Full disclosure: I set out for this post to be about a cherry and rhubarb pie, but as it may, my crust got a little camera shy (aka I burned the crust). That pie will come two posts from now as both cherries and rhubarb are in their prime. In its place is this delicious Cherry Ricotta Cake.
As the weather gets warmer, it’s obligatory to splurge on a massive bag of cherries. Sometimes I audibly gasp at how expensive each bag can get but, it’s well worth it and the TLC of hand-pitting (or mouth-pitting) each one. Well, unless you’re fancy and have a cherry pitter. I feel tempted to say #goals here, but a part of me likes meticulously pitting each one. Even if my cherry juice-covered kitchen towel looks like a crime scene.
This cake is an ode to the start of summer when these juicy beauties are at their best. Also, cherries and ricotta go so well together in this fluffy, moist cake. The sweet baked fruit is surrounded by sugar and butter-enhanced ricotta cheese for otherworldly flavors. That may sound like hyperbole, but one bite and you’ll get it. This delectable dessert (or breakfast) is easy to make and very difficult to just have one slice.
Cherry Ricotta Cake adapted from Bon Appetit
INGREDIENTS
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 large eggs
1½ cups ricotta
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ cup cherries, pitted and halved
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9”-diameter cake pan with parchment paper + coat with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla until smooth. Fold the wet mixture into dry ingredients until blended. Then fold in the melted butter, followed by 1¼ cherries.
Scrape batter into pan and scatter remaining ¼ cup cherries 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 from cake pan.
