Preparation time : 25 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Serves : 8 members
Description
Coming from a family that has excellent cooks from my grand mother to aunties to cousins to children now. ( real tough competition I say ) I do have one cousin sister Aashik who does not cook much. I alway’s wondered how can she be the odd one out being born from such a family where food is the most important part that binds us all. I remember inviting her for the second recipe swap anniversary of sauté, fry n bake. She was like Akka what will I cook and bring. Told her any thing will do. She bought this walnut and ricotta cake . Not even a crumb was left behind and the best part her cake won a prize too under the dessert category . Only then I knew she does cook, it’s just that she’s a bit lazy . As no one can just bake a cake with out having a bit of common sense in cooking. I remember I was lucky enough the next time too to get my share when she baked this cake after six months. This time also it vanished in seconds as the crazy shameless lot of us glutton cousins gobbled it up. Oops have to say we are not gluttons but explorers of food.
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| walnut pieces ( can use toasted chopped almonds) | 1 cup |
| unsalted butter, softened | 2/3 cup |
| caster sugar | 2/3 cup |
| eggs, separated | 5 |
| Ricotta cheese | 2/3 cup |
| plain flour | 6 tbsp |
| Orange rind | 1 |
To Finish
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| apricot jam/ peach jam | 4 tbsp |
| brandy ( optional ) | 2 tbsp |
| bitter chocolate, coarsely grated | 2oz |
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. Grease and line the base of a deep 9 in round, loose-based cake tin.
- Roughly chop and lightly toast the walnuts.
- Cream together the butter and ½ cup of sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks, orange rind, ricotta cheese, flour and walnuts and mix together.
- Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff. Gradually whisk in the remaining sugar.
- Using a large metal spoon, fold a quarter of the whisked whites into the ricotta mixture.
- Carefully fold in the rest of the whisked whites.
- Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface.
- Bake for about 30 minutes until risen and firm. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
- Transfer the cake to a serving plate. Heat the apricot/ peach jam in a small saucepan with 1tbsp water.
- Press through a sieve and stir in the brandy.
- Use to coat the top and the sides of the cake.
- Scatter the cake generously with grated chocolate.
