Ricotta Pound Cake from Gina DePalma’s Dolce Italiano
**NOTE THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED.**
Welcome to Day 3 of the Dolce Italiano Contest in which you can win a free, personalized, signed copy of Dolce Italiano, the newly-released, highly-acclaimed Italian dessert cookbook by Gina DePalma, Executive Pastry Chef of Mario Batali’s Babbo Ristorante Enoteca in New York City.
You can read more about the contest in this post of mine and also over at Shelley’s At Home in Rome, home of the event, but here’s the gist: Shelley, Sara, Ilva, Jenn, and I are going to be posting recipes from the book over the next two weeks.
In order to be entered into the drawing for the free, personalized, signed copy of Dolce Italiano, you need to comment on the recipe posts; you can comment on all 10 over the next two weeks to maximize your chances of winning.
All comments must be posted by 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, December 7th, 2007 to be entered.
So, after you leave me a note here, if you haven’t commented on Sara’s Mosaic Biscotti from Monday or Ilva’s Chocolate Kisses from yesterday, do go over and comment.
When collaborating, we had to figure out which days we would all post our recipes. I, of course, requested Wednesdays to keep the What’s Cooking Wednesday theme alive and also to enrich the WCW collection with some delicious Dolce Italiano recipes.
Now to the recipe.
I’m a cake and cookie girl, so it’s not surprising that the first dessert I’ve chosen is in one of those food groups–namely the Ricotta Pound Cake.
I love any kind of cake and I also love ricotta, so I had a pretty good idea I’d enjoy this too.
“Enjoy” doesn’t do this justice.
I *love* this cake. LOVE THIS CAKE.
The ricotta gives an extra kick to the normally tame (I didn’t say boring–did you hear boring?) pound cake as well as an awful lot of moisture. I love how the outside is nice and crunchy but inside it’s actually almost wet. This is without a doubt one of the best cakes I’ve ever made or eaten.
And as Gina wrote in the book, it *is* even better the next day–that just didn’t seem possible after I took my first bite nearly fresh out of the oven. I really have to learn to trust the experts.
Ah, and another bonus? It goes great with espresso!
Ricotta Pound Cake
(condensed from Gina DePalma’s Dolce Italiano)
1 1/2 c cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c fresh whole-milk ricotta
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 vanilla bean
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and place rack in center.
2. Grease and flour 9-inch loaf pan.
3. In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, cream together butter, ricotta, and sugar until smooth and light.
5. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping sides of bowl after each addition.
6. If you have a vanilla bean (I didn’t), split it lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the blunt side of a small knife, then beat them into the batter along with the vanilla extract. I just used another teaspoon of vanilla extract.
7. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients to combine them, scrape down sides of the bowl, and beat the batter for 30 seconds on medium.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula. Tap pan on counter a few times to remove air pockets.
9. Put cake in oven and let bake for 15 minutes, then turn 180 degrees to ensure even browning. Lower the temperature to 325°F (160°C) and let bake until cake springs back when lightly touched, the sides of the cake have pulled away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes more.
For some reason, mine took another 35 minutes, so do keep a close eye on it. Perhaps it had to do with the water content of the ricotta I used versus what Gina uses? Experts?
10. Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert it on wire rack to cool completely. Mine came right out of the pan like no other loaf I’ve made before–the browned outside is key here. Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
As Gina says, flavor is best the next day, and I have to agree. Leftover cake can be stored for up to three days so long as it’s wrapped in plastic.
Buon appetito!
Today I’m thankful for:
Ricotta Pound Cake of course! YUM!
139 Beans of Wisdom to “Ricotta Pound Cake from Gina DePalma’s Dolce Italiano”
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[...] of you may remember last year’s Dolce Italiano contest to spread the word about the wonderful cook... bleedingespresso.com/2008/09/o-foods-for-ovarian-cancer-awareness-month-contest.html
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[...] of you may remember last year’s Dolce Italiano contest to spread the word about the wonderful cook... leftoverqueen.com/2008/09/16/o-foods-for-ovarian-cancer-awareness-month-contest
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[...] this a couple years ago? It’s still one of my favorite cakes, and you can find the recipe here. [.... bleedingespresso.com/2009/05/whats-cooking-wednesday-ricotta-fresca.html
Recipes
Looks yummy! I’ve never been a big fan of pound cake, but I’m a huge fan of ricotta (especially the freshly made kind we can get here), so I’m sure I’d like this cake. I’ll have to try it. Thanks for the recipe!
