Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook (Rose Gray). http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2016/01/blood-orange-almond-and-ricotta-cake/. Please be sure to click on the link to see what a pretty cake this is. LD’s notes in italics. Update 1/31/16: I’ve made this twice in the past three weeks. I don’t think you can overcook this cake. Second time I made it, cooked for 50 minutes in a 10″ glass pie plate (same temp as in recipe). Could have used another 5-10 minutes.
Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
3 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated sugar
2 blood oranges, or another orange of your choice
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2/3 cup (165 grams, approx 6 oz.) ricotta
1/3 cup (45 grams) cornmeal
1 cup (135 grams) firm-packed almond flour or meal
1/4 cup apple, quince or apricot jam (optional, for glossy finish)
Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Note to LD: The 10″ glass pie plate at same temperature works well. Don’t even try the 9″ deep-dish pie plate – shallower is better.
Stir brown sugar and water together so they form a thick slurry. Pour into prepared cake pan and spread thin. Set aside.
Whip egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until they hold thick peaks. Set aside.
Place sugar in a large mixing bowl. Finely zest both oranges over it. Cut both oranges in half. Cut two of the halves into paper-thin slices and then cut the slices in half again. (Original recipe called for just half an orange cut into slices, but I prefer more slices arranged closer together.) Arrange slices over brown sugar base in cake pan. Juice other orange and add lemon juice to make 1/3 cup juice; set juice aside.
Add butter to sugar mixture and beat with an electric mixer (you can use same beaters you just did for egg whites) until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat to combine. Add juice and ricotta; mix until smooth (mixture will look slightly curdled). Sprinkle salt over batter, then add almond flour and cornmeal and mix until just combined. Gently fold in egg whites.
Scoop batter in large dollops over prepared cake pan base. Gently spread batter flat, trying not to disturb orange slices underneath. Bake in heated oven for 35 to 40 (mine took at least 50) minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and then (my preference) for 5 more minutes. The final cake is so moist, almost damp, I found the extra baking time beneficial. (Yes, definitely.)
Cool cake in pan on rack for 5 minutes, and then run a knife around the side and invert onto a cake plate. If any orange slices don’t come out easily, just gently arrange them on the top of the cake. If desired, heat jam until loose and brush over cake top for a glossier finish. (I didn’t have any jam, so I brushed the top with Myer’s rum.) Let cool and cut into slices. This would be delicious served with an extra dollop of ricotta, creme fraiche or barely sweetened whipped cream. The cake keeps at room temperature, but we prefer it from the fridge.