HOLIDAY CRANBERRY RICOTTA CAKE with LEMON ZEST & SUGARED CRANBERRIES

by | Nov 21, 2024 | Cheese, Chef Inspired, Citrus, Dairy, Desserts, Eggs, Freezer Friendly, Fruit | 0 comments

I found this recipe a couple of years ago on the “This is Italian” blog and felt that as a non-baker, it was something I could maybe be somewhat successfull with.  It was good. Really good. I looked like a pro!

This is an incredibly moist cake with a colorful confetti throughout the cake from the cranberries. All the cake eaters in our household loved it, but decided for our tastes, it needed a little lemon zest. That’s the only thing I tweaked from this original recipe. We also made our own sugared cranberries for garnish, which is an optional addition to the recipe, but one that makes the cake a showstopper.

Just remember to take a picture when you make it! I forgot! Mine looked pretty nice but the photo featured is so much prettier and has been borrowed from This is Italian blog. Thank you!

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 C all purpose flourtsp
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  •  1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 C unsalted butter, softene
  • 1-1/2 C sugar
  • 1 (15) ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 large organic eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
  • 1 C fresh cranberries, plus more for garnish

CRANBERRY TOPPING

  • Click link below for Pepper & Salt Kitchen Spiced Sugared Cranberry recipe. This recipe is double what you need for the cake. You can quite literally divided ingredients in half. But making the whole recipe gives you sugared cranberries for holiday cocktails and decorative additions to your food platters.
  • https://pepperandsaltkitchen.com/2022/12/14/spiced-sugared-cranberries-foyo-cocktails-and-charcuterie-boards/
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position baking rack in the middle of the oven. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with either butter or cooking spray; set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer or a stand up mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the softened butter, sugar, and ricotta cheese until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the eggs and vanilla, and mix together. Pour in the flour mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the one cup of cranberries. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake on center rack for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before releasing springform and cooling on wire baking rack completely.
Once your sugared cranberries are cooled, decoratively garnish your cake.

COOK’s NOTES (from This is Italian)

  • Make sure you use your handheld mixer or stand up mixer to beat together the ricotta, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy, at least 4-5 minutes. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a denser cake.
  • If you don’t have a springform pan, you can bake this cake in a 9 x 9 baking pan or a 10-inch cake pan.
  • Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. This time will vary depending on your oven and the size pan you use.
  • Once the cake is cooled, you can sprinkle on either powdered sugar or superfine sugar. The superfine sugar mimics the texture on the sugared cranberries.

 

 

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