Mmm. I’ll bake anything with ricotta in it. Maybe that will be my next baking project– ricotta recipe round up? Whaddya think?
Yum yum! I love pound cake, the moister (is that a word?) the better. What a great idea to add ricotta to it!
I have a delicious ricotta brandy cheese cake recipe. I’ll add this to my ricotta repertoire. It’s a perfect recipe for left-over ricotta.
Rosa
Yum! Thank you for choosing this. Here, in Sicily, the fresh ricotta is to die for. I’ve been looking for something new and sweet to make for the holidays. My family thanks you!!
OH boy, simple things like this are the best. It looks as I would eat it..RIGHT NOW 😉
Definitely YUM I always prefer breads over other too-sweet pastries… breads go so well with coffee! 🙂
Exciting stuff you girls have going there!
Pound cake happens to be one of my favorites! I have never tried one that had ricotta in it. Maybe my wife and/or daughter will surprise me with one after they get the email with the recipe.
Plenty of good recipes for dieters and diabetics so far! Ha-Ha-Ha!!!
now, i still prefer NY cheesecake to the ricotta italian cheesecake, but you are really selling me on this one…AND it seems easy enough. could this be the recipe to take my baking virginity?
Mmmmmm. That looks divine, but totally bad for my diet. Hee. 😉
Ahhhhhh! Tell me that the ricotta makes it more healthy! It has to be, right?! I think this be excellent with strawberries.
I love a loaf cake! And anything with ricotta in it has good to be good. Thanks, Sognatrice
the picture alone makes me want to try this recipe! The words ‘moist’ and ‘cake” don’t seem to go together here in Italy, so I’m happy to use Italian ricotta to make a really moist, yummy cake.
Hi there, sognatrice! It’s me! Wait, don’t enter me in the contest!
Your cake looks great, and I am so happy you like it! It is definitely one of my favorites. What a great picture!
I wanted to answer your question about how long it took to bake the cake.
I think some of you in Italy, who get that amazing fresh ricotta, are going to have slightly different results, because your ricotta might have a higher moisture content. The fresh ricotta I get here in the states is pretty firm. If your ricotta is wetter, you can try draining it in a fine-meshed seive set over a bowl for a few hours.
It may also be that the flour is slightly different over there.
Also, everyone’s oven is completely different. My oven in my apartment is absolutely slower than my oven at work. Baking times can vary significantly.
There are so many factors that determine how something is going to turn out, but you did EXACTLY the right thing – follow your instincts and cook it ’til it is done!
Congrats, and thank you soooo much for this!
Ricotta is one of my favorite ingredients. Since I’m on the way to the market this morning, this recipe might just happen today.
Oh my! Lately I have had such a terrible sweet tooth and this cake looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it.
Wow! That pound cake looks so most and rich and delicious! I love the color you got on it, it looks simply amazing! Yum!
Lokks so yummy, I can just smell the warm, buttery vanilla flavor and the texture looks smooth and velvety….hmmm. Goodness on a cake plate!!
Looks like I’ll try this recipe this afternoon as I’ve got all the ingredients on hand. Thanks! SWT
Oh delicous! One of my fave desserts is grilled pound cake with grilled pineapple and a nutella sauce over vanilla ice cream. Decadent!
I LOVE pound cake. I will have to try this.
I agree it would probably be great with some strawberries.
This looks so moist and divine.. and normally desserts without chocolate do nothing for me. But the ricotta here really makes it extra special.
Oh, I have to make a cake today, I have the ricotta so guess what I’m making today! It looks so good! Brava!
Thank you for posting this. I am dying to try it. I have to bring something to work next week for the holidays and this looks to be it!
….so reminiscent of the cakes my nonne used to make when I was a kid.I didn’t know that cakes had *frosting* till I was a teenager.
I love that this one is flavored with vanilla…..I never liked the almond and anise flavors that I came to associate with Italian desserts…..oh, and that’s a fabulous foto, Michelle!!!
This looks fantastic! I love pound cake and am always looking for new flavors to try. Can’t wait to try this one!
*MB, I’m not a huge fan of pound cake either (I prefer chocolate in everything), but this is truly special. I hope you give it a try–it’s so easy!
