Breakfast time! This is a little “cake” that I have now made for the second time in a week’s span as it was so popular in the first go around that is was gone straight away. Surprisingly it is very similar to my most of my blueberry muffin recipes, but instead of milk that those recipes use, this “breakfast cake” uses ricotta cheese. It’ very light, super-fluffy and has just the right amount of tartness from the lemon and ricotta. Also, it’s a very easy and forgiving recipe.
(modified from an Ina Garten recipe that can be found here)
Ingredients
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, plus one egg yolk, at room temperature
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups blueberries (12 ounces) fresh or frozen*, divided
4 tablespoons turbinado (“raw”) sugar
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 10-inch round or rectangular springform pan, shaking out any excess flour.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low, add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the ricotta, sour cream, lemon extract, and lemon zest and mix well. The batter may not be smooth, but that is ok.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter, mixing just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, fold two thirds of the blueberries into the batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared springform pan and smooth the top. Scatter the remaining blueberries on the cake, pressing them lightly into the surface. Sprinkle on the turbinado sugar evenly, which will give the cake a nice
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
