This recipe has been very generously donated to our database by FoodLoversBritain.com as part of their Cherry Aid Campaign.
Championing the best local and regional food businesses, all vetted to FoodLovers Approved quality standards, FoodLoversBritain.com is the site where everyone – from consumers to producers, restaurateurs to retailers – can find where to buy, stay, visit, eat and learn about local and regional quality food & drink. With 4,000+ businesses featured online, each one is FoodLovers Approved to deliver on local sourcing and meet an exacting level of excellence.
CherryAid campaigns to unite all Cherry Lovers – chefs, Cherry growers, producers of Cherry-based food and drink, you, me – to save the British Cherry.
In the last 50 years we’ve lost 90% of our Cherry orchards and now import around 95% of the Cherries we eat. FoodLoversBritain.com has gone to the rescue with CherryAid to help them out of a jam!
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
300g very fresh ricotta or cream cheese
300g granulated or caster sugar
3 [free-range, organic!] eggs yolks, beaten with 4 tablespoons milk
75g finest possible plain white flour, sifted twice
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
300g ripe cherries, stoned and halved
3 level tsp baking powder
3 [free-range, organic!]egg whites, chilled
1 walnut-sized piece butter for greasing
4 tbsp icing sugar
Method
This recipe was originally provided for FoodLoversBritain.com by Valentina, who says "The basis of this cake is a classic baked ricotta cake, with ripe, dark cherries mixed through it. Don’t be surprised if the cherries tend to sink to the bottom, this is fine, and absolutely in keeping with the nature of this very soft textured cake."
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C.
2. If you are using cream cheese instead of ricotta, whip it with a balloon whisk first to lighten it. Then continue to beat the ricotta or whipped cream cheese lightly with an electric whisk for about 10 to 15 minutes, gradually adding the sugar, until the mixture appears light and fluffy.
3. Continue to whisk, blending in the egg yolks and milk, then the flour, the lemon zest and the baking powder.
4. Finally, gently fold the halved cherries though the mixture.
5. Whisk the chilled egg whites into stiff peaks and carefully fold them into the cake mixture.
6. Line and butter a 20 cm. spring-loaded cake tin very generously.
7. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and level it out smoothly with the back of a spoon.
8. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to l hour or until a long, thin metal skewer pushed deep into the centre of the cake comes out perfectly clean.
9. Do not worry if the middle of the cake sinks a little, this is quite normal, as this is a very soft cake that is much more like a firm pudding.
10. Remove from the oven, cool for about 10 minutes, and then slide the cake out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Sift the icing sugar all over the cake and serve warm, with cream, whipped mascarpone or ice cream.
Time From Cupboard-To-Table
1 hour 30 minutes
Categories: recipes, seasonal eating, vegetarian
