Recipe for Berry Ricotta Breakfast Cake
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups ricotta
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup raspberries or blueberries, divided
¼ cup turbinado sugar
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9″-diameter cake pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs, ricotta, vanilla, and lemon zest in a medium bowl until smooth; fold into dry ingredients just until blended. Then fold in butter, followed by ¾ cup raspberries, taking care not to crush the berries. Scrape batter into prepared pan and scatter remaining ¼ cup berries and turbinado sugar over top.
Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.
Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam
6 pints strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 ½ – 3 cups sugar (depending on how sweet the berries are)
2 vanilla beans
1 lemon, zest and juice
Mix the strawberries with sugar. Split the vanilla bean pods in half and scrape the seeds into the strawberry/sugar mixture along with the pods. Add the lemon zest and juice to the mixture and let macerate for at least 3o minutes or as long as overnight in the refrigerator.
Pour the strawberry mixture into a large pot set over high heat. Cook stirring with a wooden spoon for about 20 minutes until jam thickens (lowering the heat if the jam bubbles up too much). Taste the jam and add more sugar as needed. Test the thickness of the jam by placing a dollop on a chilled plate and running your finger through it: if your finger leaves a track then the jam is ready; if not then continue cooking for a few minutes, repeating the test. Remove from heat. Remove the vanilla bean pods and pour jam into sterilized jars and seal with warm lids. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate jam (will keep for up to 3 weeks).
Sponsor: Roth Living