*BLC, I love that idea as I’ll bake anything with ricotta in it too.
*Bonggamom, moister’s a word as far as I’m concerned!
*Rosa, mmm, I like brandy….
*Jilli, I think this one is pretty “Italian-friendly” too; I’m sure you know what I mean when I say they can be a bit picky 😉
*Tea, I wish I could give you a slice!
*Farfallina, well this is sweet, but there’s something about a loaf that makes it all seem healthier 😉
*Gil, I hope you do convince someone to make it (or why not try your hand…it’s easy, I swear!); and yes, these two weeks are *not* meant to be every day fare 😉
*Dodina, yeah! Do it! Peer pressure is sometimes a good thing 😉
*Alyndabear, one piece and you can give the rest away 😉
*Amy, exactly! And the strawberries would make it even more so! This is really versatile, in fact, lots of fruit toppings would go with it, chocolate, Nutella…then there’s all the fun stuff you could throw in like almonds, dried cranberries, chocolate chips? Hmm….
*Charlotte, ricotta *does* make everything better, I agree.
*Barbara, I hear you. I’m a cake lover, but I suppose it’s good that most cakes are so dry here otherwise I’d eat a lot more of them. The Italians that try my moist cakes, though, love them…there’s a market people!
*Gina! Ciaoooo! So great to see you here, and thanks so much for answering my question. I call on an expert and an expert shows up 😉
You’re very right about the oven temps, especially since I have to guesstimate on the temp since my dial isn’t labeled very well. Plus our electricity often isn’t as strong here, I think, so that probably did play into the cooking time.
Thanks again for answering my question 🙂
*J, I hope you try it 🙂
*Ambra, this will hit the spot 🙂
*Jenn, I really can’t say enough good things about this cake. I really, honestly am in love with it 🙂
*Robin, you got the description down to tee. Did you get that scratch and sniff widget working? 😉
*SWT, go for it!
*Geggie, wow. Yum. Yum. Yum.
*NYC, it’s too good *not* to try!
*Cara, I hear you! I definitely prefer chocolate desserts, but here’s an exception 🙂
*Ilva, happy baking!
*Anonymous, they’ll love it! Also, if you’re reading this, please email me (address on sidebar) so we know who you are in case your name gets picked!
*Alexmom, both the almond and anise flavors can get a bit overwhelming, I agree. I can never get enough of vanilla though 🙂 Thanks for the compliment on the photo!
*Dtsweir, this one’s a keeper 🙂
oh my gosh – that looks DELICIOUS! My husband would be in heaven if I made that – pound cake is his fav. looks so moist and yummy. Thanks for trying that one!!
Looks and reads very yummy – just a shame I’m wheat and gluten and mostly dairy free! I’ll have to go and check out those chocolate kisses though!
That looks so good.
I want, I want, I want.
Oh dear, and the only way to get a slice is to make it. I wonder if I can get Bob or Cheese to do it?
Yum. I could go for a slice right now. (Sounds more tasty than the oatmeal I have planned for breakfast instead.)
Mmmmmmmm… As I look over at my warm cup of tea (I don’t drink coffee – I know, that’s blasphemous but true) I can’t help but wish I had a piece of your cake here with me.
I’ve made a lot of pound cakes (hubby is a big fan of them). Mine usually use buttermilk, but the ricotta sounds like a fun twist on the old favorite.
As I was reading the recipe I not only could taste this recipe, I could sense the mouth-feel of this cake. Hmmm, I wish I hadn’t used the ricotta last night to make a lasagna….
Looks delicious, yes. I never make pound cake because it doesn’t have much nutritional value, but adding ricotta to the recipe probably means adding protein and calcium… Great! A reason to indulge!
well at least i know what i want for christmas if i don’t win the contest! this pound cake sounds soooooooo good!
I have ricotta in the fridge and yesterday I was wondering what I should make with it-now I know! It looks delicious!
I have been lurking at your blog for a few months and enjoy reading your posts.
I love pound cake, but only if it is super moist. From the pictures, this recipe looks like it would melt in your mouth. I can not wait to bake this and enjoy it with a cup of coffee. Yum!!
I am blown away that all your commenters in Italy apparently have managed to squirrel away the vanilla needed….WHERE ARE YOU GUYS ALL GETTING THE VANILLA EXTRACT (not to mention the bean!)? Luckily, I am back in the States (who said that?) so I can get the vanilla extract and bean, but where in Maine am I going to get decent Ricotta? Managgia la miseria! I think we need to get an ingredient exchange going here….!
