Lemon, Almond & Ricotta Cake - Gluten Free

I turned out my kitchen cupboards the other day to find that I had 3 large packets of ground almonds with their expiry date looming. What better way of using them up than this gluten-free Lemon, Almond & Ricotta Cake.

It's a really simple recipe, basically swopping flour for the almonds and perfect for any of you who are wheat intolerant.

This recipe is taken from my Dorlicious Page 

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This recipe will serve at least 10 good portions

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You'll need an 11" /28cm loose bottomed baking tin, greased and lined with baking parchment

If you prefer to measure rather than weigh your ingredients here's a handy Conversion Chart

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Set the oven to 160c/325f/gas mark 3

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The ingredients

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350g/12½oz softened butter (I used salted)

400g/14oz caster sugar

600g/1lb 5oz ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder 

6 large eggs

2 large unwaxed lemons zested & juiced (if you can find any Amalfi lemons all the better)

a 250g/9oz tub of Ricotta cheese 

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Method

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In a large bowl beat together the sugar & butter until light & fluffy

Beat in the eggs one at a time

Add the almonds and the baking powder & lightly mix through

Add the zest & juice of the lemons along with the Ricotta and mix gently but thoroughly

Place the mixture into the lined tin and level it.

Place on a baking sheet then pop into the centre of the oven

Bake for around 50 minutes, then turn the oven down to 150c/300f gas mark 2

I baked mine for approx 1 hour 15 minutes but ovens vary. Check after an hour.

If it's browning too quickly, loosely cover with a sheet of baking parchmentm or foil 

Just make sure that there's no wobble in the centre of the cake and if a skewer is inserted it comes out clean

It should be golden brown with a slight spring when touched

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Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack.  Don't  be tempted to remove it until it's relatively cool . It's a moist cake and is liable to break easily. It would be better placed in the fridge for a little while to help it firm up.

I'm greedy, cut mine too early and managed to break the cake in half arghhh!!!! I won't be doing that again.

Fresh Berry Sour Cream Cake

My take on Francesca's lovely cake

Thank you so much Francesca Lobban for this gorgeous & ever so easy recipe. The sponge uses the all in one method and it turns out beautifully moist with the addition of sour cream and fresh berries. As always I have to put my own take on it, I'm not a great fan of anything too sweet so I dropped the cream cheese icing and placed a white chocolate coating instead. Below you will see both alternatives.


Blueberry and raspberry sour cream cake with cheesecake frosting

 Ingredients
 • 175g soft butter
 • 175g golden caster sugar
 • 3 large eggs
 • 225g self-raising flour
 • 1 tsp baking powder
 • 2 tsp vanilla extract
 • 142ml carton soured cream
 • 375g of blueberries, raspberries etc. ( I added strawberries & Cherries cos I'm greedy)
 • 200g tub Philadelphia cheese
 • 100g icing sugar (I used a lot more!)
 • 1 tsp vanilla extract

on my take I fill the cake with a little whipped cream & I used a large bar of white chocolate, melted with 3 tbsp of double cream to top and lots of fresh berries & cherries to finish.

 Method

 1. Preheat the oven to fan 160C/ conventional 180C /gas 4 and butter and line the base of a loose-based 22cm round cake tin with non-stick baking paper or reusable Bake-o-glide.

 2. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla in a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes, or with a hand electric beater for 1-2 minutes, until lighter in colour and well mixed. Beat in 4 tbsp soured cream, then stir in half of the berries with a large spoon.

 3. Tip the mixture into the tin and spread it level. Bake for 50/60 minutes until it is risen, feels firm to the touch and springs back when lightly pressed. Cool for 10 minutes, then take out of the tin and peel off the paper or lining. Leave to finish cooling on a wire rack.

 4. To make the frosting, beat the soft cheese and vanilla with
 the icing sugar and the remaining soured cream in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Spread over the top of the cooled cake (don't be impatient as the frosting will melt if the cake is too warm) and scatter with the remaining berries.

5. Dor's alternative topping,  Fill the cake with a little whipped cream  then I melted a large bar of white chocolate with 3 tbsp cream. As it starts to thicken slightly again on cooling, pour over the cake and spread, top with lots of berries. I sprinkled over some dehydrated strawberry flakes for taste and effect.

 The cake will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Bring it to room temperature for about an hour before serving.

 The first time I made this I used a 22cm cake tin like the recipe says but I didn’t have one of those here (because I am in America at the moment) so I used two 8 inch sandwich tins, sharing the mix between the two and baking for about 35 minutes instead.