Orange and Ricotta Cake with Crushed Amaretti
A one-bowl cake that’s always in my top 10 favourites. Use a firm ricotta and don’t skimp on the orange zest – it really makes the cake sing.
1 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
300 grams firm ricotta
½ cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons orange-flavoured liqueur such as Grand Marnier
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup roughly crushed purchased amaretti biscuits
EQUIPMENT: Grease a 22cm springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.
Put the sugar and zest in a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips to infuse the sugar with the oil from the zest. It should look like a pale yellow, damp sand. Add the ricotta, olive oil and vanilla and whisk together then whisk in the eggs one at a time until well combined.
Stir the baking soda into the combined milk and orange liqueur and fold into the batter along with the combined flour and baking powder. Make sure there are no pockets of flour in the batter.
Tip into the tin and scatter over the amaretti. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover with foil after 30 minutes if the top is browning too fast. Cool for 30 minutes in the tin, then transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely. SERVES 8-10
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