Sognatrice, your cake looks outstanding!!I will certainly try this, as we love ricotta anything in my house!!
Even for the people who dont win, its nice to have a collection or recipes to try before buying the book. This looks fantastic!
*Stacy, I’m glad you’re appreciating it! I wanted to pick something that people would be encouraged to try for themselves, and I think this is a great one 🙂
*AV & A, no, not very wheat and gluten-free friendly, but I’ll eat a slice for you if you like 😉
*Taffiny, it’s definitely worth asking….
*Stefanie, yes, but I have a hard time finding oatmeal so count your blessings!
*Sherry, I can understand not drinking coffee (sort of) 😉 This would be great with tea as well–I love yellow/white cakes with tea 🙂
*Salemhouse, I hope you’ll give this a try; you’ll find a slightly different flavor and consistency than when using buttermilk, at least from the buttermilk pound cakes I’ve eaten (never made one though).
*Cbright67, ah but if you had used my recipe for Calabrian Stuffed Lasagna, you’d still have ricotta 😉
*Lilian, I like your way of thinking 🙂
*Qualcosa, glad to be of service 😉
*Janie, perfect timing!
*Jenn, I feel the same way about pound cake and this one definitely meets the super moist criteria. Glad you commented!
*Anna, well I didn’t have the bean as I mentioned in the post, but the vanilla extract? It’s one of those items that my mom and other package fairies send me from the States 🙂 I just read something that there’s a new Italian goods store opening somewhere in Maine, but I’m blocking out exactly where. Don’t know if they’d have fresh ricotta anyway though….
*PIC, I hope it’s a hit 🙂
*Megan, I hope that we can give a good overview of the book so people can imagine just how many more fabulous recipes are inside. I know I want to try them ALL. Seriously, there’s not one that I turned my nose up at. To me, that’s pretty impressive for a cookbook!
*Lisa, this is when I like baking too, and I *love* banana bread. Can’t wait to see your post!
*Karina, you’re too funny! Mom will be pleased 🙂
*Christina, prego 🙂
Yum! This looks so tasty and I will have to try it out! I just love baking especially around the holidays. I just made banana bread last night – I’m going to post about it tonight!
Lisa
You had me at ricotta. YUM…I’m thinking this is a good one to take to mom’s for Christmas.
Another great recipe I look forward to trying! Thanks!
Christina
I made it for my family this afternoon. Their reaction was unanimous- “YUMMY” 🙂
Rosa
PS. It was nice and easy to prepare and mine took as long as yours did although I baked it in a holed tin (ciambella).
*Rosa, that was fast! Thanks for coming back to let us know how it turned out 🙂
I was *thisclose* to putting mine in a ciambella too…great minds 😉
I bought Gina’s book literally the day after it came out and this was one of the recipes I put a big fat bookmark next to. I’ve been trying to go easy on the baking, but now that you’ve said those three magic words (namely: ‘best’, ‘cakes’ and ‘ever’) I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to resist…!
Hi My dear COOKIE girl!:)
Thanks for your enthousiastic comment of my PARIS collages there will follow a lot more photograps, I visited the LOUVRE also and the Photography museum, in the meanwhile I am working in my studio (at Home) for new fresh photograps…of HOLLAND.
I love the recipe on your blog!! I love cooking , did you see my Brushetta recipe? and another Italian recipe? I might visit all blogs if I can althoug I also need to answer my (36 today)reactions comments of my blog.
It would be a nice birthdaypresent thoug, Last christmas I got this “chocolate-recipe-book” I am gonna look in it maybe I can post some chocolate recepies for the chocolat lovers who know?
It looks delicious…never tried it, might make one for over christmas when the family come.
I am showing up late here…I also had some adjustments on cooking time here in Italy…just have to keep an eye on them, I guess! 🙂
Yum, pound cake AND ricotta??? I second the dunking into coffee motion.
Dear Sognatrice,
Thanks you for dropping by blog. Great to see your great effort to organise such incredible recipes and comes with goodies too.
Well and yet so strange for me. Why? I notice one thing about this recipe which makes it very unique, whole milk ricotta. I truely have not got the chance to use this ingredient in malaysia, as it might not be available. But. I presume it is unique as it is a cheese based milk. What stuck me also is Buttermilk! Buttemilk is very fragrant and usually used to make danish pastries.
