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I adapted this recipe after seeing several varieties of recipes for almond ricotta cake. Almond, ricotta cheese, butter, sugar, and egg-yolks can be combined, and use beaten egg-whites/meringue as its only leavening. No baking powder/soda is used, flour can be skipped and make it into a gluten-free delight.
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Almond & Ricotta Cake (No Flour, Gluten Free)
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
INGREDIENTS
• 113 g/ 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature, very soft
• 160 g/ ¾ cup+1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs at room temperature, separated (no egg yolk in the whites)
• 248 g/ 1 cup whole milk ricotta, strained for least moisture possible
• 227 g/ 8 oz almonds, extra finely ground (skinless, roasted and unsalted)
• zest of ½ orange (I prefer), or ½ lemon (I used juice of 2 mandarin oranges, boiled and condensed to 1 Tbsp)
• ¼ tsp pure vanilla essence, or 1/8 tsp rosewater
For the topping
• 30 g/ 4 Tbsp sliced almonds
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting
DIRECTIONS
◊ Spray 23cm/ 9″ round, non-stick cake pans with non-stick spray and especially on the sides. Line with parchment-paper to fit the bottom. Spray the parchment paper too. (This process is important as the cake tends to stick to the pan and not come out intact.)
◊ Place rack on middle oven shelf and preheat to 160°C / 320°F.
◊ Beat butter with sugar until well incorporated. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and continue beating until thick and creamy.
◊ While beating, add ricotta cheese, little at a time, then add ground almonds, little at a time, and add zest (or condensed orange juice) and vanilla or rosewater until smooth batter.
◊ In another clean bowl, with clean whisk, beat egg whites until soft peak (avoid over beating, it will be difficult to break the foam and smoothly incorporate meringue into the almond/ricotta mixture).
◊ Add and fold meringue into the almond/ricotta mixture in three parts, using a silicone spatula, until well combined.
◊ Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top. Sprinkle the sliced almonds all over on the top, naturally, (not flat like I did), and bake for 45 ~ 50 minutes, or until golden and inserted skewer comes out clean.
◊ Allow the cake to completely cool in the cake pan. Place a large platter upside-down over the pan and invert. Remove the parchment paper and again invert onto the serving platter. Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
~ Bon Appétit! ~
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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This look so delicious, I love cakes with ricotta, they are always so soft and tasty!
Hi Anto, When I make a cake and it is a hit, I keep making it repeatedly for every event I go to, till another one I make and it is a hit. 😀 ))) This almond ricotta cake was a BIG hit every time and I may continue making it more for a while longer. 🙂
I love a good fab looking ricotta cake any time & yours looks super fantastic even.
Waw & Bravo! Mmmmmm!
Thank you, thank you, Sophie! Truly, this is a recipe for a very tasty cake, and it accommodates g/f diet. A cake that everyone who try it wants the recipe. I bought ricotta cheese yesterday to bake one this weekend. Yum!
Very nice, Fae. This is the second almond-ricotta cake I’ve seen today. I’ve blogged about one in the early days of my blog, and added pears. That one did use baking powder, which makes it easier as there is no need to separate the eggs.
Thank you, Stefan. I always wanted to bake almond-ricotta cake and saw all kinds of recipes. GF ones really caught my attention, but the ratios were not American measurement friendly. I had to adapt it, and add a couple of my twist to it as well. I love all your desserts and did check out your Pear Ricotto Almond Cake. And, here is my Pears Sunken in Almond Cake (no ricotta though). 🙂
You’ve found my weakness, Fae. Almond flavored anything. I cannot resist baked goods that include almonds. Just the sight of this cake with the almonds on top would start my mouth to water. It being GF is an added bonus for friends and family with dietary issues. It’s always good to have a few GF desserts in one’s repertoire. Thanks, Fae.
Me too. Almonds add so much to cakes, or confectioneries in general. I have a couple of friends who only eat GF, and this is indeed good to have in one’s dessert repertoire. 🙂
I need a gluten free dessert in 2 weeks and your delicious and beautiful cake is timely and perfect for this occasiion Fae! Thank you!!
Hi Johanne, I’m glad you find this cake perfect for your event. It definitely will be a hit. 🙂
Another lovely cake Fae 🙂 Think my French friends and neighbours will love this. It looks really moist too!
Hi Amanda, Thank you. 🙂 I am sure your French friends and neighbors will love this cake. It really is a flavorful cake with substance. 😀
This looks so delicious and moist! Can’t wait to try this one Fae.
Hi Margot! Yes, it is a decadent cake! Please give it a go. 😀
This cake looks delicious, Fae! I love all those almonds on top! Hope you have a beautiful Easter! xo
Thank you, Nancy, it really is a moist and delicious cake. Have a wonderful Easter! xo
I can tell this cake is moist and delicious! I love this cake but I have never tried to make one. Thank you for this, Fae! On my to do list! ?
You are right, dear Francesca. I am sure it will delight Her Majesty, Stefan and you! Give it a go! 🙂
I’m grabbing a cup of coffee, please pass me a slice! This cake looks delicious!
Sweet Vera, Just a slice? I’ll bake you a new one! 🙂
I’ve eaten variations of this cake many times over the years, yet never made one myself. Now thanks to your recipe, I can! Looks sooooo good, Fae…yummy!
Well. Sweet Nancy, this is the time to make it and post your version. So you do know how good the cake is. Enjoy! 😀
I love this kind of cakes, moist and with a very delicate taste. I made something similar not too long ago, and I really think that it has been one of the best cake I have ever made! Thanks a lot Fae for sharing this!
Hi Margherita, I just visited your blog and saw your beautiful Ricotta and Almond Cake. I agree, this truly is one of the most delicious cakes. The fact that it does not use flour, makes me feel it has less calorie. 😀 )))
I love the combination!
🙂
This cake looks elegant and sounds delicious! I am very happy to hear that you’ve saved me a slice, I will be over with my cup of coffee 😉
Wouldn’t that be lovely! This cake is moist and flavorful. I know you would really love it. 🙂
No gluten problems for me but I would love this cake. Great job with placing the almonds on top of your cake 🙂
I have no problem with gluten either, but I do know that people do prefer it these days. Thanks for liking how I have the almonds placed flat. 😀 ))) Happy Easter, dear Judi! 🙂
Gorgeous cake Fae, love the ricotta and the almonds in it, with not a whole lot of calories. I too have been wanting to try it out, yours turned out just lovely. Happy Easter my lovely friend 🙂
Thank you, Loretta, Please do make this cake with your touch. It is specially delicious and decadent. Happy Easter dear Loretta! 🙂
What I like about your recipes is it’s simplicity. Each time I’m amazed how wonderfully you describe and explain the recipe. The cake looks superb, simple yet tempting.
Thank you so much, dear Megha! I really do try to make it easy to follow, and as a result, sometimes it gets longer than I hoped for. This cake was a hit when I took it to a friend’s house. 🙂
This looks like a cake I would like. We have a similar recipe here in Germany where we use quark ( a soft creamy cheese) instead of ricotta. Happy Easter Fae.
Gerlinde, Quark sounds pretty good to me. I shall learn more about it. Happy Easter to you and yours! 🙂