ITALIAN RICOTTA AND ALMOND CAKE

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature and separated
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk ricotta
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour (smooth out the lumps)
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• Icing sugar for dusting

1. 01

   Preheat oven to 165 degrees. Grease or spray a 9" spring form pan. Dust with flour or almond flour.

2. 02

   Cream the sugar, butter, salt, and extracts until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. I do this in a stand mixer.

3. 03

   Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

4. 04

   Add the ricotta cheese and continue beating for another minute or so until very smooth. Blend in the almond flour. Note: almond flour is naturally lumpy so I smooth out lumps with the back of a spoon before I add it.

5. 05

   Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

6. 06

   Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. I do this in two stages.

7. 07

   Spread the batter into your prepared springform pan and smooth out the top evenly.

8. 08

   Sprinkle chopped almonds evenly over the top.

9. 09

   Bake in your preheated oven for 50-55 minutes. The cake will be puffed, golden, and not jiggly in the center. Lay a piece of foil loosely over the top of the cake towards the end of baking if it seems to be browning too quickly.

10. 10

    Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then release the sides of the pan. Let the cake cool 15 minutes before dusting with confectioner's sugar.

Notes

1. 01

   Almond flour comes in a few different forms. Almond flour is made from ground blanched almonds.

2. 02

   Extra fine almond flour is great for baking and yields an extra tender cake. Almond meal is made from almonds that still have their skin on, and is a little coarser in texture. It can be used, but the texture of the cake will be a little grittier.