My verdict: this ricotta pound cake is incredible and delicous, as the main ingredient is whole milk ricotta and yet the butter enhance this cake.
*Melissa, it’s time to give that oven a workout 😉 Isn’t this a great book?!
*Joann, I look forward to more of your photos; always a pleasure! And yes, I have seen your bruschetta recipe–looks fabulous! And I do hope you post some chocolate recipes. I *love* chocolate 🙂
*Anne, this is a great holiday cake–quick, easy, and delicious 🙂
*Sara, I’ve been dunking far too much these days 😉 I think it probably has a lot to do with the temps, like Gina said. I highly doubt our baby ovens here as anywhere near as powerful as the ones at Babbo 😉
*BBO, thanks for coming over; hopefully you’ll get to try out the recipe someday if you can find the ricotta. We don’t have buttermilk readily available here, so I suppose we’re even 😉
What type of flour did you use? Doppio zero? or cake flour? The flour and the moisture as well as your oven can make a difference.
Beth
Found you via Sparky Duck and am I ever glad! I love ricotta and pound cake so this will be tried out asap!
Either water content or tin type/size would be my guess, but there’s always the variable of individual oven temperatures.
Cheers
this looks very easy and yummy. thanks michelle for participating in this contest. I hope the ricotta I find in the US will be just as tasty.
Linda
I just want you to know that my hips are extremely angry with you right now.
Damn that sounds like a good cake! If my true love had not forced me to make a chocolate layer cake yesterday, this would be in my oven right now.
I may need to throw in some freshly grated citrus peel, though. And nutmeg. I’ll keep you advised.
i am stopping by the market on the way home to pick up some ricotta (or whole milk so i can make some myself) because i HAVE to have this. i heart ricotta – on its own, in cheesecake – i haven’t met a ricotta i didn’t like, and this sounds like an introduction i’d like to make. yum-o!!
That is truly gorgeous. What did you use for cake flour?
PS/ my kid is teaching how to make my own vanilla extract and it involves dark rum, so how bad could that be?
Seeing that I’m comment #62, I’m thinking I might not win this book. But I’m totally making this recipe. You had me with “good with espresso.” I do love the subtlety of a pound cake but to add to its, ahem, traditional ho-humness, is a wonderful thing.
I was *hoping* someone would choose a recipe with both the words ricotta and cake in the title! That’s probably my favorite dessert combination in the world. As I said on the dolce Italiano blog yesterday, we’re all winners seeing these wonderful recipes!
Now, if there’s something ricotta and chocolate…
I am a big fan of ricotta cheese. Heck, I’m just a big fan of cheese in general!
I’m printing this recipe and cooking it for Christmas!! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Omigosh, that pound cake makes me want to bite the screen! Yum! 🙂
That pound cake looks awesome!
Not only does the cake sound heavenly, you write so beautifully. I’m glad to have stumbled upon you.
This one looks so good I’m gonna say screw the diet and do a little baking this weekend. Thanks.
I made this recipe about two weeks ago. It was the absolute best pound cake ever. How could you go wrong with ricotta and pound cake.
Yumm a new twist on pound cake. It looks great!
Wow this LOOKS amazing. i am going to A Xmas Breakfast party on the 12th, I will make that to bring along! I love Ricotta!
The other two recipes also looked wonderful and I AM NOT A SWEET tooth person. If I don’t win this book I am definitely buying it! 😉
Well I can eat ricotta cheese with a spoon, so I know I will love this recipe. Your tomato and zucchini with pasta remains one of my all-time favorites.
I guess you liked this one huh? This is one of those Harry met Sally moments when you just say “I’ll have what she’s having!”
Hi! I’m a cake and coffee lover (espresso is my favourite, as well as chocolate. So far all the recipes i’ve seen from this book have won me over! Plus I had some great ricotta cake while in Italy earlier this year, so this does bring back memories.
Hey you! You don’t need to sign me up for the contest because I think Tony would beat me if I added yet another cookbook to my gigantic collection.
I just needed to comment because it’s been a while and holy moly I am so going to make this pound cake. As soon as I buy some cake flour and a loaf pan! 😉
I never would have thought to add ricotta to pound cake. But that looks heavenly!
