00” flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup (227g) ricotta cheese, whole preferred
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon “Fiori di Sicilia”, optional

Glaze (We did not use)

2 tablespoons (28g) lemon juice
3 tablespoons (43g) coarse sparkling sugar or 3 tablespoons (34g) turbinado sugar
1/2 cup (57g) confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center. Line the bottom of an 8" cake pan with parchment and grease the bottom and sides.

To make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add the egg yolks, and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Add the ricotta, extracts, and dry ingredients and beat on low until no dry streaks remain. 

In a medium bowl, whisk the whites until very frothy, 1 to 2 minutes (no need to reach soft peaks). 

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the batter and pour in the egg whites. Mix on medium speed, scraping down the sides as needed, until the batter becomes smooth (it will be quite gloppy at first). Finish mixing by hand if necessary to make sure everything is incorporated.

Transfer the thick batter to the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. (A small offset spatula is a helpful tool here.)

Bake the lemon ricotta cake for 20 to 25 minutes, until deeply golden, then tent with foil and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cake is done when it’s set, has pulled away from the sides of the pan slightly, and springs back when lightly pressed. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. (#2)

If using the glaze: In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice and sugars until no dry confectioners’ sugar remains.

Turn out the lemon ricotta cake onto a wire rack and set the rack atop a plate or parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the glaze evenly over the top of the cake, encouraging it to reach all the way to the edges.

Let the lemon ricotta cake cool until the glaze is set, about 30 minutes. Serve it slightly warm or at room temperature, with macerated fruit if desired.

This is one of the most elegant cakes we’ve made. It is extremely light, slightly sweet with a rich lemon flavor. The method of using the mixer to stir the egg whites into the batter was a first. My wife was surprised at how well it worked and that the egg whites did not deflate. She said she will keep this method in mind for other recipes using whipped egg whites.