Ricotta and strawberry cake

A wonderful summer cake made with fresh strawberries and Italian ricotta. Thanks to the ricotta, the cake is wonderfully moist, tender and stays fresh for several days. A touch of lemon enhances the flavour beautifully and, combined with sweet, juicy strawberries, creates a truly delightful treat :).

Ingredients for ricotta and strawberry cake:

• 100 g butter
• 200 g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• finely grated zest of ½ lemon
• 3 large eggs
• 250 g ricotta
• 250 g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 200 g strawberries, hulled and halved

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla extract into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until very pale and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until fully incorporated. Add the ricotta and beat until smooth. At this stage, the mixture may look slightly curdled, but this will not affect the finished cake. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly into the mixture and add the salt. Gently fold together using a spatula or balloon whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.

Line a 22–23 cm round cake tin with baking parchment. Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and level the surface. Arrange the strawberries evenly over the top.

Bake at 175°C for approximately 50–60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: Food52.