Wait, dont enter me again for the contest. I commented once earlier but had to come back and tell you how special that cake really is! When you said “I “love” this cake, LOVE THE CAKE “, I knew I had to try it. OMG. It is wonderful! I just had to come back and tell you, I love the cake.
Songatrice, as you know I had a bit of an Italian culinary disaster on my hands last weekend. But I swear this is the tastiest looking pound cake I’ve ever seen and it LOOKS like it would be easy enough to try. In fact, I’ve been okay with cakes before. Again, I think the key here is for me to win Gina DePalma to come to my house and cook for me, but the cookbook would be nice, too! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier 🙂
That recipe sounds scrumptuous and not all that difficult too. I may start my experiments with these recipes with this one!
I love the beautiful golden orange tone; it reminds me of your beautiful Italian fall pics of yesterday. A pound cake filled with ricotta with a crisp crust … it is a dream cake.
This looks and sounds great! I am a chocolate lover as well and I think chocolate could be added to this very easily…cut cake into cubes and dip into chocolate fondue. 😉
oh!I just looking for pound cake recipe and now I found one…beside that I love to have Batali’s cook book:) Wish me luck!!
That looks good! But as a near diabetic (for a few more months at least) I’ll just have to be content to look at the pictures
Wow, Sognatrice, now that DOES sound like a tasty cake! I’m a big fan of lemon pound cakes, but I tend to go for the non-fussy, simple kinds, but I’ve never tried ricotta in a cake before — sounds intriguing and highly tempting! I’m going to have to give this a try…
A random question, with my being in France — I always wonder if I can use “levure chimique” in the place of baking powder here… I think that’s what I’ve done in the past, because I’m not sure what else would replace it, but does anyone know?
Thanks for the wonderful recipe and for a great contest! And thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday as well.
Oh my…this pouncake looks so moist and delicious. I want to go home and prepare it now!!!! The cookbook also sounds amazing. I will have to add it to my evergrowing piles.
that looks fabulous, I’ve never tried ricotta in baking before!
I think pound cake may be my absolute favorite cake. I simply love the stuff. This recipe sounds sinfully good.
I’m excited about this cookbook. If I don’t win the contest I will be purchasing a copy for myself.
Wow! that looks wonderful and I’m definitely going to make it!
That photo is making my mouth water!
I love pound cake, and this one looks wonderful!
That cake looks terrific!
And that even is so cool.
That looks delish!
Oh I can’t wait to try this. I think I will turn my husband into a poundcake lover. I love to use ricotta and we have a great Italian Fresh Market that you can purchase it fresh. Yum, yum, yum.
This looks so good! I have to catch up with my comments, so I can win this book! ; )
I’m number 94!!! Yikes, how do you possibly keep track?
I LOVE pound cake. I am a simple dessert kinda girl. This looks great.
I must make this! It sounds great.
Oh good lord, that looks fantastic! I’m mostly a chocolate girl, but I think I’ll have to make an exception for this!
Ohhh, I would LOVE to win this book. What a great recipe too. I can’t wait to try it. 😉
The ricotta pound cake sounds really good.
It must be fate. I make personalized marshmallow cooking sticks — http://www.marshmallowchefsticks.com. I found a blog from a Chef who loves to make s’mores. You commented on her site which brought me to ‘bleeding espresso’. And guess what, I love pound cake and I love ricotta. I think your recipe and the writing leading down to the recipe was very entertaining. Good job. Photos look yummy and the writing fits perfectly. Cool contest as well.
well i know whats for dessert tonight, even though ricotta makes me sick as a dog
Ricotta cake is one of my favorite standbys. I’ll have to try this one.
THIS is a beautiful picture! And if it tastes even 1/2 as good, I might give up Entemann’s forever!
Ooh! I’ve got ricotta in the fridge right now. Have GOT to make this!
Looks so good, Michelle! I’m printing out the recipe as I type. 🙂 My nonna (who lives next door) makes something very similar… I should really get the recipe from her too. Thank you for sharing! I love, love, love your recipe posts. 8)
Wow, beautiful colours in such a nice cake! I might have to try this one pretty soon – with an espresso of course!
Wow! Let’s see if I can answer some questions that have come up….
I used Flour 00, which says on the bag that’s it’s for “dolci.” It looks like the cake flour I’d have used in the States as opposed to the other kind, which I use only for, say, coating fish for frying.
And Judith, that vanilla extract sounds outstanding!
