How to Bake a Delicious Ricotta and Lemon Cake

Yum, yum, yum.  Have I got a batch of deliciousness to share.  I realized a tub of ricotta cheese was rapidly approaching its expiry date, so I scrambled for a quick recipe because I'd since eaten the other ingredients to make what I originally bought the ricotta for.  In the nick of time I found a delicious lemon and ricotta muffin recipe that I turned into a cake, added a twist to, and can't stop devouring.

Here's the recipe I pinned, from Healthy Food Living, with my tweaks:

For the muffin/cake:

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup water
• Lemon juice (2 lemons)
• Lemon zest (2 lemons)

For the icing:

• Lemon juice (1 lemon)
• Lemon zest (1 lemon)
• 2 tbsp icing sugar

Make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix together the ricotta, oil, lemon rind & juice, water and egg.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir only until it's just mixed - don't over stir, this dough gets really stiff very quickly so watch out!
5. Pour into muffin cups or, if you're lazy like me, use an 8" by 8" lightly greased pan.
6. Bake muffins for 15-17 minutes, but if it is in cake form, bake for about 30 minutes, until lightly browned on top and a knife you insert comes out clean.

Make the icing (not in original recipe):

I had planned a thick, super rich icing like I made for my sugar cookies but it turns out we were almost out of icing sugar!  Probably a good thing.  I used what was left and made a very runny glaze by mixing together the zest and juice of one lemon and about two (maybe 3) tablespoons of icing sugar.  I drizzled in onto the cake when it was minutes from the oven, so it seeped in a little and also crystallized from the heat.  It's like the glaze on an apple fritter, but with more kick.  But honestly, this is also an awesome muffin without the sugar topping.

This cake is moist and rich, but light and fluffy.  It is sweet but also has a really zingy lemon flavor which balances the sugary glaze.  In case you're wondering, sugar-free me lasted about three weeks (a week shy of my month long goal) but then I fell off the wagon.  Now I'm trying to just eat less sugar.  She says with a straight face, as she stuffs her face with a slab of sugar coated muffin-cake. 

Breakfast of champions.

How to Make Colored Icing Without Food Colouring

Hubby's Dad, and his partner, are visiting us in a few days so we have been cleaning, grocery shopping and baking up a storm.  Last night I tried a really good sugar cookie recipe from my favorite cookie cookbook (see below) and topped it with a simple, food colouring-free pink icing.  Even though Hubby & I are boring and ignore Valentine's Day, I though anyone whipping up some Valentine's treats this weekend might like this simple recipe!

There are many different kinds of icing but for cookies, icing can be really simple to make: just add any liquid to powdered sugar.  In this case, I mixed copious amounts of icing sugar with all-natural (dye-free) cranberry juice.  The result is a sweet, ever-so-slightly slightly fruity, icing.  Here's a ratio that works for me:

How to Make Naturally Pink Icing:

3/4 cup powdered sugar
4.5 tsp. cranberry juice

This makes a small amount (pictured below) but it is better to work in small batches, lest the icing start to harden in the bowl.  Depending on how many cookies you need to decorate, you might need more.  For the cookie recipe that follows, I needed about three times this amount, which I made in three different batches.  You want it to be smooth enough to apply to a cookie, but thick enough that it won't drip.  Try experimenting with other liquids (like grape juice) to tint your icing other colours.

I will admit that some of my iced cookies look like an uncoordinated toddler helped (can I blame Hubby?).  Ah well.  I cherry-picked a few pretties for you, but I don't have heart-shaped cookie cutters.  I have a flower cookie cutter and then a set of wild animals (moose, bears, squirrels, snails, hedgehogs, foxes) but can I make them Valentine's-y?  Let's see . . .

I have a snail of a good time when I'm with you:

I love you bear-y much:



I have no idea how to make a hedgehog or a moose romantic . . . 

Basic Cookie Recipe (from the book "Sunset Cookies," click here for a similar title)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening
2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar (although I used brown sugar for both quantities)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. allspice, ginger and nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon (I actually added four, my mistake, but it was a yummy mistake)

Cooking-Making Time:

1. Beat shortening, butter and sugar together until creamy
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla
3. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices
4. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and combine thoroughly
5. Knead dough for a few seconds and wrap in plastic wrap
6. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours
7. Working with small sections, keeping the remainder refrigerated until needed, roll out dough on floured surface until approx. 3/8 inch thick
8. Cut out using cookie cutters
9. Transfer cookies to un-greased baking sheets (I lined mine with parchment paper)
10.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned (I only needed 12 minutes)
11. Transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool for a few hours before icing

I hope you enjoyed this tip.  Let me know if you're up to any yummy baking!

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