Ingredients:
8 ounces ricotta (why not make your own?)
4 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of 2-3 lemons (or oranges, or a mix)
2-1/2 cups almond flour (or meal)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
Powdered sugar to dust
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 325F and prepare your 8” or 9” cake pan with butter on the sides and parchment on the bottom.
- In a large bowl, whisk together: ricotta, egg yolks, extracts, 3/4 cups of the sugar, salt and zest. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the almond four and mix well with a wooden spoon. Mixture will be thick.
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat your egg whites until they become opaque white, and cloud-like soft peaks form. Then add the sugar little by little while the mixer is on and mix just to the point firm peaks have formed. Do not over mix!
- Spoon 1/3 of the egg whites over the batter and mix in thoroughly with a stiff spatula. Empty the rest of the whites over the batter and carefully and gently fold into the batter with your spatula turning the bowl as you go. Fold only until you stop seeing white streaks which means the egg whites are folded in properly. Do not over mix!
- Gently pour your batter into you prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.
- Gake at 325F until top is golden brown, slightly puffed and the cake is firm with a little slight jiggle in the middle, could be 45 minutes or longer depending on your cake pan and your oven
- Cool, remove from pan and decorate with a dusting of powdered sugar.