*Late Bloomer, I’m sorry I don’t know a thing about substitutes in France; perhaps there’s some info if you Google? I get my baking powder shipped in to be safe 😉
*Karen, about keeping track of the comments, our very own Sara has it all under control and will do a randomizer thingee. Yeah, obviously I know *nothing* about it 😉
Thanks to everyone who commented, especially newcomers to my blog and those who have *already* baked and loved this ricotta cake.
And to everyone else–make it! You won’t be disappointed!
My mom made this yesterday and it is delicious!! My kids loved it, too, so I may even attempt it myself. It looks much easier than the cookies. 🙂
BTW your gingerbread post made me chuckle. I’ve attempted assembling and/or decorating gingerbread houses with my 2 young kids the last few years. They always end up looking, um, VERY homemade — and I don’t even bake the things. You can bet I’ll post a few photos in another week or so when we attempt it again!
Susan, you should definitely post photos of the gingerbread houses! I’ve never made one in real life; sounds like I’ll have more fun if I wait until there are children around 😉
And thanks for coming back and telling us about the cake; you should definitely make it–it’s easy!
This sounds so much more interesting than plain pound cake. I’d like to try this soon.
This pound cake looks so delectable. Impressive. Must try it this weekend.
I love the sound and the look of this cake and will definitely try the recipe thanks 🙂
*Pene, if you do try it, please come back and tell us how it turned out!
*Anne, bake away!
*Collywolly, what a fun name you have–thanks for visiting and commenting!
I love pound cake, so this recipe sounds especially enticing!!
I love to bake with ricotta; it adds so much moistness. Lovely pic and recipe.
*Deborah, if you love pound cake, you’ll *love* this 😉
*Susan, completely agreed. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I absolutely love ricotta and also enjoy a good pound cake. This looks like one I will try.
yummm!! Mouth is now watering!
*Cindy, you won’t be disappointed, particularly if you’re already a ricotta fan.
*Jessica, mine too…maybe it’s time to make another 😉
Ciao! I just took my loaf out of the oven and it looks sooo delicious! (I keep shooing my wife away so she doesn’t pick at it!)
I had the same experience, though, that cooking time took *much* longer than indicated so just cook until brown and you get a clean toothpick. After the initial 15 mins. at 350F, my loaf baked for an additional 75 mins. at 325F. In looking at other recipes, a pound cake typically bakes for 70-80 mins. I have a Hearthkit insert so my temps tend to be very even and consistent. My guess is that there a typo has made it into the book, but who knows!
yum!
I’m not here to test my luck at winning the book… I made this cake after seeing it posted on a blog that linked here and wow… it was positively transcendent. I abandoned my moratorium on new cookbooks and got my own copy immediately — it’s worth it for this recipe alone!
*Cbright, thanks for sharing your experience; always best to just go with what happens as we bakers know 😉
*Katy, yum indeed!
*Dolores, good on you 🙂
Strong words for a pound cake but then I’ve found some pretty incredible pound cakes. Guess I must have to try this but after Christmas! Looks really lushly beautiful in your photo.
ok, I don’t think I’ve posted to this recipe yet. If I have, I’m not meaning to get my name in twice. Once is fair. The pics of the goodies look sooo good. I’ve decided to get the book for my sister for Christmas. But I’d still love to win a copy for myself 🙂
*Mykitchen, yes they are strong words, and I couldn’t mean them more; hope you give this a try!
*Plongstocking, your sister will love this book!
Reporting back after having made The Cake:
1. Not crazy about the texture. I have a better basic recipe that uses sour cream and even comes out nicer than this when I use reduced fat sour cream, as is my wont.
2. Not crazy about the blandness, so I did what I said and added 1 T freshly grated lemon peel and ½ t (should have made it 1 t) nutmeg. Also used salted butter, a whole vanilla bean, and a T alcohol-free vanilla flavoring. Excellent flavor resulted. (I did try the batter first her way, but it was just too nothing for me. I like a little more complexity, I’m afraid.)
3. That thing about the timing? Yeah, the girl’s on crack. My regular pound cake recipe takes 90 minutes in the oven at 325°F. This recipe took 15 minutes at 350°F and then an hour at 325°F.
It’s not your ricotta. That’s how long pound cake takes.
It sure did pop right out of the baking dish, and it is moist and delicious. I probably won’t make it again, though. It didn’t overwhelm me with joy. Still it was fun to try, so thank you again!
