Sicilian Orange Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream

-
I'm a big fan of this cake. The texture is a little bit like a semolina cake (due to the almond meal). It requires neither oil, nor butter (the almonds are rich enough in fat) but the oranges make it incredibly moist.



CAKE
2 large oranges
5 large eggs
8 oz. almond meal (225 grams)
8 oz. sugar (225 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
(in France or Italy, ricotta is mostly found in containers of 250 grams. I used 2 tablespoons for the cake and the rest of the container for the whipped cream)

 WHIPPED RICOTTA CREAM
250 grams ricotta cheese (minus the 2 tablespoons used for the cake), cold
20 cl whipping cream (no less than 30% fat), cold
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange



Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
Rinse and boil oranges with skin on until soft (20-25 minutes). Allow oranges to cool.
Cut in quarters, removing the pips. Blend until smooth.
Beat eggs and add remaining ingredients before mixing thoroughly.
Line bottom of an 8 or 9-inch springform cake tin with parchment paper and pour mixture in.
Bake for 45-50 minutes.

In a bowl (I place mine in the freezer for 30 minutes beforehand), whip cream with electric beaters until it thickens. Add ricotta cheese, confectioner's sugar, orange zest and vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes until whipped cream is stiff and adheres to the bowl if you tilt it.
Serve cake slice with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mandarin Chicken

-
Image
So much was lost when Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. Lives, homes, jobs,... but also the little things that we hold dear to our hearts: photo albums, treasured heirlooms or beloved recipes. The Times-Picayune collected and published some of the latter that people went looking for in the years that followed Katrina. Mandarin Chicken was one of these recipes.  This clipping was sent to us by my partner's stepmother a few years ago. Since then, we have received nearly a hundred requests to share this recipe. Note: Every Chinese restaurant in New Orleans has its own version of Mandarin sauce. It seems to us that this one needs a few pinches of Chinese five spice in the sauce. Also, it is usually served with crushed peanuts and chopped scallions sprinkled on top. This recipe comes from Fong's Chinese restaurant in Kenner. MANDARIN CHICKEN Egg Batter 2 cups flour 2 tablespoons cooking oil 2 eggs 1 cup cornstarch 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon Accent 1/2 teas
Read more

Seychelles (April 10 - 24, 2023)

-
Image
         Saint-Pierre island       Crystal blue waters, pristine white sand beaches, and an amazing array of tropical flora and fauna... After dreaming about it for so long, we finally took a trip to the Seychelles, only a 5-hour direct flight from our current posting in Johannesburg, South Africa. Eager to pack as much as possible into our 2-week stay, we started our trip on the big island (Mahé - 6 nights), then took a ferry to Praslin (3 nights), followed by another one to La Digue (2 nights), and back to Mahé for the last 3 nights. Our flight tickets with Air Seychelles were relatively cheap: 882 EUR for 2 round trip tickets between Johannesburg (JNB) and Victoria (SEZ).     PRE-TRAVEL        All travel to the Seychelles is subject to obtaining a prior authorization from the Seychelles government ( https://seychelles.govtas.com ). You can only apply for your travel authorization 10 days before your arrival date, which means that you will book everything (flight tickets, hotel, et
Read more

Madikwe Safari Lodge - September 2023

-
Image
  After a year in South Africa, we finally experienced our first safari adventure. My mother and her companion came to visit us last September, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to do this together. Instead of booking a lodge in the famous Kruger National Park, I followed one of my colleagues' advice and looked into the Madikwe Game Reserve, located in the North-West region, along the Botswana border. The drive from Johannesburg took us about 4 and a half hours, with a pit spot in Sun City (approximately half-way) to refill the tank, as there are no recommended gas stations after that (or so we were told by the lodge's staff before departing). The relatively smaller size of the reserve (750 square kilometers) guarantees that you will get to see the wildlife you are expecting to find, including the Big Five.                                  Entering Madikwe Game Reserve     Still following my colleague's advice, we booked 2 suites for 2 nights at Madikwe Safari Lo
Read more