I love using ricotta. I use it in salads, for breakfast, on pizzas and it works beautifully in cakes, giving them a lovely moist texture. This cake is adapted from Mark Lebrooy’s recipe of The Blue Ducks cookbook. It is ideally made in winter, when limes are abundant and cheap, and I find it best served warm with greek or honey yoghurt – I use Paris Creek organic and biodynamic bush honey yoghurt (thanks to my Paris Creek connections – aka Mum). My favourite part about this cake is the sweet and slightly crunchy edges that are produced by baking the cake to golden brown. Aaaand it has the added benefit of being gluten free for all those with coeliacs or intolerances!

Ingredients: 

110g fine polenta

100g almond meal

100g hazelnut meal

2 tsp baking powder

200g unsalted butter

180g caster sugar

3 free range eggs

Zest and juice of 3 limes

250g fresh ricotta

Paris Creek organic and biodynamic bush honey yoghurt, or any greek yoghurt to serve

Method:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Grease a 22 x 12 x 8 cm loaf tin and line with baking paper.

Beat the margarine and sugar in an electric mixer until it is thick and creamy. Whilst beating at a slow speed, add the eggs one at a time until completely mixed.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then fold in the dry ingredients to the wet mix.

Lastly, fold in the lime zest and juice, and ricotta – avoid over mixing.

Pour the mixture into the baking tin lined with baking paper and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown. I often vary the shape of the baking tin used when making this cake – and so rely mostly on the classic skewer insertion testing method. If the skewer comes out clean and the top of the cake is golden brown and springy to touch – the cake is ready.