*Sara, thank you for your dedication! I really did like the texture and flavor of this cake, didn’t find it bland at all–perhaps the quality of the ricotta has something to do with it because I’ve had some really bland ricotta and really tasty ricotta (like what I used). And perhaps I’m just used to *really* bland pound cake (I’m not normally a fan at all), so the fact that this had flavor was huge for me.
As for Gina’s being on crack, well I don’t *think* she is, but I do know that she has access to a pretty powerful oven at Babbo, which may account for the difference unless it was a typo or something. I am somewhat relieved, though, I have to say, to hear that I’m not the only one whose cake took a while longer than the directions. After the first 15 minutes, mine got so brown around the edges, I was nervous that it would burn by the end, so I was just happy that it eventually baked through and wasn’t dried out anywhere.
Thanks for playing along *and* reporting back 🙂
Also, it occurs to me that she might not be using a pyrex loaf pan, as I do habitually. Maybe she uses something much less insulating, like metal.
And no, I don’t really think she’s on crack. hee hee But yes, a professional oven is a very different thing than a home oven in an ordinary (not rich) household. (I’m just thrilled ours is gas, not electric, since we rent and have no control over this.)
Very good point about the ricotta flavor. The best I’ve ever had is — get this — Calabria brand organic! (It comes in sealed plastic tubs, but it’s still even better than any fresh organic that I’ve tasted in this country.) Unfortunately, the stuff I used for this recipe was new to me, the new Organic Valley brand ricotta, which I know means not a lot to you but, for other North America-dwellers, I have to confess that I found just not that impressive. (And that’s disappointing, because I am a big fan of Organic Valley generally, esp. their butter.)
Anyway, it was a worthy experiment, and it’s not like I regret the exercise, though it is bound to grow my ass a little more. ‘Cause it’s also not like we’re throwing away the results, you know? 😉
Cheers!
*Sara, good point about the pan. Sorry to hear you weren’t impressed with the new ricotta; to be honest, I *never* used ricotta in America, and it’s probably why I never really liked lasagna there since everyone seemed to put it in. I just didn’t see the point. Here though, I can eat it by the little log roll in the summer especially. YUM!
Sorry about the ass thing. Mine empathizes especially since P doesn’t do sweets….
im going to try this out on my italian learning class- can i check a couple of things first thou- is that three quarters of a cup of butter, and how long on 180? i dont want to spoil it. x
Yes 3/4 cup of butter and on about 180 degrees Celsius, this cake takes at least an hour, but it’s best if you keep an eye on it b/c oven temps and times vary; just reading some of the comments here you can see that people had different experiences with how long to bake it.
im dying to try this and there is an italian supermaket near me that makes fresh ricotta, it usually has quite a bit of liquid, do i drain this off first or does that give the cake the added moisture ?
I would use it unless it really seems like too much to add. Does that help at all? Hmm….
This is going on my list for a Christmas dessert
Enjoy Sue!
My question is, put cake in oven and let bake for 15 mins at 350. Then turn 180 to ensure even browning — literally turn down to 180 and for how long? Lower temp to 325 and let bake until cake springs from the sides of the pan, and a cake tested inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 mins more. (Most comments said cake takes longer) Could you clear up for me about starting at 350, going down to 180, and for how long.
Thanks!
Nan Rose
Hi Nan, you turn *the cake* 180 degrees after 15 minutes of baking, not the heat down to 180; the heat goes down to 325. Basically, if the cake was in the oven vertically, you put the part of the cake that was in the front to the back, just switching it around so it browns evenly. Make sense?
Hi. Love your filled-with-info blog. Have a question ? Just once I was served a dessert called ‘Ricotta Cheese cake’. I have never been able to find a recipe for that particular version. Let me describe it. Rich ricotta cheese cake with raisins and ‘crystal’ fruit, in a rich pastry, latticed with pastry and finished with a tart confectionary sugar glaze. Baked in a deep spring form pan. My mouth still waters when I describe it. Creamy, tart filling and crispy pastry, rich with almond flavours. My guess is that the fruit was soaked in Amoretto, or brandy. Yum. And that was in 1984. Have you ever come across this confection in Italy? I’ve tried to recreate, but not too sucessfully … help!!?!! Oh .. yes: I made your ‘pound cake’ — also yum.