Strawberry & Raspberry Ricotta Cake

It’s Friday! This post is a scheduled one because today I’m at James’ sister’s wedding. Congrats Faye and Euan!! I think everyone should celebrate by making this cake, celebrate for the new Mr & Mrs P, celebrate the recipe of this INCREDIBLE cake and also celebrate that it is Friday!! What are you waiting for?

I get pretty excited about cake quite often but Oh. My. This cake blew my mind. When I took a bite, I literally could not believe the unreal texture of this cake, or the flavour, or the butteryness (a word, right), or the heavenliness of it. When I remembered ten minutes later than I had used gluten free flour in it, I honestly did a happy dance. The quest was over, I’d done it, I’d make a cake with divine texture, that wasn’t crumbly and that was gluten free.

What was really the metaphorical icing on the cake was that it was using up leftovers; I had some strawberries in the freezer, and some ricotta and creme fraiche in the fridge that needed using up. I’d bought some beautiful local raspberries from the a market at the weekend, so I threw the squashed ones into the cake too! I was so glad I spotted this recipe on Orangette, the timing was perfect. It was obviously fate. I tweaked the recipe a bit here and there from the Orangette recipe but the concept is much the same.

Ingredients: (Serves 12)

210 g of gluten free plain flour (or plain flour)
0.5 tsp of xantham gum (if using GF flour)
200 g of golden caster sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
3 large eggs, at room temperature
150 g of ricotta (if you have time, make your own, your life will be changed)
100 g of creme fraiche (I used reduced fat), (or 100 g more ricotta, this cake is about using what you’ve got)
0.5 tsp of vanilla paste/extract
110 g of unsalted butter, melted
100 g of raspberries (fresh of frozen)
100 g of strawberries (fresh or frozen), chopped (or any berries you like)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Grease and line an 8 or 9 inch round cake tin. I used an 8 inch tin, the Orangette recipe uses a 9 inch tin. For simple, everyday cakes, go for the tin you’ve got to hand.
Place all the ingredients on the list from the flour to the vanilla into a large mixing bowl (i.e. everything except the butter and fruit) and mix with an electric whisk or food mixer until combined. It doesn’t need to be mixed for too long, just until everything is combined.
Fold in the melted butter.
Fold in the fruit.
Bake for 50-60 mins (mine was done after 50 mins but ovens are all individuals), until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave it to cool for in the tin for a quarter of an hour or so, before removing and placing it on a cooling rack to cool completely.