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Rich with ricotta, eggs and butter, Strawberry Ricotta cake bursts with berries and a hint of orange and cardamom. I made Strawberry Ricotta cake for Shabbat since we are having fish, but it would also be perfect for the upcoming holiday of Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks. Add a few blue berries to the cake and it would also be great for the 4th of July.
A Bit About Shavuot
Shavuot commemorates the day when the Torah was given to the Jewish People on Mount Sinai. It is one of three pilgrimage and harvest festivals in the Jewish Calendar and falls 7 weeks after the end of Passover and the counting of the Omer. While opinions vary as to why, it is traditional for Jews to eat dairy products when celebrating this holiday. And as is common with the People of the Book, it is also customary to spend all night in study.
Customs differ somewhat for Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, but the essentials of the holiday remain the same. We all read the Book of Ruth during this time, and we all agree that Israel, the Jewish People, entered into a covenant with God at Mt. Sinai.
I have made several ricotta cakes and they always taste wonderfully rich and pare beautifully with citrus – especially orange. These cakes, especially those made with fruit, will become almost pudding-like as they cool, with the flavors intensifying the day after baking.
This cake is quite simple to make, so is perfect for the novice or occasional baker. The finished cake does not require any additional embellishments in my opinion. However, if you wish, you can sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar over the top just before serving. If you do this ahead of time, the sugar will simply melt into the berries, unless you can find non-melting confectioner’s sugar, which I understand is available, but I do not have.
Other berries can be used, but I would shy away from raspberries, which while delicious, are so fragile that your batter will become pink while attempting to mix the berries through. If this doesn’t bother you, then by all means, give it a go.
I hope that you enjoy my Strawberry Ricotta Cake soon.
Recipe
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons for the top of cake
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1½ cups ricotta
1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1 Tablespoon orange liqueur like Grand Marnier
Zest of an orange
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1.75 cups fresh strawberries, sliced into 6 or 8 pieces each, for larger berries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8 OR 9”-diameter springform pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Sprinkle about 1 scant tablespoon of granulated sugar around the inside rim, which prevents sticking and gives a nice texture to the cake.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cream butter, orange zest and sugar in a large bowl. Add in the eggs, ricotta, orange liqueur or vanilla and whisk until smooth. Mix in the dry ingredients just until blended and there are no flour bombs.
- Then fold in about ¾ cup of the berries, taking care not to mash the berries. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and scatter the remaining berries over the top, gently pressing them lightly into the batter. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar.
- Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. (Ovens vary so it could take a few minutes more or less. It will also take a bit longer if you use an 8-inch pan since the cake will be higher and denser. However, it is difficult to dry this cake out. It will only get moister of time.) Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before releasing the outer ring. Continue cooling on a wire rack.
NOTE: This cake is very moist. However, to not overbake it, when the cake looks just about done but has the slightest jiggle in the center, I turn off the oven, crack open the door and leave the cake inside for 10 more minutes. I do this with a lot of cakes to finish baking them without drying them out. If you don’t like the “pudding-like” texture that this cake can get, bake it a little longer before removing it from the oven.
