The ricotta cake, from the Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz, is a light and creamy cheesecake. It’s eggy and cakey and not at all cheesy. Maybe that’s why I like it in the warmer season — when I prefer a lighter and creamier texture. I’ve made it several times already and it’s just as delicious as the first.
The cake is like a canvas that’s made even more delicious with a fruit compote. Claire’s recipe calls for a kumquat marmalade. Kumquats are harder to find than the pantry staple of frozen mixed berries. Therefore, I use the good old stand-by. However, any seasonal fruit you like would work. Try fresh macerated berries in the summer, poached rhubarb in the spring and poached quince in the fall.
Need to point out to our readers that 2 cups (or 6 oz/ 452g) of fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese (the only cheese in the recipe) represents one container you get from the store. That’s important to a home baker who likes to tinker in the kitchen but dislikes leftovers hanging around longer than they’re welcome. An exacting approach is the hallmark of well-written recipes. I appreciate that level of attention in a cookbook.
I love baking most of Claire recipes in the book because it’s so meticulously constructed and explained. See all the weights measurements in the recipes. Well, you know what I mean. Importantly, I don’t see how there are still cookbook recipes, especially in baking, printed in the digital age without providing the weight equivalents. My pet peeve!
Another tip from Claire is not to overbeat the whites. By the way, the whites are the reason for a light texture of the ricotta cake. She suggests it’s best to undershoot the mark lightly. When the whites have lost their shine and have taken on a matte look and grainy texture, it will become difficult to incorporate them into the batter. That’s good information!
And there are so many valuable tip-bits of information I find so refreshing to hear about. Here is another: greasing the sides of the pan encourages the cake to form a “waist.” That is a sinken ring around the sides. Although it’s a cosmetic issue, which does not affect the taste of the cake, but I want to know about the cause and effect of different methods. Knowing the best practice is a driver of success, I want nothing less.
Ricotta Cake with Berry Compote
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh whole-milk ricotta (16 oz/ 452g)
- 1 cup heavy cream (8.2 oz/ 232g), chilled
- 4 large eggs (7 oz/ 200g)
- 1 large egg yolk (.6 oz/ 16g)
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar (7.5 oz/ 213g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (4.6 oz/ 130g)
- FOR THE MIXED BERRY COMPOTE:
- 2 1/2 /cups/ 300g fresh (or frozen and defrosted) mixed berries
- 1/2 cup/ 100g granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup/ 60 ml lemon juice
Instructions
PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE PAN: Preheat oven to 375°F and prepare a 9-inch springform pan. Butter the bottom of the pan, but not the sides, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
WHIP THE RICOTTA AND CREAM: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or in a medium-sized bowl with a hand mixer, mix the ricotta cheese and heavy cream together until very thick. Mix for about 1 minute until the mixture is super thick but smooth. (This can also be done in a food processor)
ADD THE REMAINING WET INGREDIENTS: Add in the 5 egg yolks, lemon zest, vanilla, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 cup (7 oz / 200g) sugar to the ricotta mixture. Mix together until smooth, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
ADD THE FLOUR: Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. It should look like a thicker batter. If this is the only stand mixer bowl you have, transfer to a large bowl and set aside. Clean your mixer bowl for the next step.
WHIP THE EGG WHITES: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer), beat the egg whites and the pinch of salt on a medium-low speed to start and then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the whites form soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Continue to beat on high until the whites are shiny, quadrupled in size and hold a firm peak off the end of the beater, about 2 minutes.
FOLD THE EGG WHITES: Fold the egg whites into the ricotta batter mixture using a large flexible spatula. Gently fold in the mixture until no streaks remain.
FILL THE PAN AND BAKE: Scrap the batter into the prepared pan with batter and smooth the top. Place in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. Bake until the edges are deeply browned and the center is risen, and cracked. A cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean but will be a little wobbly. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. The cake will fall and crater immediately. Let it cool completely.
MAKE THE MIXED BERRY COMPOTE: Place half of the mixed berries in a small bowl of a food processor and process to form a liquid - don't use a blender as it will pulverize the seeds as well as the fruit and give the purée a slightly bitter taste. Pass through a fine-mesh (or muslim-lined) sieve to remove the seeds, which can be discarded.
Stir together the other half of the mixed berries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Place on medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and gently boil for 8-10 minutes, until most of the berries have burst and the mixture is thick. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the berry purée. Transfer to a bowl, place some plastic wrap directly on top of the compote and set aside to cool. The compote will thicken to an almost jelly-like consistency but will break up readily when stirred before you spoon it on top of the cake.
SERVE: When everything is completely cool, take the cake out of the pan and place the mixed berry compote on top of the cake.
Notes
Adapted from Ricotta Cake with Kumquat Marmalade in "Dessert Person" by Claire Saffitz
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Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake | Ina Garten - Ever Open Sauce
May 3, 2023 at 8:13 pm[…] flavor combination of blueberry and ricotta is fantastic. Previously, I posted the ricotta cake with berry compote from Dessert Person because it’s a winning combination. It’s the real deal; I love baking the cake over and […]